In The Shadow of Windsor Castle

It was 1970. Roger and Kathleen Knowles bought an old apothecary located in the shadow of Windsor Castle. While cleaning it up they stumbled across ancient recipe and prescription books dating back two centuries. Using these original formulas as inspiration the two entrepreneurs developed the Woods of Windsor Line of perfumes and toiletries. Though the beginnings were modest, at the time of this writing Woods of Windsor has expanded mightily and now sells it’s formidable line of products throughout the world.

In the company’s own words,”combining traditional recipes with the scientific advances of the twenty-first century have led to a collection we feel proud to present to you..”

And the collection is vast. In the Mimosa scent alone we count more than 17 products, soaps, body sprays, perfume de toilette, dusting powder, moisturizing cream, bath & shower gels, body wash, wardrobe sachets and even…scented drawpaper. A similar grouping is also available in True Rose, Forget Me Not, White Jasmine, Lily of the Valley, Lavender.  Woods of Windsor Green Tea Therapy products demand attention as well, and include scented candles and Revitalizing Bath Bubbles in a bottle.

But perhaps the most intoxicating group is titled Aromatherapy Lavender. Here we find an incredibly pure lavender scent applied across the board in oils, gels and tonics, being also enshrined within arguably the finest lavender incense sticks on the planet!

So. When next you hear the name ‘Woods of Windsor’ mentioned at a gathering, you’ll now know it ain’t just a stand of timber lurking behind some crumbling old world castle. It’s also a soap and toiletries link on the internet worth searching for.

Lavender – the Calming Elixir

In ancient Rome Lavender was a staple in the baths..they recognized it’s unique calming effect when added to bathwater. Over the centuries this herb continued to gain in popularity as a therapeutic agent for treating a wide variety of ailments, from muscle pain and headaches to depression and irritability..even sleep disorder. During the Victorian age, the gentry carried handkerchiefs perfumed with Lavender to calm anxiety.

Lavender is pale yellow in color. It is the most versatile of all essential oils. Therapeutic grade Lavender is calming, sedative, a muscular relaxant, anti-inflammatory, indeed a  powerful tonic for the entire system. It is highly regarded for use in skin conditions such as acne and  to soothe burns and skin irritations. Inhaled, it can ease depression and nervous tension. It can be used to calm the nervous system, lower high blood pressure and balance the entire nervous system.

Lavender is ‘balancing’ and useful for a multitude of ailments. It is considered the ‘universal oil’ and is good for all skin ailments. It helps the body regenerate new skin cells and minimizes scarring, and is an excellent oil for sunburns and other types of burns. It is useful in healing acne and eczema, and is good for the hair and scalp. Lavender is very good for headaches, especially PMS headaches, as well as general sharp aches and pains.

Spiritually, Lavender brings a peaceful energy to all the chakras of the body, as well as opening the heart and crown chakras. It encourages feelings of patience and security. It balances the heart chakra system. No wonder it remains today one of Nature’s great gifts to all sentient beings.

Scent To Unstress & Heal

LAVENDER OIL. The Power to Heal and Relax

Lavender wins the Mother Nature Triple Crown for essential oils: it is one of the most popular floral fragrances, it is a natural “Bacteria Buster” (antibiotic, antiseptic, antiviral and antifungal) and it has the power to sooth and relax.Here are some comments on using Lavender based on our own experiences and feedback from our customers…

Healing

We have found Lavender to be most helpful for skin problems such as facial blemishes (adult), Rosacea, sores, athlete’s foot, cuts and burns. We have used it to relieve itching and prevent infection on poison ivy, insect bites and bee strings.

We don’t know many of the names for the skin problems where customers have reported Lavender to be helpful nor do we know why Lavender often has a beneficial effect. It is so inexpensive and has a good enough batting average that it’s worth a try. We have not had encouraging reports on using Lavender to combat teenage acne; at best, it seems to keep it from getting out of hand. Nor does it seem to work for psoriasis or eczema.

Lavender can be applied directly to the skin but care should be taken not to get it into one’s eyes. When applied to the face, the fumes can have a mild stinging effect on the eyes.

Essential oils work more slowly than modern drugs so one shouldn’t expect immediate results (a test period of about three weeks is suggested). The amount of oil applied doesn’t seem to be as important as the frequency of application. The more often used, the better the chance for a favorable result.

Lavender, in spite of being an oil, has a slightly drying effect. When using it to attempt to relieve skin problems where the skin is very dry (such as the scalp), try a mixture of approximately one quarter Sweet Almond oil and three quarters Lavender oil.

