Aromatherapy - What is aromatherapy?

Aromatherapy is a form of medicine that uses liquid plant material. This liquid plant material is known as an aromatherapy essential oil (EO's). 

Ylang-Ylang

There are a lot of highbrow words in the world of aromatherapy, and I hope to demystify five of the more widely used ones. 


So here goes in alphabetical order:


1) Adulteration - this is the lowering of the standard or character of a product by the addition of one or more inferior ingredients. There are many products on the market claiming to be 100% pure aromatherapy essential oils, yet have had cheaper similar smelling oils added or are bulked out with synthetic oils. Within my own skincare company INSKIN, a lot of our time is spent sourcing oils. We need to know when the crops were harvested, where the crops harvested from, when they were produced into oils and how old they are. We work only with a reputable and highly regarded supplier. Base or carrier oils - aromatherapy essential oils must not be used without being diluted. Unfortunately, many skin care products contain only minute quantities of essential oils and again have been bulked out with base/ carrier oils.


2) Dermal absorption - this is how chemicals go 'through' your skin into the cells below. There are many chemicals that make up an aromatherapy essential oil, and each of these are 'light' enough to pass through the skin. Dermal absorption in a nutshell is considering the density of the chemical put on the skin to see if it is able to pass below the skin's surface into the cells below - I'll do a separate blog on dermal absorption as it's quite a big area - quite mathematical but amazing studies are being carried out within the medicines industry on this.


3) Extraction - quite simply this is how a product gets from being a growing plant to inside a small brown bottle as a liquid.


4) Phytochemicals - These are nutrients that occur naturally in plants.  Phytochemicals are the molecules responsible for colour and odour (think of the deep purple of blueberries and the smell of garlic. There are numerous phytochemicals that are beneficial in fighting or indeed preventing chronic disease. Watch this space - I'll do a separate blog on phytochemicals as it's a really interesting subject area. If you'd like a little more information now, please visit:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytochemical


5) Steam distillation - There are a number of ways to extract 'oil' from the plant to create essential oils, with the most common being steam distillation. In VERY simple terms, the plant material is put in a container with a tube in; it's heated on the outside; the liquid nutrients travel up the tube as steam then is collected in another container where it condenses leaving the essential oil. Imagine boiling a kettle of water near a window, the steam rises, hits the cold window where it condenses then causes water to run down the window.

Steam Distillation

There are many more aromatherapy terms, but hopefully I've covered the ones that appear time and time again. I'd love to hear from you if you'd like a blog covering in any other aromatherapy area.

Many thanks for taking the time to read this blog, and if you've found it interesting I'd be delighted if you'd ask your friends to take a look.

Many thanks, hugs and kisses

Lizzy Radcliffe

ITEC Certified Aromatherapist Graduate 1996


If you would like to become involved with our work here at INSKIN skincare - please complete the form on the INSKIN website http://www.inskin.org/testers.htm

Aromatherapy Clary Sage - Relax....Just Do it

Relax... Just Do it - the sort of serious relaxation you need after a hard day at the office, after a meeting, long drives across country, business flights - I think you know the sort of relaxation I'm talking about.. This blog explains how clary sage helps the decrease in brain dopamine to decrease blood pressure and also how its usage has been increased in midwifery wards for pain relief.

Clary sage essential oil is well known for its relaxing properties and many people will give testament to how relaxing they found it.


Indeed as a qualified aromatherapy practitioner I used to massage a gentleman with an incredibly stressful job. After the massage using clary sage, I had to tie his shoe laces and his wife had to always drive him home as he was so deeply relaxed. He also enjoyed the benefit of a wonderful night sleep.


So why is clary sage so good?

Research has shown that relaxation occurs when clary sage (NOT to be confused with clary which is highly toxic) is used in baths, massage or inhaled. Tests were carried out to measure the modulation of dopamine. Dopamine is found in the brain and from it, it is possible to measure levels of increased/decreased heart and blood pressure.


The decrease, which was found, is the reason why clary sage is so deeply relaxing.


