I hope this is not goodbye...

Innocent Oils has grown far beyond my initial expectations. It all started with a passion to offer an alternative solution to the mainstream products available, a business that was about doing the right thing, an innocent business in the true sense of the word. 

From that day to this, I have remained true to this ethos and couldn't be more grateful for the loyalty and the fantastic support I have received over the years.

Innocent Oils is built on a sustainable business model, grown purely from sales and reinvestment of profits to develop more products but, maybe a little too ethical or  innocent to survive in an increasingly 'greenwash' saturated market.

I am just someone who believes in doing the right thing, for herself, her family and friends. I most certainly would not consider myself driven by money and profit, to succeed or be happy in life. If I was, Innocent Oils would be a very different business to the one that it is today.

However, unfortunately the pressures of being in business and the huge increases in raw material costs have tipped the balance and it pains me to say now, that Innocent Oils, as it is, are numbered...

Its not all bad news though, Innocent Oils has become such an important part of my life that I cannot simply turn my back and close the doors.
With that in mind, I will continue to operate the website but I will be taking Innocent Oils in a new direction, one which I hope you will find beneficial.

Looking back, if there is one thing I could wish for, it would be to have had the boldness of character to shout louder and to put myself and the business forward more, but I strongly dislike pushy sales and marketing techniques of any sort! It’s not me and not the way I like to do business. Despite the fact it’s all too necessary for most businesses if they are to succeed in a highly competitive and sometimes 'shark-like' market such as the cosmetics industry.

I can honestly say that it was down to word of mouth and recommendation that Innocent Oils grew as a business at all. I feel truly indebted to everyone that has helped to spread the word and supported me over the years. You asked nothing in return but my honestly and passion for cutting out the crap in skin care products.  

Without your help, none of what I have achieved would have been possible. Today, unlike ten years ago the natural skin care industry is much more mainstream now than ever. You can now find a vast choice of natural and organic products readily available in shops and online. This is a wonderful thing for consumers and I am proud to have been part of the shift in attitude towards healthier skin care products, but I feel as a manufacturer, the natural skin care industry has changed. The corporate giants with their huge budgets and power have 'muddied the waters' in every area of the natural skin care industry. From diluting organic certification to blatantly lying about the 'greenness' of the products they sell...

The focus now has become more used to applying marketing hype similar to the commercial product ranges. Personally, as an ethical business, trying to do the right thing, this is an area I cannot and do not wish to compete in, it then no longer becomes about actually making great products but finding a way to get this across to consumers. Doing so costs vast amounts of marketing cash and is hampered by industry regulations, which favour those with the vast budgets and carefully structured wording to compete. I can see that my future would involve a never ending uphill struggle against 'green-washed' products. 
The time and cost of competing in this way as a small business is emotionally and financially exhausting. Far too much for me and as a small business to continue as is.

The choices I face are, to swallow the cost and compete anyway or throw in the towel. Or my favorite so far, change direction…stop manufacturing and fighting from the front end. Help those that want to find alternative products find them and teach others how to make genuinely natural products for themselves. Sharing the many pitfalls I have encountered along the way, so you don't have to. Education and sharing knowledge is how I started and its how I'll continue...

Over the coming months, I will be putting onto paper Innocent Oils formulation recipes and a great deal of useful information to help you find your way through the maze of natural and organic skin care products available.
I will also be sharing my experience and knowledge of product formulation. With courses and training for home users, to those wanting to turn a hobby into a business, complying with the industry regulations from 2013,

I believe that by making my tried and tested Innocent Oils product recipes available to download, you will not only be able to make and understand the ingredients required to make the products you love. You will also have access to a world of knowledge and understanding that only an industry insider can offer.

From there who knows where the journey will take me but I hope you will understand and enjoy the ride...

A good question...Parabens in cosmetics?

Below is a recent question received re the use of paraben preservatives in skin care products (not mine I hasten to add). Thought I'd share my response with you.

"I wanted to get different opinions on parabens. A good chunk of my clientele are scared of them, so I'd really like to hear some professional opinions... Thank you"

My response: You raise a very interesting question...Parabens have had a bad press worldwide recently... rightly or wrongly is not really the issue here though.

As a manufacturer skin care products myself, I understand your predicament. Customers do not want parabens in their products, yet skin care products must contain a full spectrum preservative system (if the products contain water) to protect them from potentially more harmful bacteria, fungus, mould and spores!

Unfortunately none of us have the pleasure of 'future sight' to see whether we will or will not become ill as a result of these chemicals later on in life. The customer ultimately will go with what feels right for them. If they are scared of an ingredient you may end up losing the battle to change their mind about it anyway.

Currently, there is an increasing feeling of unease regarding the less than lovely ingredients in skin care products, so the industry is rightly shifting with them to meet their needs.
Some manufacturers ‘green wash’ their regular products, others seek a genuinely more natural alternative formulation. This situation unfortunately doesn’t make life any easier for the consumer!

If your customers want to avoid parabens despite the claims and counter claims regarding their safety. I would go with them and let them have what they want, if not, they will find what they want elsewhere...

