Sheraine Nelson has a good feeling about this year.

After a two-year wait, owing to the covid19 pandemic, Nelson's fledgling wellness brand Vibal Source is set to take off.

Vibal Source is an aromatherapy range, and has, through its natural ingredients and novel, earthy packaging, become a favourite for many.

It includes scented candles and diffusers in a wide range of scents to meet as many olfactory preferences as possible.

"I also ensured there are scents that can be appreciated by men, because men also enjoy and can benefit from the regenerative effects of aromatherapy," Nelson, 31, told WMN.

Based on the reception she has received since launching the products in early 2020, she said she can confidently look forward to releasing new stock.

[caption id="attachment_944411" align="alignnone" width="819"] Vibal Source reed diffusers - Photo courtesy Vibal Source[/caption]

“I look forward to having a presence in stores locally. The intention this year is to push myself even more. I feel much more motivated to make it happen this year.”

Work started on the brand in late 2019, around which time Nelson registered the company after what she called getting out of a place of limbo.

“I wanted to do something new and was trying to figure out what would be the next best move for me. I was considering going back to school to pursue a master's degree in mediation, which I still plan on pursuing, but at the time I knew that was not it.”

After a conversation, a friend who nudged her to learn candle-making. “I love candles and use them to help me manage my anxiety, but learning how to make them didn’t cross my mind until that conversation.”

Nelson, who is from Point Fortin, considered how candles contributed to her psychological well-being and thought if she learned to make them, she could teach others and share it as a gift for people to benefit from the positive impact aromatherapy has on mental health.

“Helping people has always been important to me, which is why I work in psychiatric social work.” Working in the field, she said, allows her to have a great understanding for the importance of recognising how to care for the mind in different ways.

In late 2019, she finetuned her candle-making skills after practising for months, following online guides and YouTube videos. “I actually registered for a course organised by the Ministry of Community Development to fortify my candle-making skills, but they weren’t able to have the classes due to the rising covid19 cases.”

Undeterred Nelson she made the best use of social media and used money from her savings to market and fund her product.

"I saw it as investing in myself. I remembered taking out some money from my savings to invest in Vibal Source. I knew it was a risk I was taking but I did it anyway. Regarding marketing – I did marketing on Instagram and Facebook, but then I got the opportunity to have a space at Rootsyardd."

Rootsyardd is an event, now held at the Trinidad Theatre Workshop, where music meets, food, meets local artisans – a one-st