32 essentials for a cosy night in of relaxation and self care

After a long week of dealing with the stresses of work and life, sometimes the only thing to do is to dedicate time to a cosy night in, full of relaxation and self-care.

Whether a chilled-out night of cooking a delicious meal and cosying up on the sofa in your best pyjamas is the way forward for you, or you prefer a glass of wine, a good book and some downtime with your LED face mask, unwinding is vital.

Here's our list of must-haves and essentials for maximising your relaxation time during your cosy night of me time and de-stressing.

32 essentials for a cosy night in

Refreshing your space

Setting the mood in your environment is one of the most pivotal first steps to enjoying a relaxed and cosy night in. Whether you plan to unwind in your bedroom or living area, make sure your space is tidy, clean and free from clutter. Vacuum, dust, wipe down your surfaces and air the room out by opening a window to make it feel fresh ready for an evening of snuggling up.

Creating the perfect lighting

Lighting is one of the most pivotal elements when it comes to creating a relaxing ambience. Ditch the harsh lights of overhead lighting and embrace the soft, warm-toned radiance from the likes of fairy lights, a sunset or salt lamps and candles. No cosy and relaxed evening can be had with stark lights glaring throughout the room.

High quality scented candles

If you’re a candle lover, you likely have dozens of scented candles to hand. But a cosy night in, when self-care is in order, means striking a match and lighting up the wick on the high-end candles you’ve been saving. Especially if they’re scented with ultra-relaxing essential oils like lavender and eucalyptus. Don’t hold back on lighting your best candles a second longer!

Pillow Spray

Giving your pillows a spritz with a lavender-scented pillow spray (like the globally-loved This Works Pillow Spray) is an easy and relatively inexpensive way to make your relaxing night feel that little more luxurious and can help you nod off to sleep feeling more chilled. In fact, why not give your sheets a spray every night? There’s nothing better than nestling into a plush pillow that’s scented with the indulgent yet fresh smell of lavender.

Good wine

A cosy night in is the ideal opportunity to take a corkscrew to that bottle of vino you’ve been saving. An evening to relax and treat yourself is an ample opportunity to pour yourself a glass of the wine in your stash that’s a little on the nicer side. Snuggle up, pour, sip and really savour those flavours.

Soft towels or a towelling robe

Stepping out of the bath or shower and wrapping yourself in a super soft, warm towel or bathrobe makes the experience of getting clean that little bit more lavish. Ditch your usual shower towels in favour of a large cotton bath sheet for an elevated and cosy drying experience - or get that spa feeling by wrapping up in a toasty towelling robe. Bonus points if they’ve been washed in your favourite scent of fabric softener.

A good read

For a bookworm, there really is nothing better than snuggling up on the sofa or under the duvet with a page-turner (or Kindle packed full of them) in hand. Grab a drink and a snack, and read the hours away until it’s time for lights out and a deep sleep

A heated blanket

Always cold? A heated blanket will be a game-changing addition to your life, Affordable to buy and cheap to run, cranking up the heat setting on a super soft heated throw is a surefire way to elevate your living room or bedroom relaxation and keep you toasty for the duration of your cosy night in, without having to reach for the central heating dial.

Your favourite tea

A cup of tea is essentially a cosy night in, in a cup. Whether you’re a peppermint, chamomile, Earl Grey or green fan, getting the kettle on and brewing up a cuppa in your favourite mug can help you embrace the calm and slowness of a chilled evening as you sip away. A mug of hot tea in the evening is a must if you suffer from bloating too, with caffeine-free blends like mint or ginger helping to reduce digestion discomfort naturally.

An indulgent snack

A cosy night to yourself just isn’t complete without a snack that feels like a real treat. If you’re a chocolate fan, an ice cream fiend or partial to a bowl of popcorn or cheese selection, your night of relaxation and downtime is the only excuse you need to have a nibble of whatever is your favourite.