For more information on dopamine effects caused to clary sage (salvia sclarea) please follow this link:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378874110002667


Indeed, clary sage is now recognised as a relaxant within many hospital's midwifery wards. in 1990, 585 women used clary sage to control labour pain through relaxation, with most finding it beneficial.


For more information please follow this link - Clary sage oil usage:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/147097-clary-sage-oil-uses/

At Doncaster and Basselaw maternity ward, clary sage is recommended for the following:

"Clary Sage is useful for relieving pain, and helps contractions. It is better used as a compress or bath rather than as a massage oil. It may make some people feel sleepy." 

For more information please follow this link to NHS Doncaster and Basselaw maternity ward - Aromatherpy usage including clary sage: http://www.dbh.nhs.uk/Library/Patient_Information_Leaflets/WPR21180-Aromatherapy.pdf

INSKIN Skincare produce a fabulous Deeply Relaxing Bath Salt Scrub which contains clary sage.

Please note - although I adore the therapeutic benefits of clary sage, it mustn't be used if pregnant (it may be used in labour only).

Many thanks for taking the time to read this blog, and if you've found it interesting I'd be delighted if you'd ask your friends to take a look, please take a look at the video below.

Many thanks, hugs and kisses

Lizzy Radcliffe

ITEC Certified Aromatherapist Graduate 1996


If you would like to become involved with our work here at INSKIN skincare - please complete the testers form on the INSKIN website at http://www.inskin.org/testers.htm

Aromatherapy - Meet Lizzy the Guru

Rosehip Oil - silky skin packed with Vitamin C

ROSEHIP OIL

• Rosehip oil nourishes and moisturises the driest of skins.
•  It is readily absorbed into the skin leaving the skin silky soft and NOT looking or feeling oily.
• It is incredibly high in vitamin C ( a powerful anti-oxidant).
• Rosehips are berry like fruits which are left behind after the rosehip bush dies. 

• Rosehip is a dense bush with the foliage having an apple fragrance
• Although it readily grows in the UK, the main supplier of rosehip oil is Chile due to its superior extraction methods.

Imagine your face as a car that's getting a little older. You wash, polish and wax it and it looks fantastic - that's how rosehip oil will leave your skin.

However what about the engine?  There's little point only making the outside look fantastic, the engine needs constant attention, which is where the vitamin C found abundantly in rosehip oil comes in.

Although vitamin C is the only vitamin that cannot be produced by the human body due to the mutant gene -  L-gulonon-y-lactone oxidase, vitamin C is important for both our health and to slow down the ageing process.

There are 2 facts I'd like to share with you about vitamin C

1. There is 20 times more vitamin C in rosehips than in oranges
2. Vitamin C is far more readily absorbed through the skin (dermal absorption) than if taken  orally. If 12g of vitamin C is taken orally, only 16% of it is absorbed.

Rosehip oil is relatively new to the skincare industry but is increasingly popular due to it's fantastic properties both on the surface of the skin, and lower down where the skin's cells are being formed.

One study was carried out using rosehip extracts of 18 samples in order to evaluate their antioxidant activities.


The study showed that vitamin C in its own right had a high antioxidant capacity which was related to high contents of phytonutrients. (Phytonutrients are nutrients derived from plant material that have been shown to be necessary for sustaining human life.)


For further reading, please follow this link: 

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/1097-0010(200011)80:14%3C2021::AID-JSFA745%3E3.0.CO;2-2/full

I personally find it fascinating how  vitamin C works in conjunction with both vitamin A and vitamin E.

Vitamin C in conjunction with vitamin A

Vitamin A is extensively used in the skin care industry to aid the anti-ageing process. Collagen  is found in the skin and is a set of fibres giving the skin its plumped up appearance. From the age of 30 onwards, the production of collagen rapidly slows down. As collagen is part of our DNA, other treatments using collagen can only be a very short term soloution as the body will reject it as its DNA is not recognised. 

However, vitamin A acts on something called fibroblast cells, and these cells are then stimulated to start the production of collagen again.

Vitamin C then comes into its own. VItamin C goes through a process called hydroxylation which is  important as this process creates hydroxyproline which is essential in the production of collagen. 