Personally, whatever the final outcome of the paraben safety issue, I have no desire to potentially risk my own health for the sake of an unnecessary water based product when alternatives are out there, and I couldnt in good conscience formulate a product that would go against my own principles.

I prefer to use fresh and living botanical oils, dry mix masks, balms etc for my own skin, so it makes sense to formulate and manufacture the same for like minded customers.

I have never used a paraben in any of my products, nor would I ever wish to. But that's just my opinion and my own product range does encounter limitations because of this. Fortunately, botanical oils do not make a comfortable home for bacteria, therefore do not require such harsh synthetic preservatives.  (In case anyone is wondering Vit E is not a preservative, it is an antioxidant, used to help prevent oil rancidity.)

In my experience, the most beautiful skin I have come across was not women who have religiously slathered on creams and lotions for years, nor have they stripped their skin and hair of its natural oils using harsh detergents as we often do in the western world on a daily basis.

I find women of traditional non-western cultures who have, for centuries, used fresh ingredients such as plant extracts and pure mineral clay's to cleanse and moisturise their face, body and hair. Often display the most wonderful complexions and gloriously healthy looking hair.
This maybe down to nature, maybe its nurture. I dont know. But, it certainly aint down to the latest synthetic chemical or expensive jar of cream to hit the shelves!

Botanical oils are abundant in nature and they do not come from crude oil. They do nourish the skin, sinking in naturally via pores and hair folicles, and seem to have a greater affinity with the human body than unnatural based skin care products.

No expensive goop in fancy packaging and no highly marketed advertising is required for nature to be truly beautiful. Taking that approach makes sense to me and I feel compelled to follow it.

I'll gladly leave the arguments about the safety of parabens synthetic chemicals in skin care products for the labs and research scientists to fight out amoungst themselves.
At the end of the day, maybe there is no conclusive right or wrong answer to the use of preservatives, parabens or otherwise. It just depends on your own view point and how you feel about what you put on your skin or are happy to sell to your customers.

If a preservative is absolutely necessary for a product and no better alternative formulations are available and you feel comfortable about using it in a product, then do so.

The good news is, there is a great deal of investment ongoing into developing safer preservative ingredients for cosmetics, and not all made by the huge petrochemical corporations either.

It is vital consumers and skin care manufacturers like yourself to keep raising questions of the industry for positive change to happen. 
Keep on keeping on...

Dry itchy skin advice...

There are many reasons for dry, itchy, sore skin and eczema. Many of which can be helped by natural alternatives to commonly prescribed steroid, hydro-cortisone, creams.

Commonly, eczema and dry itchy patches of skin lack the natural oils held within the skin layers to keep it soft and supple.
Studies have shown that some with eczema may not be able to process the Essential Fatty Acid-Omega 6, which is normally taken in through our diet, to assist with the formation of healthy and well structured, new skin cells.

In this case, instead of their skin cells creating a strong, well formed skin layer, it has a loose more open formation, thus allowing excess moisture to more easily evaporate through the layers of skin, as well as a lack of the natural sebum oil balance required to protect the skin from environmental ravages such as the sun, wind, cold, harsh toiletries, etc. This type of skin is liable to crack and dry resulting in the tell tale symptoms of eczema. The other reason and more common reason for eczema is the removal of natural oils on the skin, commonly caused by the detergents, alcohols and harsh synthetic chemical ingredients found in the vast majority of skin care products. This is quickly remedied by getting to know the ingredients lists of the products applied to the skin including laundry products, wipes, washes, creams and lotions, or use alternatives that do not contain the harsh ingredients which cause the skin to dry out prematurely.

It is for this reason that the intake of edible botanical oil capsules are often recommended and readily available in Health Food shops. For many as a body top up if you like, and can help from within so to speak. Also handy if the diet does not include some of the food groups which are valuable for providing the necessary Essential Fatty Acids the body requires; including oily fish, dark leaf vegetables, nuts & pulses and fruits such as papaya among others.

It is worth bearing in mind though that buying these capsules only provides a very small amount of oil per capsule, so regular long term use is the key to success with them. To be honest, regularly eating the healthy foods previously mentioned, will be far less costly and more holistically useful, to the body and skin, but taking capsules is better than nothing, of course.

Sometimes no matter how healthy the diet, the skin just can't cope on its own and needs additional help from the application of emollient products to keep the skin soft and supple. That's the time when it is so important to really get to know what we are applying to our skin and what effects it may have for the long term.

For example applying petroleum jelly to already dry lips can create an unnecessary catch 22 situation.
To explain, the lips do not sweat or secrete sebum (the body's natural oil protection). This means they can easily become chapped and dry regardless of whether the lips belong to a dry skin sufferer or not.

The reason I mention this is because most commercial skin care products contain a petroleum product of some sort, whether it be in the form of mineral oil, liquid petrolatum or some sort of refined petrochemical base which has the effect of coating the surface with a layer akin to cling film, as in the case of Petroleum Jelly. This barrier layer is useful for giving the feeling of lubrication, but it does not absorb into the skin layers to moisturise and maintain it in the way botanical oils can. So it sits there on the surface, preventing the skin from performing its normal function of removing toxins through excretion and respiration. Lips then become dryer, the user applies more, the lips become dryer still and so the cycle goes on...

