FAQ's

Essential oils are organic compounds derived from plant sources such as roots, bark, flowers and seeds. They are complex chemical compounds and not technically oils at all! They are extracted using a variety of methods to capture the scented particles, leaving many of the other chemical constituents of the plant behind.

Aromatherapy is a complementary therapy based on holistic principles, using the application of essential oils to improve mental, physical, emotional and spiritual well-being. Oils can be applied in a variety of ways apart from massage.

Essential oils are organic compounds derived from plant sources such as roots, bark, flowers and seeds. They are complex chemical compounds and not technically oils at all! They are extracted using a variety of methods to capture the scented particles, leaving many of the other chemical constituents of the plant behind.

Aromatherapy is a complementary therapy based on holistic principles, using the application of essential oils to improve mental, physical, emotional and spiritual well-being. Oils can be applied in a variety of ways apart from massage.

Skin Absorption
Most of the chemical constituents of essential oils have a molecular weight of less than 1000m (m = weight of molecule). Theoretically, any substance with a molecular weight below 1000m should be absorbed by the skin (Ref. Food Cos. Tox. 1989 v 27:479). There is controversy over the issue of skin absorption. Some parts of an essential oil can be absorbed into the skin, but there is no evidence to prove that it is then absorbed into the underlying tissues via the capillary and lymphatic vessels at the dosages used in ordinary aromatherapy mixes.

Inhalation
There is evidence that essential oils are absorbed into the bloodstream when inhaled. The many blood vessels in the lungs absorb the oils and circulate them throughout the body. Our sense of smell connects directly with the limbic system of the brain, which processes memories, associations and emotions.

Ingestion
We ingest oils in many foodstuffs and pharmaceuticals where the essential oils are widely used as flavourings, for example in peppermint toothpaste and chewing gums, flavoured drinks and mouthwashes. It is unwise to drink essential oils unless prescribed by a medical herbalist.

Contraindications
Some oils are not recommended for people of certain ages or suffering from certain conditions. Refer to the safety information in aromatherapy books and the Which oils can be dangerous? section below. Contraindications are also given for each oil in the shopping area.

In the bath
Using essential oils in the bath is an extremely effective way of influencing mood, although rather wasteful as much of the essential oil sticks to the sides of the bath. Add essential oils to a spoon or two of oil or soap solution and add it to the bathwater just before you get in – otherwise the oils will evaporate before you have a chance to enjoy them or benefit from absorption via the lungs and nose.

Dosage
Up to 10 drops in 10ml (2 teaspoons) oil or soap solution, or directly to the water.

Take care when using oils in the bath as some can sting. Lemon, orange, grapefruit, aniseed, camphor, clove, eucalyptus, ginger, juniper, black pepper, peppermint, sage, savory, spearmint, and thyme should be used in very small dosages – no more than 2 drops to a bath.

Alternatively, you can apply a massage blend to the body, then sit in a warm bath for a while.

Footbaths
A footbath is useful when someone is immobile or too fragile for other methods. This is an extremely effective stress-relief and pick-me-up at the end of a hard day and in hot weather.

Dosage
Use 4 drops in a bowl or footspa of warm water and soak feet for about 20 minutes.

Body Massage
Dosage: up to 6 drops in 10-15ml (2-3 teaspoons) of carrier oil or lotion.

Facial Massage
Facial skin requires special care as it tends to be delicate, show more signs of stress and toxic overload, and is generally more exposed to the wind, sun and atmospheric pollutants. For facial massage, select an appropriate carrier oil and use a lower dosage of essential oil than that for body massage. As the face is a small area, 5ml of total mix are usually sufficient.

Dosage
1-3%, or 1-3 drops, in 5ml (1 teaspoon) of carrier oil (use an even higher dilution for very sensitive skin).

Localised Massage
Can be applied to small areas, for example stiff joints, sprains and cramps (e.g., stomach and period pains). As the area to be covered usually requires fast action the dilution used is often lower than that for body or facial massage, but always make sure that you are using a safe dosage.

Dosage
5%, or 10 drops, in 5ml (1 teaspoon) carrier oil. Ensure that you do not exceed the maximum safe dosage – refer to Dosages for adults and children and Which oils can be dangerous?.

