Yeslisa Aromatherapy is a small company specialising in aromatherapy bath products, brainchild of Aromatherapist Lisa Stromberg.
Lisa describes Yeslisa Aromatherapy London as a new approach to skincare. All natural and never tested on animals, naturally, but also combining holistic therapies with healing herbs and beneficial oils that all contributes to the synergy.
Holistic in the sense of "Mind, Body and Spirit", with herbs being a vital part of skincare as healing process starts from within.
Lisa came to London in 1983 from her native Sweden, and has lived there ever since. Whilst working as an actress, she was told by a psychic that she had the gift of healing.
Shortly after that Lisa started to manufacture her range of holistic bath products, and one thing led to another.
Now a qualified aromatherapist, Lisa can be found at Abbey Mills Market, London SW19 amongst the elegant bottles, herbs and rosebuds that grace her aromatherapy stall.
nuts4chic caught up with Lisa at Abbey Mills where she was able to share some of her insights.when she provided nuts4chic with an exclusive interview, an edited version of which follows.
nuts4chic: Lisa, tell us about what you do, what you get up to.
Lisa: Well I’m an aromatherapist, and I run a small company called Yeslisa which specializes in skincare, oils, soap, bath and massager oils, salts, bath milks. We also do creams and face creams.
Everything hand made and everything 100% natural, ready to be eaten by the skin, because it is skin food. Basically, everything that you put on your skin you will in fact be digesting. Never ever put anything on your skin that you couldn’t actually put in your mouth. That’s the theory, and that’s something that everybody should think of.
nuts4chic: That’s an interesting point, because in shops there are a number of products that have the word Aromatherapy on them . Is there a difference between these products and the products a qualified aromatherapist would use?
Lisa: I couldn’t answer for the products you’ve seen in the shops, but I can just imagine, how for example, just to use another example, there are a lot of ranges that half claim to be natural, without directly claiming to be, its sort of a 'natural collection', but what they may have is just one little natural product, and the rest is, well chemicals really. For me, aromatherapy is always Essential Oils and that should be 100% pure essential oils.
nuts4chic: What exactly is an essential oil?
Lisa: An essential oil is derived directly from the plant without any chemicals added to it. Without any preservatives. Its just the pure essence of the plant, that I have extracted, distillation, steam and expression .That makes the essential oil.
nuts4chic: There is a school of thought which suggests that certain essential oils should only be used by a qualified practitioner Is there any basis to this.
Lisa: The thing is with essential oils is that they are extremely volatile, so you should never put any essential oil, in my book, straight on to the skin. Now they are claiming that Tea Tree and Lavender are safe enough to put on the skin. I still wouldn’t recommend it. So when it comes to setting guidelines, if you were to prescribe or create a blend for somebody, you have to be qualified, because (a) you have to do skin tests, and (b) obviously you need to mix the right oils.
There are some oils that shouldn’t really be blended with other oils, that have different chemical compositions that don't really go together.
Also in a blend there should be a top middle and base note. If you get three top notes then you’re defeating the whole object .They’re supposed to be working together. In synergy.
nuts4chic:That’s an interesting concept. Tell us a bit about synergy.
Lisa: What it is about synergy is, basically, for example, a good example, I use this a lot, is Tea Tree and Lavender together.
Its two fragrances – when I say fragrances people assume essential oils is just smelly stuff Obviously yes, the smell is wonderful, and the smells will do things for parts of your body. I mean it’s a bit technical – it goes through the olefactory centre, and to the brain and to the hormones and everything, and also its therapeutic for the skin. Tea tree and lavender don’t really go together, but together they create an amazing synergic effect . It brings out every single quality of the lavender and it works the same way with Tea Tree.
nuts4chic: There is a growing awareness of problems associated with eczema, You also do a range of eczema products I understand?
Lisa: When for example we we come to eczema products, then you are looking at camomile. I would not advise anyone with eczema to use tea tree . Its very, very astringent, and its quite irritable, and this is the only one that people use. and have been told by doctors and pharmisists, everybody, 'This is for eczema'.
I would never say Tea tree, I would say Cedar Wood for example,Camomile and Lavender being fantastic.
nuts4chic: You mentioned the olefactory and the connection with the brain producing hormones. Could you tell us a bit more about that?
Lisa: Yeslisa aromatherpy is holistic healing. That’s mind body spirit. The whole idea is that for the mind – the essential oil will make you feel a certain thing, and it does. Lavender for example makes you sleepy. Certain oils make you happy, like peppermint is very uplifting. Clary Sage can get people giddy and laughing, its hilarious. So that’s the mind bit. But also spirit.
Unhappy people, if you’re depressed it will ease the spirits, and body obviously because it will help in many many ways. Detoxing, cleansing the skin, exzema, psoriasis, and also for the elderly. Also –it’s a funny thing, with cancer. A lot of cancer sufferers have been gratefiul for aromatherapy. However, and this is a bit funny, because you are not really allowed to treat people with cancer, unless they are terminally ill.
