Skin like Cleopatra - Aromatherapy & Skincare

Wouldn't it be fantastic, like a dream come true.. to have skin like Cleopatra - sultry, unblemished oozing vibrance and power - well read on to learn more - Lizzy explains skincare through the ages in a whistle stop tour.

Cleopatra

SKINCARE AND AROMATHERAPY SINCE EGYPTIAN TIMES

The ancient Egyptians took great pride in their appearance and cleanliness. Most Egyptians bathed daily in the river or out of a water basin at home. A cleansing cream made of animal or vegetable oil mixed with powdered lime and perfume was used instead of soap. Looking after our skin is part of many peoples daily routine, but have you ever wondered when did we decide it was beneficial to look after the skin?

ANCIENT EGYPTIANS

Probably the earliest accounts date back to Egyptian times in 10,000 BC when both male and females used used scented oils and home made ointments to clean and soften the skin. Additionally perfumed oil was used to prevent the skin from drying out in the harsh climate. Egyptians also understood they need to protect their eyesight from the glare of the sun and applied the heavy kholl outline which is clearly seen on all drawings and pictures of ancient Egyptians. Fortunately the kholl pencil we think of nowadays bears no resemblance to the kholl created by ancient Egyptians.

Kholl in ancient Egyptian times was a dark coloured powder made of crushed antimony (a toxic mineral), burnt almonds, lead, oxidized copper, ochre, ash, malachite (a copper based mineral) and chrysolla (a copper ore). Skin care was an inherent part of Egyptians health and hygiene routines. Oils and creams were used for protection against the hot Egyptian sun and dry winds. Myrrh, thyme, chamomile, lavender, lily, peppermint, rosemary, cedar, rose, aloe, olive oil, sesame oil and almond oil provided the basic ingredients of the ancient Egyptians skincare routine and all religious rituals.

THE ROMAN PERIOD

The word 'cosmetae' was first used to describe Roman slaves whose function was to bathe

men and women in perfume

Roman Slaves

ANCIENT CHINA

There is little evidence of any type of cosmetic usage in China before 3000 BC when Chinese people began to stain their fingernails with gum, beeswax and egg. The Chinese upper classes made lavish use of fragrances during the T'ang dynasties that began in the 7th century AD and continued until the end of the Ming dynasty in the 17th Century. Their bodies, baths, clothing, homes and temples were all richly scented as was ink, paper, cosmetics and sachets tucked into their garments.

Chinese Upper Class Lady

China imported jasmine scented sesame oil from India, Persian rosewater via the silk route and eventually Indonesian aromatics - clove, benzoin gum, ginger, nutmeg and patchoulli through India. There is a famous book which was published in the 16th century. The book is called: Materia Medica Pen Ts'ao and it discusses almost 2000 herbs and contains a separate section of 20 essential oils. 

PERSIA

Persian Lady

Persia (and what is today the Middle East) used skincare products and cosmetics from ancients periods.

                                                 

After Arab tribes converted to Islam, some cosmetics were restricted on religious grounds. All branches of Islam relating to purity and and cleanliness, whether in its physical or spiritual form. An early cosmetologist was the physician Abu'al-Qassim al-Zahrawi (936 - 1013 AD)  wrote a medical encyclopedia. Later it was translated into Latin and the cosmetic chapter was used in the West.

EUROPEAN MIDDLE AGES

In the middle ages, the lower classes usually worked outside on agricultural jobs and their typically light coloured European skin was darkened by exposure to the sun. The higher class a person was, the more leisure time was available to stay indoors which kept the skin pale. Thus pale skin was associated with the gentry.  

Upper Class Lady - Middle Ages

As a result, Europeans often attempted to lighten their skin using white powder to appear more aristocratic. Amazingly, the white powder often contained toxic white lead paint and arsenic. It remained popular though as a devotee of this skin regime was Queen Elizabeth 1 who created a look know as 'the mask of youth'. After the first world war, fashion and beauty radically changed, and the fashion house Chanel adopted the 'sun-kissed' look and fake tan products entered the market. I find the history of skin care fascinating. Although trends alter, the mainstay throughout is the use of oils, herbs and botanicals and like throughout history, INSKIN Skincare are producing products desirable and needed for today using ingredients from over the millennium. 