Water Compresses
Certain situations require fast action, so low dilutions are used. Conditions like sprains, cuts, bruises, sunburn, insect bites, rashes, large areas of skin infection and inflammation respond well to this method.

Dosage
Up to 12 drops in 100ml water, hot or cold depending upon the situation. Agitate the water and quickly soak a piece of sterile gauze in it, wring it out and apply to the affected area. The treatment can be augmented by the application of ice packs or heat pads as appropriate.

Neat Application
Cuts, insect bites, spots, cold sores, verruca, warts and athlete’s foot can be treated with neat tea-tree and/or lavender oil. Apply with a cotton bud. If the area is cracked and dry cover with a barrier cream after 10 minutes. Note: tea-tree may cause irritation and dryness, so treat with respect.

Dosages for adults and children:
Please always refer to the dosage table and safety chart when selecting, and using essential oils for adults.

ADULTS

Children

Children have delicate skin and eyes and are, on the whole, very sensitive to smells. For these reasons, great care is needed when selecting and blending oils. Ask yourself if it is necessary to apply the oils to the body, or whether fragrancing is more appropriate. Take care when using low dilutions in fragrancers as the vapour may sting a child’s eyes and delicate mucous membranes. Do not leave children unsupervised when using fragrancers with nightlights.

6 months-2 years 1 drop in 10ml (2 teaspoons) almond oil Use only good quality oils with high odour intensity (e.g., rose otto, neroli, terpene-free lavender and Roman chamomile). Two drops of lavender on a handkerchief tied to a child’s cot can help if the child has difficulty sleeping. If the child has a cold, eucalyptus or tea-tree can be used in the same way to ease congestion.

2-5 years 1-3 drops in 10ml (2 teaspoons) carrier oil. See above for safe oils to use.

5-12 years Use half adult dose and increase range of oils used

12+ Use adult dose

Which oils can be dangerous?

Below is a list of some of the traditionally accepted contraindicated oils for specific conditions. There is little scientific research to support most of these contraindications.

Pregnancy
Basil, cinnamon, clary sage, cypress, fennel, jasmine, juniper, marjoram, myrrh, origanum, pennyroyal, peppermint, rose, rosemary, sage, savory and thyme

Breastfeeding
Mint, parsley, sage and jasmine (research has shown that jasmine inhibits milk production in lactating mothers)

High blood pressure
Cypress, eucalyptus, ginger, rose, rosemary, sage and thyme

Low blood pressure
Clary sage, garlic, lavender, lemon, marjoram and ylang-ylang

Epilepsy
Fennel, hyssop, rosemary, sage and wormwood

Care when using machinery or driving
Clary sage and vertivert

Care if drinking alcohol
Clary sage

Hazardous oils
These oils are never to be used in any form in therapy:
Almond (bitter), Boldo Leaf, Calamus, Camphor (brown), Camphor (yellow), Horseradish, Jaborandi leaf, Mugwort, Mustard, Rue, Sassafras, Sassafras (Brazil), Savin, Southernwood, Tansy, Thuja (cedarleaf), Thuja, Plicata, Wintergreen, Wormseed, Wormwood.

**Compiled and written by Lyn Gardenchild DipIFA IEB Aromatherapist and IEB registered tutor

What is INCI? I don’t understand your labels/ingredients!

INCI stands for International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients. 

INCI is a system for naming cosmetic ingredients that is multilingual, multinational and based on Latin language. It consists of a common, single nomenclature for each ingredient used in a cosmetic product. It is a nomenclature based on international lists of ingredients known and used by pharmacists and scientists worldwide. It has been developed in the United States and Europe and it is used extensively throughout the world.

INCI ideally should make it easier for consumers to know exactly what is in the products they are purchasing but there is a steep learning curve involved since most of us are not that familiar with Latin or the botanical names of certain plants.  Uninformed consumers may think that a product is loaded with “chemicals” (read “synthetics”) since Latin names for very natural, benign ingredients can sound “chemical”, like sodium chloride (salt).