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nuts4chic: I didn’t know that.
Lisa: I didn’t know either, but having said that, it can defeat the whole object because the thing with healing is that people ask why can’t I have healing even though I’m not dying. It doesn’t make sense. But this is something that the medical profession have said, Unless they are dying you cant treat them or pretend to be treating them, because you might be giving false hope, that sort of thing.
I would never ever claim that I am going to cure you of your cancer, but I might make you feel a little bit better while you are dealing with all the stuff that is happening to you.
nuts4chic: One of the oils I’ve heard about is Geranium, which Ive heard described as a cleansing oil. Would you say that in cleansing your body it remove a lot of the clutter from your life in general?
Lisa: Yeah, to a certain extent. Geranium for example.Well, Geranium happens to be an aphrodisiac!. Yes, of course it does. If you believe it, it will come true, sort of thing. And I’m not saying it doesn’t work. As far as life-changing changes, I doubt it , but it is whatever makes you feel good. And whatever makes you feel good will come true for you. For example Im stressed so I’m not sleeping, I tare a lavender, I’m taking time out, I feel relaxed,. I feel good, I’ve taken time out and then all of a sudden everything looks OK. Tomorrow no problem .I will deal with it. And that’s how it works,
nuts4chic: It is quite a long and involved training to become an aroma therapist. What exactly would be involved?
Lisa: Right. It’s a long and hard process. Especialy if you haven’t studied for 15 years, because you have to literally, and this is something fairly new, now you have to become a qualified massage therapist, in order to study aromatherapy.
There is no other way around it to become a properly qualified and recognised aromatherapist. The best on is the ITEC because this is the biggest and is recognised in I think something like 40 countries worldwide now. The top one which is also the most diffucult one. If you haven’t studied for a long time.
This involves learning physionomy, learning about the muscles, then you have yet to become a qualified massage therapist, and everything that that involves, ethics, clenliness and so on. Then you can start aromatherapy, so its a long process.And its costly but greatly rewarding if you wanted to work as one. Not just as a hobby.
nuts4chic: It would be a lot of trouble to go to for a hobby.
Lisa: Yeah.
nuts4chic: What advice would you give somebody who was thinking of becoming an aromatherapist?
Lisa:Yeah, go for it. Yeah. Why not?
I didn’t have to become an aromartherapist in order to make my products, However the way things are going, it looks like within the next four years, you will have to be an aromatherapist in order to make products. I wanted to learn anyway, and for me, it comes as natural. I didn’t have to learn it. Of course the chemical compositions I’d have to learn obviously, but I did’nt have to know the chemical composition to know what goes together. That’s in me aready.
nuts4chic: That came naturally?
Lisa:Yeah. Its just a little gift I suppose.
nuts4chic: Your own creations, are these individual to you or are these fairly standard mixes?
Lisa: Certainly. All my recipes and compositions are my own, apart from when I’ve stated that it isn’t. For instance I do a face oil which is from ae eczema doctor in Sweden, actually. As far as all the other blends , its all me.And I’m testing it on friends and family to see what they will do, and obviously myself. And they taste not so good, but they are in fact edible.
nuts4chic: Its an interesting point about he edible side, I wasn’t aware of that. Do you prefer to see clients individually to assess their skin type I notice you have a generic range as well.
Lisa:Ideally it would be nice to see people one by one, however, its going to take a lot of time and therefore I'm going to have to charge a lot of money. At ther moment because I am only trading in the market right now and selling on line, its just whether or not we can get a quick treatment done over the counter.
And then there’s the herbs. The herb side of it is that basically the healing is something that comes from within….. most of the time. It can be natural fibres, but most of thetime itssomething that you are eating. That’s the first thing I’d recommend, as obviously …….
nuts4chic: You mentioned the mind body spirit aspect of things that’s involved in your recipes. Tell me a little bit more about the spiritual side of the work that you do?
OK Well the spiritual side is, personally, I’m a healer. I did train a little bit in Reiki, but that’s almost to dabble, because I have always been able to heal and I have healing hands.
Its probably something I will use later on and get more into it, but as far as the spiritual side is concerned, its love, basically.
Without sounding too hippy, if you love yourself more, you will heal quicker, better and more efficiently.
Not only that, but you will become an energy source for all those around you, not only will they not be able to bear to be without you, but tobe in your compamy makes people feel good. You can be feeding them and making them feel better, but you also have to be sure that its a process of give and take. If you’re an energy source that’s giving and not getting anything back you need to cut off all supplies and move on, and that’s basically what it is.
And this can work on both levels. This can work in life as well ,where people are just sucking you dry and this is not good So as far as aromatherapy for me goes, its all about me time, the amount of effort,and love and care I put in to each individual product
Some time you should take for yourself. Turning off the phone, sitting down, and just being 'me'. Its not being selfish, because really you are doing the world a favour cos you will walk out with a smile on your face and not be nagging. And also the importance of touch. Anything to do with love. If you have more love then you will become complete and everything will make sense and its really good.
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