A healthy snack

Of course, an evening on the sofa should involve a treat that’s more on the indulgent side, but incorporating healthier options alongside your sweeter or saltier picks is great for maintaining balance and avoiding feeling like you’ve overindulged. A platter of veggies and hummus, a few squares of dark chocolate or a fresh fruit salad can really do the trick.

Your skincare routine

Some busy evenings after a hectic day at work might leave you rushing to get your skincare routine done so that you can hop into bed and get to the land of nod as quickly as possible. Take time during your relaxing self-care night to indulge in every step of your skincare routine, applying your most hydrating and nourishing products mindfully and really enjoying the process.

An LED mask

Purchasing one of the best LED face masks on the market might seem like a splurge - but it’s actually one of the best skincare investments you can make according to beauty and skin experts. Designed to use LED technology to stimulate the production of collagen in the skin to reduce fine lines, wrinkles, discolouration, acne, dehydration and more, they’re well worth it if you’re looking to treat yourself to a beauty gadget. There’s no better time to indulge your skin in some LED mask time than a cosy night of self-care.

Comfy slippers

Whether your best slippers are a pair of sheepskin UGGs or a fluffy and affordable pair from the high street or the supermarket, no night in is complete without sinking your tired feet into your beloved and well-worn slippers before snuggling up on the sofa. To level up your slipper experience, slip on a pair of irresistibly soft cashmere socks warmed on the radiator before sinking your feet into your cosiest slippers.

Wax melts

Burning a wax melt will quickly fill the room with scent - so choose relaxing notes like lavender, eucalyptus or sandalwood to create a hazy and tranquil-smelling room that helps you relax your mind, body and senses. Not a fan of flames? Treating yourself to an electric wax melt burner is an inexpensive way to reduce the risk of fire.

A jigsaw puzzle

Instead of plotting yourself down in front of the TV to binge-watch a series or scrolling on your phone for the entirety of your cosy evening in, why not distract your mind from the hecticness of modern life by challenging yourself to a jigsaw puzzle? Settling down and immersing yourself in some puzzling time has been shown to help you relax by reducing heart rate and blood pressure levels and can even help prevent cognitive decline by keeping your brain active.

A relaxing playlist

Whether it’s the dulcet tones of jazz, your favourite piano pop, chilled folk music or even a little ASMR, the soundtrack to your relaxing evening indoors is pivotal for setting the right mood and ambience. Pressing play and enjoying some listening time is a must for a night spent feeling cosy and focussing on yourself.

A weighted blanket

If you're someone who is prone to anxiety and stress, a weighted blanket can serve as a great method of banishing tension after a tough day when you can't seem to switch your thoughts off and relax. The stress-relieving throws come in various weights and can really help to aid you in nodding off into a restful night of sleep. It's worth nothing, that the total weight of the blanket you buy should be 10% of your body weight.

A satin eye mask

Once you’re cosy in your pyjamas, snuggled down into your fresh sheets and enjoying the scent of your relaxing lavender pillow mist, reaching for a satin eye mask can really elevate your sleep experience. Not only are they silky smooth and oh-so comfortable, but they can also help to reduce creasing around the delicate eye area and loss of moisture from the skin while you get your beauty sleep. Of course, they’re designed to block out any light that might disturb you throughout the night or early morning, too, so you can wake up feeling as refreshed as possible.

A delicious and nutritious meal

A cosy night in can often lead to feeling tempted to order your favourite takeaway and tuck in on the sofa - but getting into the kitchen and rustling up a delicious meal packed with nutrients can leave you feeling fuller, more satiated and less sluggish than a pizza delivery or Chinese take out. Think vegetable and protein-packed pasta dishes, nourishing tray bakes or a succulent salmon fillet with spicy seasoned rice.

Your favourite podcast

What with busy life schedules often making it so hard to keep up to date with our favourite podcast releases, a relaxing night in can be the ideal opportunity to binge all of the episodes you’ve let build up week after week, having not found time to give them your full attention. Connect those earphones and lose yourself in some well-deserved podcast listening.

