Beech Tree News Network

On Tuesday, January 30 Lynn Blankenship presented the Butler County Homemakers Food, Health, and Nutrition chairpersons training class on Aroma Therapy at the Butler County Extension Office.  Since the public was invited, I went and enjoyed it so much that I interviewed Lynn after the meeting.
Lynn Blankenship has been the Extension Agent for Family and Consumer Sciences Education in Metcalfe County for 13 years.    Lynn has a two year Associates Degree in Early Childhood Education, a Bachelor of Sciences in Child and Family Services/Family and Consumers Sciences and a Masters of Arts Degree in Adult Education.  Although she grew up in Connecticut, she and her two brothers and a sister-in-law, their families, and she and her husband’s parents live in Kentucky.  She and her husband have no children, but they have two cats and a dog that lives with them and 2 Great Pyrenees/Golden Retriever mix dogs to protect their small herd of Nigerian dwarf goats.  Not long ago her husband Jimmie Blankenship applied for a grant to receive a high tunnel and has begun high tunnel (greenhouse) planting of strawberries, lettuces, cooking herbs and winter greens such as kale and chards.  If you don’t know what this is it is worth looking up on the internet.  Last fall was their first actual cash crop of white turmeric and four kinds of ginger.  She does occasionally make soap from her goat’s milk for personal use and to share with friends and family.
It was obvious that Lynn knew a lot about essential oils; she knew her subject very well.  She told me that 10 or 12 years ago after a severe flood the exposure to mold left her with a terrible eczema reaction and sensitivity to the chemicals in almost all body products and cleaning products.  She was aware of the beneficial uses of herbs because both her grandmother and mother grew herb gardens. They used herbs for cooking, teas, and medicinally. Lynn decided to investigate safe products that could be made at home and still smell nice. This is where the essential oils come in. We learned first that all essential oils are not equal.  The ONLY government certification of quality is USDA Organic bearing the USDA Organic logo.  Another indicator of quality is if the package or bottle has the common name of the oil, the scientific name, and where the plant is sourced from.If in doubt of the purity of the oil instead of using it topically or internally, you can use to scent the air in a diffuser. Also, essential oils need to be diluted with a carrier oil such as olive, coconut or almond before using on skin, and only Food Grade essential oil should be ingested.

Many companies sell essential oils, and their salespeople may be trained in aromatherapy and accredited by the company, but there is no official accredited certification program in the U.S.  France and England are very advanced in the use of aromatherapy and do have accredited certification programs.  If you are serious about making and using your own products or making products for others a Herbal Medicine Physician’s Desk Reference (PDR) manual or a comprehensive, published Aromatherapy Guide that does not come from a company selling essential oil products, would be a good investment. Places like the Vitamin Store, the Nutrition Center and Public Libraries may have copies of these.  Helpful websites are Aromaweb.com and Aromatherapy.com.
 Lynn had information about the uses of the most popular essential oils, and recipes for green cleaning. If you are a Homemaker, you will get this information at your February meeting, if not contact the Butler County Extension Office at 270-526-3767.
I will share one of Lynn’s favorite recipes, with her permission.Lavender linen spray is great for use on bed sheets and pillowcases. Spray lightly on the mattress before making up bed.

     Home Aromatherapy Spray  

Into a small misting bottle pour 2 tablespoons Witch Hazel  10 drops lavender essential oil (shake well), then add 6 tablespoons distilled water (shake well before misting linens) You can substitute 5 drops lavender and 5 drops lemon essential oil if you prefer that fragrance.