Subsequently, this creates a tight cross linking of something called the triple helix. The triple helix are three strands of our DNA wound around each other.

To summarise  

• Vitamin A creates new collagen through fibroblast cells
• Vitamin C works on the newly formed collagen, creating a tight knit collagen structure using our DNA

Vitamin C in conjunction with vitamin E


Vitamin E is used within the skin care and food industry as an anti-oxidant to 'fight' free radicals.


Free radicals are damaged parts of oxygen and are in the air around us with many being created from the sun and pollution. Free radicals age the skin as well as being involved with many illness' such as cancer. Where there are damaged oxygen particles it is known as oxidative stress.


However, vitamin E needs vitamin C to regenerate it, and some studies have shown that vitamin C is able to regenerate 60% of vitamin E proving that both vitamins work in harmony with each other.

For further reading on: 

'Partners in defense, vitamin E and vitamin C', please follow this link: 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8313238

One of the main ingredients in INSKIN Precious Anti-Ageing Facial Oil  is rosehip oil.

Many thanks for taking the time to read this blog, and if you've found it interesting I'd be delighted if you'd ask your friends to take a look.

Many thanks, hugs and kisses

Lizzy Radcliffe

ITEC Certified Aromatherapist Graduate 1996


If you would like to become involved with our work here at INSKIN skincare - please complete the form on the INSKIN website http://www.inskin.org/testers.htm

Vitamins in Skincare - the History

There are three vitamins commonly used in skincare. They are vitamins A, C and E.

• Vitamin A is used as it aids collagen production in ageing skin (more info is available on my blog/ YouTube video on Vitamin A)
• Vitamin C is used as it works in harmony with vitamin A to aid  the collagen in ageing skin
• Vitamin E helps to deal with free radicals as it is an anti-oxidant

All vitamins have been commercially used orally to aid the body for a much longer period than they've been used in skin care industry.


Vitamin A and E have been in regular cosmetic use for over 15 years, whereas Vitamin C is somewhat newer to the skincare industry and has been only in use for 6 -8 years.

• Vitamin A

In the late 1960s, Albert Kligman, M.D., Ph.D., a dermatologist at the University of Pennsylvania, started testing a Vitamin A derivative called tretinoin on acne patients. By 1973, Kligman patented his formula for Retin-A, the first-ever effective acne treatment.

In the early 1970's the dermatologist noticed a lucrative effect of the patients he was treating for acne - they also had fewer wrinkles.


The cosmetic industry quickly realised this was a momentum discovery and the use of Vitamin A in skincare is well documented and scientifically proven. (For in depth knowledge of Vitamin A, please refer to my previous blog and You Tube Video - thanks.)


There are a number of derivatives of Vitamin A with some being much gentler on the skin than others. Retinyl Palmitate is recognised as being the gentlest of these vitamins.

• Vitamin E

Vitamin E is a collection of chemical compounds called tocopherols and was first identified in 1936. 

Vitamin E was added to skincare products approximatly 20 years ago, but a basic knowledge is needed to understand which are the best 'bits'.

The word tocopherols covers a collection of vitamin chemical compounds - alpha, beta, delta and gamma tocopherols.

It is alpha tocopherol which has the highest percentage of anti-oxidant properties.

Another point to consider is whether the alpha tocopherol has been produced synthetically or naturally, as it is the natural alpha tocopherol with the highest percent of of anti-oxidants.

• Vitamin C

Overexposure to ultraviolet radiation (eg the sun) and environmental pollutants can also accelerate skin ageing.    


Whilst vitamin C is extremely important for overall health, very little reaches the skin when digested orally yet vitamin C applied directly to the skin aids collagen and it is high in anti-oxidant properties when applied directly to the skin. 

1933 a scientist synthetically produced absorbic acid commonly known as vitamin C. However, throughout history, women have always found ways to enjoy the anti-ageing effects of vitamin C on their skin. 

In Tibet during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), women who wanted to fight the outward signs of premature aging would rub sea buckthorn on their face and hands. The golden-orange berries of the sea buckhorn plant yield a deep-colored oil that is a major source of vitamin C.