Soap is actually a salt, chemically speaking. when fatty acids (oils) come into contact with a caustic alkalai base (in this case, a sodium hydroxide and water solution), the fatty acids thicken to a pudding-like consistency, this is the beginning of a chemical reaction called saponification.  this batter is poured into a mould and left for 24 hours during which time saponification causes the mixture to heat up, go through a gel phase, then cool down into a solid. most of the free sodium hydroxide has disappeared by this point but Posh Brats soap is left for an additional 4 weeks to “cure” until all the sodium hydroxide has dissipated, any water has evaporated out of the bar and the soap is gentle and ready to use. a wonderful by-product of saponification is glycerin, a natural humectant (something that draws moisture to itself). the transparent soap that is often called “glycerin soap” is a bit of a misnomer – all soap has glycerin, unless it has been removed. commercially made soap often has the glycerin removed to sell to cosmetic companies.

Sodium hydroxide: sodium hydroxide is commonly known as lye.  you cannot make soap without lye (see “what is soap?”). since the 1700s sodium hydroxide has been derived from sea salt and is now sold in a standardized flake or grain form, much like table salt, or sodium chloride. sodium hydroxide produces bar soap, potassium hydroxide (another “lye”) is used to make liquid soaps.

Fruit, vegetable and nut oils: Posh Brats uses only pure non-animal oils to make our soaps. Some Posh Brats soaps are not, however, suitable for vegans since we do use beeswax, honey and goat’s milk.

Other additives: beeswax is added for colour, scent, and to produce a harder bar that will last longer in your soap dish. honey is a natural humectant (draws moisture to your skin) and is used for colour and scent since it caramelizes during the gel phase of the soap process. goat’s milk is used for it’s softening effects and to make the lather creamier. oatmeal is added to soften as well as to gently buff your skin. lavender flowers, ground almonds, myrrh powder and other natural ingredients are added for texture, eye appeal or to provide mild exfoliation to slough off dead skin cells.

Sulfates are used in shampoos and body wash products to make them foam and dissolve oil, sulfate can sometimes be spelt with a “ph” as in sulphate but the chemical is exactly the same. There’s a lot of confusion surrounding sulfates particularly around which are considered safe to use on the skin and those which are not. The four common sulfates are:

1) Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
2) Sodium Laureth Sulfate
3) Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate
4) Ammonium Laureth Sulfate.

Of these only one is permitted for use in certified organic products. Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate (ALS) is certified by the European organic regulator (Eco-Cert) as OK to use in organic toiletries and cosmetics because all the research on the irritancy and toxicity of ALS point to this particular sulfate being safe to use on the skin.

Some manufacturers of natural products choose to avoid sulfates and they substitute them with chemicals which have not had such bad PR, unfortunately this sometimes results in an even more irritating chemical being used. For example Sodium Olefin Sulfonate (also know as C14-C16) is much more irritating than Sodium Lauryl Sulfate but because it has not been talked about in the press it slips under most people’s radar.

Many people with allergies to sulfates are not actually allergic to the sulfate itself. The problem is that some sulfates excessively breakdown the skin’s natural oils and this means the skin is more permeable to other ingredients in the product. It is usually deeper penetration by other ingredients which causes the allergic reaction.

When we launched Posh Brats in 2008 we banned all four sulfates including ALS from our products but since ALS was approved by Eco-Cert we no longer have grounds for banning it.

Why do you continue to use palm oil in some of your products?

We only purchase palm oil from suppliers registered with this company. The palm oil we use is fully approved and sustainable and acquired from registered farmers and growers that can reliably prove good environmental practices. I hope this clears up any of your questions as to why we continue to use palm oil.
http://www.greenpalm.org/en/about-palm-oil/what-is-sustainable-palm-oil

What really IS wrong with palm oil as a natural skin care ingredient?

Palm oil is a spectacular skin care ingredient being rich in carotenes, vitamin E, vitamin K and co-enzyme Q-10. Sounds fantastic, so why all the bad publicity?

Palm oil is a globally traded commodity that is used in 50 percent of all consumer goods (yes, 50%!), from soaps and detergents to breakfast cereals and biofuels. Grown on massive plantations in tropical nations, mainly Malaysia and Indonesia, palm oil has been associated with rainforest destruction and related threats to the habitat of animals, including orangutans.