Relaxing

Most interesting is the ethereal nature of Lavender. Lavender is known as an antidepressant and sedative when its fragrance is inhaled. The use of the oil to sooth and calm can vary from a few drops on a handkerchief, on the upper lip just below the nostrils, in a room diffuser or as a room spray. Experiment.

Some customers find Lavender helpful for inducing sleep. The amount used carry vary from a few drops on the upper lip to misting sheets and pillows. If one tends to wake in the wee hours with events, problems, etc. kicking the brain into such a frenzy of activity that sleep seems impossible, try short circuiting the brain with a good whiff of Lavender.

The comments above apply to the essential oil of Lavender (preferably French) extracted from the plant and not to synthetic Lavender. Lavender oil will last for about two years or indefinitely if kept in the refrigerator (not the freezer). The brown bottle protects the oil from the effects of light.

Obviously, if you have or suspect a reaction to Lavender, discontinue it’s use. About the most negative reports we’ve ever had of Lavender is that it did not alleviate the problem or that the fragrance was repellant.Not for internal use.

Please contact us if you have any questions. Ask for Caitriona: sales@barclaycrocker.com

The Science of Smell

We take smell for granted. When cookies come out of the oven,

When we pass by a pile of dirty clothes, one never thinks to trace the connection between these events and the processes of our respiratory system.

First comes the nose, the entry point into our system. Deep inside the middle of your face is the nasal cavity, which then leads to the back of the throat, separated from the inside of your mouth by a palate - the roof of your mouth.

You inhale..air enters the nasal passages and goes to the nasal cavity. From thence the air (carrying the scent) plunges down the back of your throat into the trachea, or windpipe, on the way to your lungs.

OK you say, I get it..but where does our ’sense’ of smell generate? Up on the roof  of the nasal cavity is the ‘olfactory epithelium’. Olfactory is a fancy word that has to do with smelling. It contains  special receptors that are sensitive to odor molecules that travel through the air. When the smell receptors

Are stimulated, signals travel along the olfactory nerve to the olfactory bulb. This little jewel is underneath the front of your brain..just above the nasal cavity. The ‘O’ bulb sends signals to other parts of the brain to be interpreted as a smell you may recognize, like the cookies or the dirty clothes.

Identifying smells is one way your brain tells you about your environment. Burning toast?! Run to turn off the toaster. Smell a delicious perfume..you’ll be led by your snoz to it’s source.  Our ‘O’ bulb is always on alert, enriching our lives.

And here’s the kicker. Without your nose, those cookies wouldn’t hardly taste at all. Need proof? Take a bite of one - then pinch your nose and take another bite. Notice the difference?!  Food for thought..through scent.

Aromatherapy – Top Essential Oils

Below is a list of some essential oils most suited to an aromatherapy bath. Most have specific properties and these are indicated…

ROSEMARY OIL. Rosemary essential oil is great to use when one is looking to relax achy muscles. It is also good for dull skin, gout, tiredness and poor circulation.

GERANIUM OIL. This fresh essential oil helps balance the mind and emotions, while stimulating the adrenal cortex, balancing the hormonal system and stimulating the lymphatic system. It also balances the production of sebum in the skin, while keeping it supple and helping with the healing of wounds.

JASMINE OIL. Great for lifting one’s mood. Also good for treating dry and sensitive skin, tiredness and labor pains.

LINDEN BLOSSOM. A good palliative for headaches.

LAVENDER. The most well known of all popular essential oils.

Has a multitude of uses which include: muscle relaxant, anti-inflamatory, alleviates depression, skin conditions and burns, lowers high blood pressure, cures headaches - especially PMS, as well as general aches and pains. Lavender brings peaceful energy

To all the chakras..and opens the heart and crown chakras. It is one of Nature’s great gifts to mankind.

MANDARIN. Another very versatile essential oil. A natural house cleaner. A disinfectant. Prevents stretch marks. Relieves cramps and tired muscles. As for aroma, Mandarin is called the ‘happy oil’

PEPPERMINT. Relieves asthma, headaches, sinuses, vertigo

PINE. Pine essential oil is great when you need a pick, me up. It helps to energize.

BASIL. Aids in being mentally alert. Relieves feelings of nervousness.

EUCALYPTUS. Really good for helping one breathe clearly.

CLARY SAGE. A mood lifter.

JASMINE. Helps relieve depression and enhance feelings of confidence.

ORANGE. Orange is another essential oil that is great for lifting one’s mood.

CHAMOMILE. For relaxation and restoring calmness.

The Essential Oils listed above are fantastic choices when one is looking to create an aromatherapy bath. There are many more that could be added and it is worth looking up ‘essential oils’ on the internet for a full list.

