We chat to intuitive naturopath and herbal alchemist Tamsin Locise, creator of natural beauty oils Taima Blends, about Cannabis Sativa essential oil and how a very dark time in her life led her back to the light.
Hi Tamsin. It’s lovely to talk to you. Can you tell us the motivation behind creating Taima Blends?
Tamsin Locise: To make a luxurious, natural, vegan, face oil with Cannabis and Reiki because I’m passionate about all these things!
And what does Taima mean?
Tamsin Locise: Taima, pronounced Tie Ma, is a Japanese word for cannabis. Reiki is a Japanese healing energy system that I have been practising since 2002. I believe Reiki guided me to these blends so a Japanese name felt appropriate.
How did you come to use Cannabis Sativa oil? What was its original function?
Tamsin Locise: I had started to work with Cannabis Sativa essential oil, finding it soothing and gentle yet powerful in skin healing.
I was spending time in Goa again. Mosquitoes love me – I’m their cocktail hour at sunset! I wanted to find or make a natural repellent that didn’t contain citronella essential oil. I hate the smell and unlike me, the mosquitoes were not repulsed by it anymore – they were onto us hippies!
My research first led me to rosemary oil. I tried a few drops in an olive oil cream I was using. It was a good repellent but the rosemary felt harsh on my skin and the cream was greasy.
I mixed rosemary and cannabis essential oils in a coconut oil base and boom! I had made the best, non-greasy mosquito repellent ever and I knew the Cannabis Sativa essential oil was the catalyst.
How did you go on to develop the range of face oils?
Tamsin Locise: I became fascinated with Cannabis Sativa’s synergy with other essential oils. It seemed to stimulate them to sparkle with their full potential. I was using a toner with orange flower essence and loved how it made my skin glow, so I started mixing sweet orange and Cannabis Sativa essential oils into the coconut MCT oil that was on my kitchen counter for smoothies; I’ve long been passionate about skincare good enough to eat!
Is Cannabis Sativa essential oil the same as CBD?
Tamsin Locise: No, Cannabis Sativa essential oil is not CBD. The essential oils are obtained using steam distillation of the flowers. When the steam is cooled, the oil and water collect in a separator and the oil is tapped off. Essential oil of Cannabis Sativa does not contain CBD or THC; if it does, it’s below detectable levels. CBD is another component of this amazing plant, extracted using a different process.
How does Cannabis Sativa work with your skin and what are its properties?
Tamsin Locise: It helps regulate the permeability of cell membranes, firming, nourishing and balancing. Cannabis Sativa essential oil has anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and antiseptic properties. Combined with other essential oils, specifically sourced for their skincare benefits, the synergy is sublime.
Our base oil is organic MCT from coconut. Medium-chain triglycerides are smaller molecules than those in most fats, so the skin absorbs it quickly, without leaving any greasy residue, carrying the essential oils safely into the skin.
What results can we expect?
Tamsin Locise: Feedback so far has been amazing; skin is more supple, glowing, rejuvenated and balanced.
Many people are saying they find it helps them sleep, which wasn’t the original function but of course makes sense, as Cannabis Sativa essential oil is so calming. One lady who loves the orange blend says it makes her happy on every level!
I rotate the three blends as each one has its own magical properties. Orange is uplifting in scent and a good astringent for tightening pores, Chamomile is very soothing for tired skin and mind, the Vetiver, with a woody aroma known for grounding and relieving stress, evens out skin tone and helps fade marks and scars.
Do you make them yourself?
Tamsin Locise: Yes, they are hand-blended in small batches, which means we sometimes have a waiting list. I generally blend around the New and Full Moons, giving myself a Reiki treatment before I start. Every bottle is then given Reiki by one of Team Taima’s practitioners.
What were you doing before this? What was the catalyst for change?
Tamsin Locise: I was a partner in a TV production company, having 10 hedonistic years in the world of advertising. After a spectacular nervous breakdown, I spent six weeks in a clinic being treated for depression and suicidal tendencies. I came out with one sane thought; I never want to work in telly again!
I moved out of London and in with my parents, at the age of 30. I went back to school and started to study the body, beginning with a sports therapy diploma, which lead me to nutrition, personal training and deep tissue massage.
It also led me to Patrick Holford’s book Natural Highs and I used it to come off the heady cocktail of pharmaceuticals I was on. Within six months the darkness crept back in but this time I was adamant I was NOT going back on meds. I left the UK for the first of many seasons in Goa, which lead to my Reiki training.
What initiated your interest in herbal medicine?
Tamsin Locise: I love this question because it got me thinking about my daddy and how we used to go on long dog walks when I was a child and he would point out the wild garlic along the edges of brooks and streams, teaching me the symbiosis of stinging nettles and dock leaves, whilst we picked and ate wild berries and plums. He loved gardening and I realise he ignited my interest as a child – but it wasn’t until many years later when I had a complete career change that my own medicine woman fully appeared. I swapped Gucci for Gortex, rescued a dog and off I went into the woods!
Were you aware of your intuitive gifts as a child and if yes, how did you reconnect with your natural self?
Tamsin Locise: Wow that’s a great question. I was very connected to the light as a child, taking much longer than those around me to arrive fully present in my body but I’m not sure I remember feeling it as a gift.
My fairy aunt mothers always told me I had ‘it’ and my mother was told by mediums/psychics etc that I had ‘it’ but I didn’t really understand what that meant. All I know is when my mum went into the hospital when I was a child, my grandmother who died before I was born, would appear and babysit me and I didn’t think it odd at all! As a teenager I didn’t see it as a gift, I found it completely disconcerting and I actively shut it down.
Reiki was the beginning of my reconnection to all that is.
Tell us about foraging.
Tamsin Locise: I started foraging after reading Food for Free by Richard Mabey. I took a basket with me on every dog walk and would juice fresh stinging nettles, cleavers, dandelion and wild garlic. The cleaner I was becoming on the inside, the more I was intuitively guided what and when to pick. You learn to follow the seasons and what comes with them. In summer I was picking red clover, moving onto chamomile. I dry them, store them in glass jars and use them for tea throughout the year.
Have you seen first-hand how cannabis can help people?
Tamsin Locise: Yes, I used medical cannabis on my mother, who had skin cancer. She had been scheduled for surgery to remove four squamous cell carcinomas but the procedure was cancelled at the beginning of the first lockdown. She’s in her eighties and was very worried, so I suggested I move in with her for the lockdown and use cannabis. It took eight weeks from start to finish and now you cannot even see where the cancer was; surgery would have left scars. Her GP has confirmed there is no cancer anymore but showed absolutely no interest in how it disappeared.
My hope for the future is that GP’s and consultants let patients know they are specialists in pharmaceuticals; there are many other options and they are not the only hope!
What are your thoughts on documentaries like Weed The People?
Tamsin Locise: I love it, it’s one of my favourite documentaries at the moment. I cried tears of happiness at the healing and tears of anger at the legislation. I wholeheartedly believe in medical cannabis and have unwavering faith in the Cannabis Sativa plant.
Taima Blends will be donating a percentage of profits to Medcan Support. To find out more about their face oils go to Taima Blends.
Follow Taima Blends on Instagram at @taimablends for regular updates.
(Photo credit – Will Sanders)
