Interview with Jan Benham
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I love talking about essential oils, and could do so for hours, but I think it’s beneficial to get as many perspectives (on any subject) as possible. That’s why I’m starting a new series. I want to introduce you to some incredible makers and influencers that use essential oils regularly, either professionally or personally, to spark and inspire creative new ways of enjoying them in your life.
To kick things off, I’m showcasing a woman who has been instrumental in my journey: Jan Benham (FSBTh FFHT, MIFPA, RAHP, CNHP).
Photo Credit: Jan Benham
“Understanding the healing power of plants is rewarding and empowering, it drives me to continue to develop and to share my knowledge in order to empower others.”
She is the founder and head tutor at The Institute of Aromatherapy, where I studied, and as I’ve mentioned before here, she really is a pillar of my knowledge. She has nearly 40 years experience in holistic skincare and natural cosmetics, was originally trained in the UK as a Holistic Therapist, became a Clinical Aromatherapist and Reflexologist quickly after that, and started teaching a few years later for Shirley Price. She opened the Institut d’Aromatherapie followed by The Institute of Aromatherapy in Canada, was the president of the Canadian Federation of Aromatherapists and served as a board member of the Canadian Examining Board of Health Care Practitioners. She’s also a respected author of numerous books on natural cosmetic making and alternative therapy. Now back in Europe, she runs seminars and workshops internationally on aromatherapy and cosmetic making, while staying focused on research and development.
I hope you enjoy this interview as much as I did.
How were you first introduced to essential oils? In 1978, I was taking a course in holistic medicine and decided to do a project on herbology. In researching for this project, I came across “The Art of Aromatherapy” from Robert Tisserand, as it was released the year before. I was intrigued by the fact that you didn’t need to make liniments, ointments and tinctures like you had to in herbology. All of a sudden everything was nicely presented in little bottles that you could easily apply (to the body via massage) and voila – it worked. Job done. This really piqued my interest, so as soon as I could I checked out all the aromatherapy teachers around and then did a study on that. I decided that I was going to incorporate them into my practice; at the time I was doing reflexology and holistic skincare, and I found the essential oils to be invaluable. I bought base creams and lotions initially from companies, although they were not that great as they were mineral-based, but I could add essential oils to them. I was also using carrier oils, but they weren’t as handy to apply and could leave grease marks. This trend, of patients wanting me to use lotions instead of oils and there not being any good quality lotions available at the time, spread to me wanting to make my own lotions and creams.
What was it about essential oils that made you want to work with them? I love herbology, my first love is working with herbs and I still work with them - I grow my own and make tinctures - but I found essential oils to be much easier to use. In those days (the 1970s) aromatherapy was part of the herbology studies; it became almost an offshoot for me to move from using tinctures to distillations. I loved that everything was complete (with essential oils), they’re ready to go, have long shelf lives and you could add them to creams and lotions to treat and heal many health conditions and skin problems, and of course emotional ones too. They worked! As a practitioner you don’t always have time to make your own tinctures so you tend to buy premade ones. Using essential oils was much easier.
Has your focus on how you use essential oils changed over the years? If so, how? My focus keeps changing, going in and out. Initially it was focused on health. I then had customers with skin problems, like acne, so it moved more and more towards skincare and makeup. I suppose it’s also due to my hobby as I enjoy creating makeup and skincare. But now I’m working on health again – I’m going back to my roots!
How do you use essential oils in your daily life? I use them in my skincare: adding them to my cleansers, toners and moisturizers. I’m also decanting essential oils daily so I’m exposed to many of them regularly. I do not need to use a diffuser as my house already smells like essential oils – people would literally stop me in the street and ask what I was wearing, saying that I smelled gorgeous!
How do you combat cold and flu season with essential oils? For those who suffer from colds, you can blend eucalyptus, lavender and sandalwood (which is expensive) or hyssop (which is an inexpensive alternative to sandalwood) into a cream or ointment and rub or massage it onto your chest nightly. This will allow you to breathe easier at night.
For your diffuser, try blending lemon, lime, and lavender, as they’re all antiseptic but not too medicinal smelling.
You can also try ravensara essential oil instead of eucalyptus, in your diffuser either alone or part of the above blend, as it’s still powerful but gentler on the system and is especially good to use around kids.
If you were stranded on an island and could bring only one essential oil with you, what would it be and why? Geranium, as it’s great for insect bits (takes the sting out), it’s toning and balancing, and it also smells okay.
You can catch Jan this September in Toronto where she’ll be offering an internationally recognized diploma course in cosmetic making. You’ll get to work with essential oils and learn how they’re used in skincare. You’ll also learn how to make natural, yet professional, creams, lotions and makeup from scratch. Each workshop is fun and unique, allowing your inner artist to shine! The program is extremely flexible and available online too for those unable to attend in person. Details here . Toronto dates are September 9-14, 17, 19-20 (2019).