As a primer, mix 2oz. of some type of carrier oil. Sweet almond works well. Add 20 drops of essential oil. Try Lavender. Mix together and add to your bath. AAAAAaaahhhh! Nuff said.

Eucalyptus, The Sweet Smelling Medicine Tree

Who hasn’t lingered when passing by a grove of Eucalyptus just to inhale their remarkable scent, which seems to pass through the nostrils into the core of one’s being…(?)

In some locations these wonderful trees reach epic size, unbelievably even higher than the California Giant Sequoia. One or more have been measured at over 480′. They can be used for timber, but are more valued for the oils they produce.

Eucalyptus leaves hang with an oblique sadness from the stem of the plant, which betray their very practical purpose; their glands constantly secrete fragrant, volatile oils…

Ah, to the heart of our story..eucalyptus oil! Once distilled it’s a colorless liquid with a characteristic odor and soluble in it’s own weight of alcohol. It’s the most powerful antiseptic in it’s group and has a strong disinfectant action.

But there are many uses for this special oil. It’s a stimulant and can be employed as an antiseptic gargle or a decongestant. Locally applied eucalyptus oil can diminish sensitivity and increase cardiac action. It has showed response against malaria as well. It has been used to treat asthma, bronchitis, burns, cuts, influenza and even headaches. Many insect repellents contain eucalyptus. Finally, include in this list of uses

Treating muscle aches, rheumatism, sinusitis, skin ulcers, urinary infections and wounds.

Did we mention decongestant in the above list?..to expand then, next time you are in the sauna pour a small amount of eucalyptus oil mixed with water onto the hot rocks and inhale. Then settle back and feel it’s fragrance clear all your sinuses, massage your throat, tickle your sanskaras and make eucalyptus yours forever.

Climbing The Aromatic Ladder

To many of us, the word ‘perfume’ has a special magic. We have smelled a good perfume in the past and the sensual invocations it brought forth then still linger somewhere in our cortex.

The words ‘eau de toilette’ and eau de cologne’ are more subtle and mysterious. We recognize them as lesser gods, able to convey rich scent but not to the degree of their superior cousin. Why not?  What is it about real perfume that so satisfies..and how can we explain it?

When one brings a fragrance genie out of it’s bottle, it will utter two truths: the first truth is that all depends on the density of aromatic oil in the mixture at hand. Perfume has the highest density, eau de toilette next.. followed by the Cinderella of this family, pale-scented cologne.

The second truth is far more complex. Aromatic composites used in perfume mixtures carry multifaceted chemical connections, some with hundreds of components. These are blended to give stages to the olifactory experience. First there is the ‘Chief note’, the opening whiff. Depending on the mix this can last from a few minutes to several hours. Then ‘HEART’ begins to unfold, or the ‘stiff’ of the perfume, which lingers about as a mood of ‘compassion’ for an indefinite time. Finally ‘footnote’ is revealed, that faint bouquet left at the end of the day. The totality of these stages, and their intensity, define a mixture’s place on our aromatic ladder.

Finally, perfume buyer beware. The most luxurious scents in each category are to be found behind labels which proclaim ‘all natural ingredients’. Many new fragrance groups have been formed using synthetic mixtures, but ‘all natural’ still remains on our ladder’s top rung.

Rosacea and Me - A Personal Saga

This is a personal saga about a bit of luck which lead to a cure for my rosacea. Hopefully, it will help you or a friend.

I had rosacea for about five years when I happened on an article which suggested that rosacea is caused by a bacteria or a fungus. Barclay Crocker carries the essential oil of French Lavender which purports to be antibiotic, antifungal, antiviral and antiseptic. Why not give it a try? If it didn’t work, at least I would smell good.

I applied Lavender directly from the bottle (neat - no carrier oil) to the red areas in the morning and before going to bed. It stung slightly and had a very strong lavender fragrance. I’m not sure how long I kept up this regimen as I never really expected it to work but it must have been two or three weeks. After perhaps a week, I think I noticed a slight improvement but it must have a couple of weeks more that a real improvement was obvious. It’s been several years since those first attempts and the redness has long since completely disappeared and I find I no longer need to use Lavender. A number of customers with Rosacea have experienced the same success. We have not had any reports of side effects except that a few didn’t like the lavender fragrance. If you want to begin slowly, just apply the lavender to a small area to make sure you are comfortable with it. [Read more]

A Scent to Unstress and to Heal

Lavender wins the Mother Nature Triple Crown for essential oils: it is one of the most popular floral fragrances, it is a natural “Bacteria Buster” (antibiotic, antiseptic, antiviral and antifungal) and it has the power to sooth and relax.Here are some comments on using Lavender based on our own experiences and feedback from our customers… [Read more]