However, rose hips, the berry-like fruits that are left behind after a rose dies, contain more vitamin C—about 20 times that of an orange


INSKIN produce the INSKIN Precious Anti Ageing Facial Oil which contains vitamins A and E and a high percentage of vitamin C producing rosehip oil. The concentration has been carefully measured to give each vitamin the best possible balance when working on the complexities and the various layers of the skin.

If you would like to be included in our tester trials - please contact us at www.inskin.org/testers 

Many thanks, hugs and kisses

If you would like to visit my website - please take a look www.inskin.org

Many thanks, hugs and kisses

Lizzy Radcliffe

ITEC Certified Aromatherapist Graduate 1996

Vitamin A (Retinol) - How cool is it?

This is a large subject and there's so many exciting things I want to share with you.  I've endeavoured to do this in a way which is concise and easy to understand.

Many people are aware that Vitamin A is a wonder vitamin in the anti ageing skincare world and there are numerous papers which prove its effectiveness.

However, there is a lot to understand as Vitamin A is complex.

Doctors are able to prescribe products containing retinoic acid, a form of Vitamin A and these give dramatic improvements to ageing skin. 

So why discuss it any further?

• retinoic acid at effective levels needs to be prescibed by a doctor
• it often causes skin irritation
• after long term use, many people find there skin suffers dreadfully from pigmentation

There are many celebrities/models using Retinoic Acid and they look truly wonderful, but many celebrities/models who've used it over a number of years are wishing they hadn't as such a harsh treatment has left them with heavily pigmented skin.

So are there any better alternatives?

In my opinion, absolutely.  


Retinoic acid is needed, but putting it directly on the skin is where most of the problems occur. 


However if Retinyl Palmitate, a form of Vitamin A, is applied directly to the skin. It is fully absorbed (due to its low molecular density) into the skin cells where it is converted firstly to Retinol then to Retinoic Acid, avoiding any skin damage.

It is possible to purchase Retinol products over the counter, but again, these can cause skin irritations. Additionally, studies have shown that most Retinol products contain insufficient quantities to be beneficial.

Retinyl Palmitate is known to be much gentler on the skin.

Accordingly, I use Retinyl Palmitate in my anti ageing product - INSKIN Precious Anti ageing Facial Oil.

To summarise so far

I believe Retinyl Palmatite used at the correct dosage is the safest way to get Retinol/Retinoic Acid into the skin's cells. Retinol has been clinically proven to improve the appearance of ageing skin.

So that's great, I've now explained which form of Vitamin A I believe is the best to be applied directly to the skin, but how have the clinical studies actually proven it's brilliance?

At this stage we need to understand why our skin looks wrinkled with the ageing process.

The skin is made up of lots of bits and bobs like cells, hair follicles and sweat glands and indeed the skin itself is made up of three layers.

Amongst all the above bits and bobs we also have something called collagen and something else called fibroblast cells.

Now collagen (of which there are quite a few different types) is great as it is a protein which strengthens, supports and adds elasticity to the skin. You see it as "plumped up" skin. 

Something called fibroblast cells produce the collagen, so if we want to keep our skin "plumped up", we've got to keep those fibroblast cells working.

Sadly, our natural ageing process, along with exposure to the sun and free radicals causes an enzyme in the skin to degrade the ability of the fibroblast cells to produce collagen.

Studies have shown that Retinol (Vitamin A) reduces the enzyme which degrades fibroblasts, allowing the collagen to keep on being produced.

Let's break that down further:

• Collagen gives us "plumped up" looking skin
• It is produced by cells called fibroblasts
• When we age the fibroblast cells are 'attacked' by an enzyme. (The enzyme is called matrix metalloproteinases, commonley known as MMP's. If you require more information, please search 'MMP's on the internet.)
• If we use the correct dosage of Retinol (Vitamin A), it helps stop these MMP enzymes 'attacking' the fibroblast cells.
• Collagen is produced again

There are many studies which prove the effectiveness of Vitamin A if used at an effective dosage. The studies also confirm that the majority of skincare products available to purchase stating they contain Vitamin A or Retinol, have no benefit due to the tiny amount of Vitamin A/ retinol added.