If you'd like to read a little more on the subject, then please follow this link; http://www.asiapharmaceutics.info/article.asp?issn=0973-8398;year=2009;volume=3;issue=3;spage=164;epage=167;aulast=Chaudhri

The above link is a research paper written by a doctor within the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, India. He explores the history of skincare and cosmetics in order to understand and address the the rise of purchases in the Indian Cosmetic Market.
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 

Lizzy Radcliffe 

ITEC Certified Aromatherapist Graduate 1996 

If you would like to test any of our products - please have a look on our website -  http://www.aromatherapy-skincare.co.uk/inskin-testers/

Aromatherapy - Vitamin A - Skincare & Anti Ageing

Aromatherapy Skincare - What is aromatherapy?

Aromatherapy - Lemon Oil Skin Brightening - Skincare and Anti Ageing

Lizzy The Guru Interiew - Animation - Aromatherapy Skincare

Frankincense - Not Just For Christmas - Aromatherapy Skincare

Phytonutrients - Aromatherapy Skincare

Phytonutrients - 4 Reasons Why You Need Them

Phytonutrients are nutrients derived from plant material that have been shown to be necessary for sustaining human life. These plant nutrients form part of the plants immune system and their role in plants is to protect plants from disease, injuries, insects, drought, excessive heat, ultraviolet rays, and poisons or pollutants in the air or soil. 

Phyto, From the Greek word "phuton" meaning plant - Phytonutrient - plant extracts that sustains human life

As a qualified aromatherapist, I am interested in phytonutrients (plant nutrients) as part of aromatherapy skincare as one of the main benefits are their anti-oxidant properties. 

Anti-oxidants are very important as they deal with free radicals which affect our health, can cause disease and give the appearance of wrinkled skin as we get older. For more information on anti-oxidants, please click here to my Vitamin A blog.

Many clinical trials have considered phytonutrients from two angles:

• Eating certain food types can prevent certain chronic diseases 
• Using oils massaged on the skin are effective anti-oxidants

I believe it is crucial that or bodies receive many phytonutrients, and I would recommend that we: 

1. Eat as few unprocessed foods as possible (phytonutrients are only negligable after factory processing)
2. Eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables each day aiming to cover as many colours as possible. 
3. Different coloured fresh fruit and vegetables contain differing quantities of the different phytonutrient types
4. Use a face product high in anti-oxidants, if you're concerned about your skin looking tired and older (remember face creams/ moisturisers contain 50 - 60% water, whereas a facial oil contains 100% active ingredients.)

INSKIN skincare produce a truly fabulous facial oil with very high quantities of active anti-oxidant ingredients.

Inskin Precious Anti Ageing Facial Oil 30ml

                                    

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, 

Lizzy Radcliffe

ITEC Certified Aromatherapist Graduate 1996

If you would like to become involved with our work here at INSKIN skincare - please click here to complete the form on the INSKIN website 

Frankincense - Not Just for Christmas

Frankincense is a word we're all familiar with due to the numerous nativity plays we've been in or watched.


I guess it's also something most people know very little about.
Frankincense is a small tree which is native to North Africa and some of the Arab countries. It's usage is best know within two areas - religion as a burning incense (it's a relaxant) and in the world of aromatherapy (it's a relaxant and fantastic in skincare).


When the bark of the tree is damaged the tree exudes a resin in drops and the essential oil is extrcted from this resin by a process called steam distallation.





Glycation is a new buzz word but very imporatnt. Using today's scientific knowledge with age old frankincence glycation can be fought.


Great, but what's glycation? Glycation is a chemical reaction which permenantly reduces your skin's ability to produce and and regenerate high quality collagen and elastin. (Collagen and elastin are fibres within the skin which give it its strength, structure and plumped up look. For more information please visit my blog on Vitamin A which explains the formation of collagen.)


So what is this chemical reaction? When naturally occuring sugar molecules enter the skin, it bonds to skin proteins such as collagen and elastin causing them to become brittle and less elastic which in turn produces the look of older skin.


The next stage is once these sugar molecules have bound themselves to the skin's collagen and elastin, they mutate creating new molecules. These molecules are called advanced glycation end-products (A.G.E.s)


So what can you do about it? Firstly, my advice would be to cut out as much sugar in your diet as possible (including alcohol)


But what has frankincense to do with all this? Something called boswellic acids are extracted from the gum of the frankincence tree and it is this acid that helps with glycation in two ways.

• the formation of new collagen through special cells called fibroblasts.
• the reduction of glycation occuring through the collagen's protein.

Two valuable studies have been carried out. 

The first is a study considering a cream containing boswellic acids and its stimulatory effects on fibroblasts. 

The second is a submitted patent using bowellia carteri (frankincense) as an anti-glycation agent - 3-0-acetyl-11-Ketoboswellic acid for relaxing the skin.

INSKIN Skincare produce a wonderfully beneficial facial oil containing frankincense. 

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 

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

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