You may notice that every single product in the LEAFOLOGY range (apart from the tooth powder) contains tea, whether it’s in the form of the life-giving leaves we know so well as being the source of the world’s number 1 beverage after water, in extract form (containing 20 times more antioxidant power than Vitamin C) or the cold-pressed oil from the unique seeds themselves.
All hail Camellia (the much-fêted tea plant). Tea is the thing.
Healing… Softening… Anti-oxidant rich…
Tea is a nutritional power house packed full of vitamins, fatty acids, omega oils and nourishing micro-nutrients.
In many parts of Asia, tea is a longstanding beauty secret. For the Japanese geisha, the delicate gestures with which they learn to impart each step of the most graceful tea ceremonies parallel the gentle, feminine beauty of the flower itself, while the oil from its seeds shine their hair. Camellia oil has a mild amber-green colour and a delicate, neutral scent. For centuries, these artful women have used tea oil to add lustre to their locks, make their skin glow and remove their iconic make up at night.
The molecular weight of the oil is an almost identical match for skin, allowing it to absorb quickly and thoroughly, without greasiness or blocking pores.
Green & black tea (which is fermented) come from the same plant: Camellia Sinesis. LEAFOLOGY, created by a tea addict, uses (cold pressed) oil from both the Camellia Sinesis seeds (the plant from which we enjoy tea) and the Camellia Oleifera seeds (a Chinese strain of the plant widely used in cooking). And then there are the tea leaves themselves (used in various forms in these products)… I don’t claim to predict the future but, really, there can only be one result here: skin and hair-loving blends that are infused with pure, natural goodness.
Tea’s magical benefits…
- Emollient – Tea seed oil moisturises like a dream, partly due to its high oleic acid (omega 9) content.
- Antioxidant/anti-ageing – Camellia oil, like the green tea leaves which grow from it, is antioxidant-rich, protecting the skin from free radical damage.
- Anti-microbial – Studies have shown that green tea polyphenolic catechins can effectively inhibit the proliferation of microbes.
- Immunity boosting – Polyphenols, potent plant antioxidants, are believed to give green tea its immune-boosting effects.
- Anti-mutation – The polyphenols in tea are believed to have the possible ability to contribute towards the prevention of certain cancers from developing.
- Astringent – Due to its tannins, tea has a mild astringent effect which makes it good for treating injuries and scars as well as tightening pores.
- Anti-inflammatory – Thanks to its high flavonoid content, tea helps to reduce inflammation and calm irritation.
‘Everyday ceremony?’
…Well, yes! In my household, tea is an important way in which to punctuate the day. It soothes, comforts, delights and adds slowly-sipped quotidien pleasure to a world which necessitates such moments of time-taking. Tea should be enjoyed, savoured and (if you are my mother) served ideally in a receptacle that matches the colours of one’s outfit.