What does Brentford Football Club, the Myers-Briggs Test and the door number 20A all have in common? That would be the work of Abi Titterington Lough, the founder of 20A Aromatherapy. I was lucky enough to sit down with Abi in her Neighbourhood Apothecary – a serene space in Hackney that specialises in holistic treatments, creative workshops and a plethora of seasonal sensorial events – to talk all things scent and dispel the witchy preconceptions surrounding this ancient healing practice.
We have almost five hundred olfactory receptors in the human nose, with scientists estimating that we have the ability to distinguish between one trillion different scents. The olfactory bulb is an integral component of our brain’s limbic system, which controls our emotional nervous system. Research shows that essential oils have a distinctive effect upon this system, altering our brain’s chemistry and subsequently influencing our emotional wellbeing. Abi has been intimately aware of the powers of aromatherapy since her childhood. Growing up in Leith, she shared her tenement building with a Chinese medical centre, spending holidays with her uncle in Samye Ling, a Buddhist Monastery tucked in a peaceful valley on the banks of the river Esk. Her home was shared with an array of lodgers, from musicians to artists, with her parents owning a deli on the same street, Abi believes this creative community subsequently informed her predisposition to the sensorial aspects of life. Serendipitously, she befriended the daughter of the owners of the medical centre, and sought out their help having exhausting all options in trying to find relief for her chronic earache. Using a combination of lavender oil and in-ear acupuncture, Abi explains that it was the only thing which helped soothe the pain. When naming her business, the number 20A, her childhood home, seemed only appropriate.
Abi’s entry into the business world of aromatherapy wasn’t as straightforward however, as with all creative souls, the traditional route onto a career path isn’t always clear. Moving to London at eighteen to study fashion design – she describes how the frenetic energy of the city lured her from Edinburgh – but the course she decided to study was perhaps a bit of a waste of time: “I wanted to go to Central Saint Martin’s, but they rejected me, the only course available was fashion design at London College of Fashion, I just wanted to be part of that world.” So, after switching to a part-time course in fashion communications, earning a living by way of a variety of hospitality jobs, it allowed her to explore a wealth of other creative pursuits, from make-up artistry to fashion styling. From interning at fashion brands such as Vivienne Westwood and Dianne Von Furstenberg, Abi’s industriousness landed her a beauty assistant position at Elle Magazine in New York City, opening the door into a whole new creative scene. Working alongside Julie Schott – who is now most recognisable as the founder of Starface acne patches – Abi’s entrepreneurial spirit was quietly being forged in the Big Apple. Yet, it wasn’t until she fell in love and moved back to London, that Abi rekindled her passion in aromatherapy. Working for Burberry in their creative media department, helping to launch their beauty products, the corporate world soon lost its appeal. After going freelance, by chance, she began working with Julia Lawless, who created the essential oil brand Aqua Oleum. It was Julia’s books that first taught Abi the wisdom of herbology as a child, absorbing the knowledge of plants, essential oils, and scents with her mother back in Leith. Alongside Julia at Aqua Oleum, Abi honed her skills in scent creation. Equipped with the diverse range of experience she gained in London and New York; Abi was able to work as an advisor for smaller beauty start-up brands as well as offering her services to global beauty institutions like Estée Lauder.
The COVID pandemic, like for so many of us, acted as a moment of retrospection, a time to rethink and reset. All the seedlings of Abi’s own venture into creating a brand had begun to germinate, and after taking a business accelerator course, 20A Aromatherapy was born. “It is as much about people as it is about plants,” she tells me. The Neighbourhood Apothecary hosts a variety of different events and treatments, from acupuncture and reiki, to creative workshops ranging from tea blending to astrological readings and sound bath experiences. Abi’s work is centred around people, and nowhere is this more evident, than in the corporate events she regularly holds. Companies from Snapchat to Sony Music have enlisted Abi’s expertise as a unique approach to workplace wellbeing. At Brentford Football Club, Abi formulated a range of scents for the different parts of the training ground, each specifically designed with the use of that space in mind. A restorative, calming elixir for the recovery room, to a mood-lifting, energy-boosting fragrance for the club’s reception. Unilever commissioned Abi to create scents inspired by their employees’ Myers-Briggs Tests, with each person receiving a bespoke scent that aligns with their personality type. Abi emphasises that the intention is never just to make a space smell nice – although her work often leads to that outcome – but how that scent can alter the emotional wellbeing of people in that space. With a focus on play and experimentation, these corporate workshops help to break down any barriers between colleagues, regardless of seniority, profession, or background, Abi describes how the power of scent can be the greatest leveller. The oils, plants and herbs Abi uses are “tools to make you feel better,” she says. There is “not any one outcome,” in using aromatherapy and often, she continues, the effects can be “unexpected and powerful.”
Although aromatherapy is most commonly known to aid sleep, or to de-stress, there are a plethora of other physical and mental benefits. The scents of eucalyptus and lavender can help to relieve chronic pain and muscle tension, while a recent clinical trial on the use of chamomile oil in reducing feelings of anxiety and depression in people currently undergoing cancer treatments, showed a meaningful improvement. For an aromatherapy novice, I asked Abi how would I implement the practice into my everyday life. She explains that there is a difference between fragrance and aromatherapy, burning a candle might help make your bedroom smell nice, but whether it can shift the way that you’re feeling is a different story. She suggests that you should start by identifying which scents you are drawn towards. If your favourite perfume has notes of patchouli, then begin by using patchouli essential oil, just a few drops, either in a bath or mixed with a carrier oil (you could use coconut or jojoba oil), massaging the sides of your neck and behind your ears where the vagus nerve is located, and simply breathing in. Massaging the vagus nerve stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, as it’s connected to the amygdala, the part of the brain that helps to regulate our emotions. This method of self-massage can be used on the body’s acupressure points, and Abi shows me several points which are easy to begin with: on the hands, in the webbing between your thumb and forefinger, on the feet, in that same place between your big toe and second toe, and on the arms, a three-finger distance from your wrist, in the hollow between the two tendons. Applying light pressure, or massaging in a circular motion on these points will work in conjunction with the essential oil you are using, helping to boost those feelings of calmness, with the wrist point even alleviating feelings of sickness and nausea.
I ask Abi what ingredients she would use to formulate a scent for today. “I’ve been feeling a little bit frustrated this morning,” she says, “my laptop broke, and I’m waiting on a parcel to be delivered, that still hasn’t arrived, but when I saw the blue skies, it helped to ground me a bit.” She chooses scents that are connected to trees specifically, finding their roots particularly helpful in evoking a feeling of connectedness and emotional stability. “Firstly, cedar wood and eucalyptus, then juniper berry, with a little bit of myrrh and also some frankincense.” Not just for Christmas, myrrh also has antimicrobial benefits, and can be used to draw out infection from a wound, while the sweet aroma of frankincense can bring a feeling of inner peace and calm, perfect for a somewhat stressful morning. The intention behind each ingredient is as important as the final fragrance. Drawing on your intuition and curating a scent that means something personal to you is at the heart of Abi’s practice. Dust off your lavender essential oil from the back of your bathroom cabinet, and try a few drops on your pillow before bed, if you feel relaxed and well-rested the next morning, maybe this is your sign to start exploring the benefits of aromatherapy.
By Joel Danziger