Another example of this and an easy one to try at home is to coat one hand in baby oil or a thin layer of petroleum jelly, and the other in a botanical oil such as olive oil.

Wait a few mins, and see which one feels most comfortable.

For those not able to try this, it is likely that the hand with the botanical oil on it will feel warm and supple. The other is possibly warm too, but sweaty or slimy, with a claggy (sticky) feeling.

This illustrates that the skin on the hand with the petroleum based product applied is being prevented from functioning as it should normally, whereas the one with the botanical oil has absorbed some or all of the oil applied and is likely to feel more comfortable, supple and well moisturised as a result.

If the skin is already dry, it is important that new cells growing beneath the surface layer are assisted to be as healthy as possible when they arrive on the surface. This helps to maintain the surface of the skin so it is more able protect itself naturally from damage.
Hemp Seed Oil is a particularly good botanical oil for this purpose, because it contains the ideal balance of Essential Fatty Acids which help keep the skin in optimum condition when used externally and is wonderful for the body generally when taken internally too.
In most cases the greatest benefit is gained from using this soothing and anti inflammatory oil on the skin externally for more noticeable rapid results, and as a valuable addition to a healthy diet when used internally too.

I hope this helps peeps,

Organic refined 100% Hemp Seed Oil is available online at Innocent Oils  

Oh! We love O'Dough...too

Following the launch of O'Dough just 4 months ago, our lovely organic modelling dough has delighted both kids and adults far and wide with its wonderful texture and gentle natural vanilla scent.

Here is what The Green Parent Magazine has to say about it.

O'Dough is registered with the Vegan Society, made with gluten and wheat free organic flour and the colours are natural and non-toxic. As if that's not enough, we use PLA biodegradable plastic tubs too. The O'Dough set will arrive in a handy flat boxes cushioned with sustainable dust free wood shavings- a by product of a local timber merchant in UK. This makes it easy to store your dough and keep it safe for next time.

ODough is available online: Innocent Oils

Facebook O'Dough

Lil One's Excema Flare END

Here is how lil one's leg looks after 5 days of treatment.
We applied the balm each night about 15 mins before bed to allow it to soak in comfortably so as not to get oil on the sheets or PJ's.

You can see from the photo's how an angry painful eczema flare was quickly resolved without any of the usual painfull stinging often associated with the initial reaction to prescribed creams. Photos Before and After of progress over 5 days of treatment with Innocent Oils Hemp Balm Natural


Innocent Oils Hemp Seed Oil Balm has very little smell only a light nutty, grassy, green scent, if any at all.
It certainly does not smell like the Body Shop Hemp products, with their not natural Hemp perfumed scent.

I used less than 30ml over a 5 day period with liberal application to very sore enlarged areas on both legs. You may not need this much, but a pot of this size is handy just in case.

Innocent Oils Hemp Balms and Oils
The Hemp Balm I used is available in 5g slip lid tin, 15ml | 30ml and 60ml recycled glass jars, from £2.25.

For this we used only Hemp Seed Oil Balm this time. But you can also use 100% Hemp Seed Oil as an all over moisturiser prior to Hemp Balm application.
This would have increased to speed of recovery in this case, but we wanted to illustrate how well the Hemp Seed Oil Balm works on its own.

From now on we will be using 100% Hemp Seed Oil on its own, as a top up for regular continued use for whole body, with the balm on hand for additional moisture asistance if a flare occurs again anywhere on the body.
Our 100% Hemp Seed Oil is unscented and quick to absorb. Making it ideal for every day use, especially with children who don't like fuss or to sit still for long, like ours.

I hope this has helped illustrate how our Innocent Hemp Balm and Oil can help when eczema appears and will be happy to advise on how to use it if you are affected in the same way.

Helen, Mum and innocent hemp oil producer x
Innocent Oils

Lil one's eczema flare.

Lil one's eczema flare.
Originally uploaded by Indicamama

Day 2

This is how the leg looks today following yesterday's Hemp Seed Oil Balm application.
The area is significantly less inflammed today and the itch has gone.

We're not there yet though, still some patches to clear up fully before I would consider the flare fully dealt with. Next post for update.

Lil ones eczema flare. Before

Lil ones eczema flare. Before
Originally uploaded by Indicamama

Day 1
This first picture shows the eczema flare on little ones left leg. The right leg looks the same, poor love. :(
In this picture I have just applied Hemp Seed Oil Balm to take away the itch.
I will blog the change and effects of the balm over the next few days...

This reaction came up after a few hours of wearing a pair of leggings washed in ECOS Lavender laundry liquid.

Just goes to show even the eco stuff aint so great for our lot.

I have reverted to soap nuts and shikakai for washing her clothes, for the time being. Her legs had been fine up until the laundry liquid change, so now it will be a case of removing all detergents until it subsides, then gently reintroduce the non bio liquid we were using prior to the change.

Note to self: Detergent is detergent is detergent...no matter how supposedly gentle it claims to be.