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 Skincare - Clary Sage - Relax

Aromatherapy - Lemon Oil Skin Brightening - Skincare and Anti Ageing

Lizzy The Guru Interiew - Animation - Aromatherapy Skincare

Aromatherapy - Rosehip Oil - Vitamin C- Skin care and Anti-Ageing

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 

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

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