An everything shower

If you’ve got an entire night of relaxing indoors ahead of you, hopping into the shower and really getting stuck in to every step is a great way to start. Scrub, smooth, shave, shampoo and lather up to your heart’s content. Slather on that nourishing hair mask, get your exfoliate on and really enjoy the smell, feel and results of all of your favourite shower products.

A bubble bath

If an ‘everything’ shower isn’t your preferred method of getting clean before a night of cosiness, a spa-like bubble bath with nourishing bath soaks, essential oils, candles and a dimly lit bathroom is the way forward. Don’t forget your bath pillow, warmed towel and soothing soundtrack.

Meditation

If you're all about mindfulness, meditation might already be part of your day-to-day life. If it's not, then a relaxing night in is the ideal time to give it a go. With so many easy-to-use meditation apps out there, it's never been easier to harness the power of connecting with yourself and the world around you to enjoy an extended moment of calm. Meditation can aid in improving your sleep, ability to focus and reduce stress. If you've never tried it, it might not even be what you think - many people are pleasantly surprised by the range of different meditation practices out there that make it easy to find one right for you.

Journaling

If you’re ready to relax and enjoy a cosy night in but your head feels cluttered with worries or swirling thoughts, taking time to put pen to paper and dump the contents of your brain into a journal can feel like a relief. Mindfulness experts recommend making journaling a key part of your routine thanks to its ability to help clear our heads, reduce feelings of anxiety and help us find feelings of calm.

No social media

Social media can quickly become just another element of everyday life that stresses us out - and sometimes a detox is needed. Spending some time away from social media platforms, or just screens and online spaces in general, can be a nice way to detach from the outside world for a while and declutter your brain during your relaxing evening indoors.

Fresh sheets

Fresh sheet night is the best night of the week if you’re an indoorsy person who simply adores slipping into bed for an early night. So make sure your fresh bedding is prepared and ready for you to hit the hay after your cosy night in. Once your bedding is freshly washed in your favourite fabric softener scent and your bed carefully made, crank up your fluffy electric blanket, douse your pillows in lavender spray and snuggle up.

An adult colouring book

Once something reserved for children, colouring has made its way into the lives of adults in a big way in recent years - and we’re glad about it. Settling down with an adult colourful book and a pot of your best felt tip pens or colouring pencils can really set you up for a zen night of relaxation and unwinding. If colouring isn't for you, why not try the likes of therapeutic watercolour painting, knitting or crochet.

Baking

Getting stuck in to whipping up a batch of something delicious in the kitchen is a surprisingly therapeutic way to spend an evening. The precise weighing, careful steps and intricate decorating can distract your mind from stressful or unpleasant thoughts and keep you focussed on the task at hand - plus, being able to indulge in the tasty fruits of your labour is always a bonus.

Hot chocolate

If wine, tea or a cocktail isn’t your thing, going all out on an extra delicious hot chocolate with all of the trimmings (think mini marshmallows, whipped cream, flavoured syrup, extra chocolate dusted on top, a flake) is the perfect way to feel like you’ve drunk some indulgence. If you like the addition of a tipple, treat yourself to a glug of Baileys or a shot of whisky in your mug.

A foot or hand mask

While you might regularly refresh and hydrate your face with sheet masks, your hands and feet might be feeling a little neglected. Give them a pamper with a nourishing mask designed to boost moisture and leave them feeling supple and smooth. Giving them a good exfoliate with a sugar or salt scrub along with a manicure or pedicure is the way to go, too.

Comfy pyjamas

Slipping into a pair of your best pyjamas simply has to be done in order to reach maximum comfort levels during a cosy night in. Whether you’re a fan of satin pairs that are more on the glam side or regularly reach for your years-old PJ bottoms and oversized T-shirt, as long as you’re comfy, the right temperature and not restricted, that’s all that matters.