Please note -  INSKIN Precious Anti ageing Facial Oil  is produced at the percentage required to be effective.

I've included the following for background information

The British journal of dermatology summarises skin as:

'Ageing skin is characterized by fine lines and wrinkles. Topical preparations alleged to combat these changes abound in the over-the-counter market. Some of the most popular ingredients used in these products are vitamins, minerals and botanical extracts. Proposed mechanisms for antiageing effects on skin range from antioxidant properties to improved collagen synthesis or protection from collagen breakdown. Despite the media attention and consumer popularity that these ingredients have generated, there have been few scientific studies to support these claims. In this report, we review recent published studies on the most common of these ingredients for the topical photo protection and the treatment of ageing skin.'

This paper is excellent and shows that 'Retinol at at certain percentage inhibits the matalloproteinases (MMP's) and stimulates collagen synthesis in both naturally aged, sun protected and sun aged skin'

To read more, please follow this link:

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.1365-2133.2003.05540.x/abstract

The Journal of investigative dermatology states the following:

Damage to human skin due to ultraviolet light from the sun (photoaging) and damage occurring as a consequence of the passage of time (chronologic or natural aging) are considered to be distinct entities. As matrix metalloproteinase levels are known to rise in fibroblasts as a function of age, it gives rise to increased matrix metalloproteinases and reduced collagen synthesis. 


Topical application of (x%) vitamin A for 7 d increased fibroblast growth and collagen synthesis, and concomitantly reduced the levels of matrix-degrading matrix metalloproteinases. Our findings indicate that naturally aged, sun-protected skin and photoaged skin share important molecular features including connective tissue damage, elevated matrix metalloproteinase levels, and reduced collagen production. In addition, vitamin A treatment reduces matrix metalloproteinase expression and stimulates collagen synthesis in naturally aged, sun-protected skin, as it does in photoaged skin.


To read more, please follow this link:
http://www.nature.com/jid/journal/v114/n3/full/5603297a.html

In my next blog - I'll be considering "The History of Vitamins in Skincare"


If you would like to visit my website - please take a look www.inskin.org


Many thanks, hugs and kisses


Lizzy Radcliffe
ITEC Certified Aromatherapist Graduate 1996

Aromatherapy Skincare Lemon Oil - How bright is your skin?

I've always been a fan of lemon oil as it's an excellent skin brightener and goes a long way towards making ageing skin looking less dull and mottled.


This is a view that qualified aromatherpist's share and lemon oil has been successfully used for many years to help brighten, lighten and even out skin pigmentation. 


I believe many people feel that it's great to know the capabilities of lemon oil, but would like more facts to substantiate these claims. 


This is the aim of this blog.

Firstly, we need to get to grips with why our skin may suffer from pigmentation.There are cells in our skin which are responsible for pigmentation. Often, as we get older, this pigmentation becomes more pronounced. These cells are called  melanocytes.

Melanocytes produce skin pigmentation (melanin) in two forms.

The darker skin creating pigment is called eumelanin, and the lighter skin creating pigment is called phaeomelanin. 

The amount of each type of skin pigment determines the colour and degree of  pigmentation in our skin.


To summarise so far, we all have body cells which create melanin which in turn shows as skin pigmentation to varying degrees.

The production of skin pigmentation, (melanin) is complex and works through various cells converting some of them to be able to produce melanin. The 'bit' that actually is responsible for this conversion is an enzyme called tyrosinase. 

You'll have seen the work of tyrosinase when you've peeled a potato and after a few minutes the potato turns brown. This enzyme (tyrosinase) activates when the potato is exposed to the oxygen in the air. If you type tyrosinase into your search engine you can find a lot more information if required.

With us humans it's the same process, when our skin is exposed to the air, our melanocyte cells get working so that skin pigmentation melanin is produced. 


This is important as the production of melanin protects our skin from the sun. Melanin absorbs harmful UV rays.  

To summarise again, we now know we've some cells in our body that create melanin which can show as skin pigmentation. Additionally we also know that this is important as it protects us from harmful UV rays.