Palm oil plantations cover large areas of land in Malaysia and Indonesia. Most of these plantations are in areas which were previously rainforest and the home of abundant animal life. Converting these rainforests into plantations causes the loss of habitat, the burning to clear the land releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, and the limited areas of refuge for the orangutan are being further depleted.

Clearly, as a business ethically concerned with the health of our animal friends, and our precious planet, these deforestation and habitat limiting practices are of great concern to Posh Brats.
As such, Posh Brats has reduced the percentage of palm oil in its products by 78%, removing it entirely from 85% of the products created.

There are some plantations which are sustainable, and have been operating for many years without infringing on rainforest habitats, and we choose to purchase palm oil ONLY from these established sustainable sources. However, since such massive consumption of palm oil occurs worldwide, clearly, these sustainable plantations cannot bear the load of production required.

I have an existing health condition, is there anything I shouldn’t be using in your products?

ATTENTION:
To be on the safe side, please avoid use of products containing essential oils if you have any the following conditions.

• High or Low Blood Pressure
• Diabetes
• Epilepsy
• Diabetes
• Cardiac Fibrillation
• Kidney Disease
• First Trimester Pregnancy

*If in doubt please ask*

A Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) is designed to provide both workers and emergency personnel with the proper procedures for handling or working with a particular substance. MSDS’s include information such as physical data (melting point freezing point, boiling point, flash point, toxicity, health effects, first aid, reactivity, storage, disposal, protective equipment, and spill/leak procedures. This information will be needed if a spill or other accident occurs. A company is required to have a Material Safety Data Sheet for a product on hand when its employees are exposed over long term to the product in a potantially hazardous manner. In other words, if you are purchasing 5 gallons of shea butter, you are not in any harm and therefore do not need to have an MSDS sheet for the product. However, if you are purchasing a drum of liquid paraffin wax, which is flammable, you should keep an MSDS sheet on hand in case of a spill/leak. MSDSs are required only if the product can be considered hazardous.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) are only required for materials that are hazardous. Manufacturers/distributors are not required to provide MSDS sheets for non-hazardous materials.

What products are hazardous and might require an MSDS?

As defined by OSHA Standard 1910.1200, the OSHA Hazard Communication Standard, a hazardous chemical is one which is a physical hazard or a health hazard.

Health Hazard

Health hazard means a chemical for which there is statistically significant evidence based on at least one study conducted in accordance with established scientific principles that acute or chronic health effects may occur in exposed employees. The term “health hazard” includes chemicals which are carcinogens, toxic or highly toxic agents, reproductive toxins, irritants, corrosives, sensitizers, hepatotoxins, nephrotoxins, neurotoxins, agents which act on the hematopoietic system, and agents which damage the lungs, skin, eyes, or mucous membranes.

Physical Hazard

Physical hazard means a chemical for which there is scientifically valid evidence that it is a combustible liquid, a compressed gas, explosive, flammable, an organic peroxide, an oxidizer, pyrophoric, unstable (reactive) or water-reactive.

PLEASE NOTE: We may not have documents prepared for all of our products. If you require documentation upon ordering, please contact our Customer Care Department to let us know your requirements PRIOR to placing your order. Document preparation may take a few days.

Some of our products use an airless pump technology. Airless pump dispensers utilize a vacuum system to dispense and keep the product within the container fresh. Airless packaging helps to keep air and contaminates out of the product, which enhances the formula’s stability and effectiveness. When using your product for the first time, you may need to “prime” the dispenser. There is a disk that pushes the product to the top which can become stuck, and you may need to bang the bottom of the bottle 3-4 times on a flat-hard surface to loosen the disk, then pump the dispenser slowly about 15-20 times upside down. After it starts pumping you can pump right side up as normal.

If the dispenser stops working at any time, simply repeat the “priming” step. We do not recommend attempting to dismantle the package. Please note that there is not supposed to be a “straw” in the packaging. If you only opened it once and were able to put it back together, the product should still be effective as long as it wasn’t exposed to air for a very long period of time.

You can also refer to this video made by another manufacturer using similar airless pumps to ours.