Alumni Highlight: Shanna Bynes | achs.edu

May 8, 2020 11:00:00 AM | alumni highlight Alumni Highlight: Shanna Bynes | achs.edu

ACHS Diploma in Aromatherapy Graduate Shanna Bynes talks about her experience discovering essential oils and the business that she opened.

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Shanna Bynes is an Aromatherapist, Licensed Medical Aesthetician, Natural Nail Specialist, and Professional Makeup artist who completed a Diploma in Aromatherapy from ACHS in 2019. She is the CEO of Grow Out Oils and also provides custom formulations  for physicians and high end luxury spas.

Discovering essential oils

Shanna’s interest in essential oils began with an unlikely personal situation. She and her husband moved into what looked like a perfectly clean apartment. She says, “Even though everything in there looked absolutely amazing, we never thought that when the restoration company came and started knocking the walls down that it was going to be full of mold.” 

Both Shanna and her husband were impacted by the mold, and she went to the doctor for a full year while they tried to figure out what was wrong. “I had inhalers, I had steroid medication, creams, just too much stuff. I’m not the type of person that takes medicine like that. I started doing some research and said to myself ‘it has to be something that maybe my doctors just don’t know,'” Shanna says.

“I talked to a blood pathologist because my hair was falling out. I don’t think I’m that stressed, but it was falling out really bad,” Shanna says. The pathologist explained that mold can actually cause hair loss. Because of the effect of the mold on her health, Shanna took the opportunity to work on herself. She says, “I changed my eating habits and I was doing all this detoxification and I didn’t like the fact that my hair was falling out, so I was looking at all these different oils and how you can blend them together to create something that will help with hair growth.” This is how her interest in essential oils started.

Grow Out Oils

Shanna talks about her previous experience as a Medical Aesthetician that prepared her to formulate her products for Grow Out Oils: "I worked for a physician for five years that had a foundation in Germany. Over in the states, he formulated products. While I was working for him I did clinical trial studies, classes on using chemical peels and how to physically put them on the skin. Learning how ingredients actually are absorbed into the skin helped me put together the products for Grow Out Oils."

Grow Out Oils are "100% Organic All Natural Essential Oils formulated for the hair, scalp, and all parts of the body." Shanna talked about her Nail Reinvigorate Oil Complex, one of the products available in her online store. It's main ingredient is Ceylon Cinnamon Bark essential oil. It can be used on the nails and skin to target skin concerns such as hyperpigmentation, dark spots, fungus, and breakouts. She also says it makes a great mosquito repellent if you're going to be outside and want to keep the bugs away.

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The Nail Reinvigorate Oil Complex and more are available here: https://growoutoils.com/shop

Shanna also created a Pink Lemonade Lip Exfoliating Scrub that isn't available in her store yet. She says, "It doesn’t have any dyes so it’s not going to irritate your lips. It puts hydration back in and has organic sugar in it. You almost just want to mix it in with some water and drink it."

shanna bynes pink lemonade lip scrub

In addition to her Grow Out oIls line of products, Shanna also provides custom formulations for physicians and high end luxury spas. Grow Out Oils created a line of Hydrosol sprays for Dr. Shino Bay, one of which is pictured below. She says that Dr. Bay is "passionate about the health and wellness of his clients who are looking for a more holistic approach to beauty and wellness."

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Changes from COVID-19

When essential supplies started selling out in grocery stores, Grow Out Oils tried to find a solution."We partnered with a couple suppliers in the local area and bumped up our inventory to sell some a la carte items that we wouldn’t normally have in stock like gloves, toilet paper, and face masks," Shanna says. "There were a lot of people that didn’t have access to it, even in retail spaces. Everything was completely sold out. We started reaching out to people letting them know that there was free shipping and no price gouging."

Shanna has also been working on a line of hydrosol sprays that she recently launched. "We have one that is antiviral that customers have been using to clean fruits and vegetables," she says. "Our business has been consistent and I think the fact that we offer products that are tailored to what's going on right now makes people feel a lot better about using them. It’s good to be able to have some products that will bring a little peace of mind to people."

Experience at ACHS

"I’m so glad that I decided to go to ACHS because all of my professors were absolutely amazing," Shanna says. She says that many people only have a general knowledge of essential oils, but that gaining a deeper knowledge and learning how they interact in the body was a great help. She says, "I’m very intrigued when it comes to essential oils. It makes me feel really good to have gone to a school that has very high accolades."

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We would love to highlight more ACHS students and graduates! An article on our blog is a great way to share your holistic health story, show off what you've accomplished, or spread the news about your new wellness practice. Please fill out this form and our Social Media Coordinator, Gillian Wilson, will be in touch with you to schedule a phone interview. 

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I am the social media coordinator for the American College of Healthcare Sciences, the Institution that publishes this blog. However, all opinions are my own. This blog may contain affiliate links. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” 

This article is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to treat, diagnose, cure, or prevent disease. This article has not been reviewed by the FDA. Always consult with your primary care physician or naturopathic doctor before making any significant changes to your health and wellness routine. 

About American College of Healthcare Sciences

American College founded in 1978, is a fully online accredited institute of higher education specializing in holistic health. Based in Portland, OR; our goal is to make research-driven and science-based holistic health education taught by industry-leading experts accessible to anyone anywhere while still giving students a hands-on experiential learning experience like a traditional college and a strong sense of community, school pride and student bond.

This commitment to our students and graduates reflects in our current survey results that reflect 98% of our students would recommend ACHS to a friend or family member.

We believe education is the most powerful tool for changing an individual and the world around us. 

When a person enrolls as ACHS, it is vitally important that they graduate with tools they need to forge their own holistic and sustainable missions, build up their communities confidently and changing the face of healthcare with knowledge.

For more information visit achs.edu.

Gillian Turner

Written By: Gillian Turner

Gillian joined ACHS after graduating from Linfield College with a BA in Mass Communication and a minor in visual studies. She grew up off the grid in rural southern Oregon and spent time exploring the forest surrounding her house and teaching gardening classes to other children in her garden. While at Linfield, Gillian gained valuable experience in public relations, social media management, and digital art. She was awarded a strategic communication scholarship and inducted into Kappa Tau Alpha, a national college honor society “that recognizes academic excellence and promotes scholarship in journalism and mass communication.” When not at work, Gillian can most often be found making art, enjoying nature or drinking coffee with her husband, Preston. Her interests include sustainability, mental wellness, and trying to stay connected to nature while living in the city. She studied abroad at the National University of Ireland, Galway, and has traveled to over ten different countries. Her favorite place that she has visited is the Scottish Highlands, and she hopes to visit many more countries in the future.