So, we're in the position of understanding that our body is doing a fantastic job in protecting us from harmful UV rays, but many of us aren't so happy that our skin tone often looks uneven from the varying levels of melanin produced.

Therefore, if the amount of melanin is decreased, we should have less visible pigmentation on the skin. 

• But how far do we go? 
• When is it dangerous if we're not allowing the body to protect us as well as it could from harmful UV rays? 
• Where do you draw the line between the look of our skin -V- it's protection?

How about turning the problem on its head though? Instead of looking at chemical ingredients to cut the production of melanin, why not create an environment where the body simply doesn't need to produce as much melanin?

Now it's getting very exciting.

Melanin has to be produced due to the skin's exposure to harmful free radicals of which some are produced by UV rays. As lemon essential oil is a phenominal anti-oxidant, the enzyme tyrosinase  doesn't have the same need to produce high levels of melanin to protect us from UV rays as the antioxidant properties in essential lemon oil partly takes over this role.

Applying high levels of anti-oxidants to the skin is very much an holisitc way to deal with problematic pigmentation.


Our final summary is:

• we accept the production of melanin is crucial to protect us from UV rays
• we often don't like the look of our uneven skin tone due to the pigmentation
• we're not happy to interfere with the reduction of melanin 
• we now understand a mighty dose of natural anti-oxidants is beneficial as they fight free radicals some of which are caused by UV rays

I'd advise anyone wishing to use products using pure essential oil of lemon to purchase products which have been formulated by a qualified aromatherapist as lemon can be a skin irritant if the correct dosage has not been adhered to. Additionally if your product contains lemon, please ensure adequate sunscreen protection is applied or even better, stay out of the sun.

INSKIN produce a wonderful - Anti-ageing Precious Facial Oil which contains the correct amount of pure essential lemon oil.


Many thanks for taking the time to read this blog, and if you've found it interesting I'd be delighted if you'd ask your friends to take a look.


In my next blog - I'll be considering "How cool is Vitamin A (Retinol)?"


Many thanks, hugs and kisses


Lizzy Radcliffe
ITEC Certified Aromatherapist Graduate 1996

If you feel you'd like more in depth knowledge please follow this link:- 

http://www.google.co.uk/patents?lr&vid=USPAT7429391&dq=citrus%20limonum%20skin%20lightening&printsec=abstract&id=jfCtAAAAEBAJ&output=text&pg=PA8

Natural Skincare & Aromatherapy - Who made your skin care products safely?

Following the formation of my aromatherapy based skincare company INSKIN www.inskin.org, I wanted to consider my competitors.

I decided my competitors should be qualified aromatherapists formulating skin care products using 100% pure essential oils.

Frighteningly there aren’t a great amount of competitors out there. The majority of the larger companies using aromatherapy essential oils appear not to have a qualified aromatherapist at the helm.

After much trawling, I found aromatherapists producing home made products but they often fell down on where the big boys triumph – traceabiblity and correct working conditions.

It is my belief that any company producing aromatherapy products which have contact with the skin need to be formulated by a qualified aromatherapist, within suitable working standards and having full traceability. At INSKIN we work to the exacting standards of HACCP  (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) http://www.food.gov.uk/foodindustry/regulation/hygleg/hygleginfo/foodhygknow/.

Essential oils are absorbed in to the body’s cell structures and should not be taken lightly. I don’t see it as a hobby.

The BBC ran an excellent article – Aromatherapy Hazards Warning (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/294851.stm)  which warned people that essential oils can cause skin burning, rashes, sickness and sometimes miscarriages in pregnant women.

These warnings were discussed at the time at the Royal College of Nursing’s annual conference.

When I was a hands-on practitioner, I very much saw my role as prescribing the correct dose and blend of essential oils to best suit there needs.

I would urge you to carefully consider how, where and by whom your aromatherapy products have been produced.

I’d be delighted to discuss this further and my next blog will consider the wonderful benefits of lemon essential oil as a skin lightener for ageing skin.

If you've enjoyed this, my first blog, it would be wonderful if you could let your friends know.


Many thanks, hugs and kisses to you all

Lizzy Radcliffe

ITEC Certified Aromatherapy Graduate 1996