Leanne Nocera, Scented Drops
Leanne Nocera's essential oils have been a welcome relief at Jim & Jane, helping us to slow down, re-evaluate, and focus on what's important. Read our zenned out chat with the woman behind Scented Drops, who spoke about her life growing up, dealing with anxiety, and her beginner's tips for essential oils.
Where do you call home?
Padstow.
Your mother has been making her own blends for years and was a big part of your inspiration for starting Scented Drops. Can you tell us a little bit about your life growing up?
Life growing up was all about family, my dad Is Italian so we with always spent Sunday's at my Nonnas with aunties, uncles and our cousin's eating pasta and talking loudly over each other at the table and then after lunch we'd pack into our family cars visiting extended family In the afternoons. Looking back now growing up we always felt safe happy and loved in the familiar scents of cooking pasta sauce, coffee and gardenias from my Nonna's garden. I always remember my mum using remedies like lavender oil on my templates when I had a headache and eucalyptus on my feet and in the bath when I was feeling sick.
We can imagine that a lot of your blends are born out of personal need or requests from friends and family. What’s your process like for researching and developing each new formulation?
I based my first oils on how I was feeling, I was always looking for alternatives to switch off my nervous mind and It just went from there. I get a lot of ideas now from listening to my customers. I think it's important to make people feel comfortable and I've been lucky enough that my beautiful customers feel that with me so now they reach out and let me in on their story, how they feel and what they need. When I make blends, I read a lot, I have a look at different aromatherapy books to make sure I am on the right track. Each oil has a lot of different uses and each one can be interpreted differently. I usually come up with three/four different blends and then let them sit for a few days to blend and then smell them to choose the favourite one.
What’s your advice for newbies like us looking to incorporate essential oils into their daily routine?
Go easy on yourself and trust your sense of smell and don't make it too hard, sometimes when you approach something with an "all in" approach, it doesn't last. Start small, enjoy the process and find a time to use it every day. I use my diffuser every morning when I wake up, I take a moment to smell a few and then decide which one makes me smile and put it on. If you don't want to invest in a diffuser just yet, I always suggest getting a roller and using it throughout the day and notice the change in your mood, or a room mist. After you fall in love then keep adding to the collection :-)
An old staff member used to have a little trick where she’d vacuum up an essential oil-soaked tissue to perfume the room. Have you heard of customers using your products in more unconventional ways?
I had a customer that sprayed their clothes with our Essential Oil Mist In the dryer before they turned it on so the clothes had a scent on them when they dried. I must admit now I do that too.
What does your self-care routine look like? How has it changed in the past year?
I've set myself a little routine called 1,1,1. So I think about something I do once a day, once a week and once a month for myself. The last few months It's been - diffusing once a day, meditation online once a week on Thursday night with Pause with Alexis and I have a facial once a month. I make sure that I rebook my facial the day I walk out from one. Honestly I used to look at self-care as something I would fit into my life If I got a moment to do It ….. now I look at it as a necessity- it's something that you do to make sure that you continue to love yourself as much as you love others, otherwise you wake up one day and wonder where you went and who you are, which has happened to me when I thought It was normal to run yourself Into the ground.
What’s the last great book you read?
I can't even remember, I know that’s shocking, but If I'm not making products and packing orders, I'm usually being a mum or head deep in an aromatherapy booking trying to figure out what's next.
Do you have a style icon?
Not really I'm a basic jeans and t-shirt kinda girl.
What inspires you?
My family & helping people.
What would be your perfect day out in Sydney?
Lunch in the sun and friends in a nice little pub/restaurant with a glass of Rosé.
What’s on your studio playlist?
Fleetwood Mac, Elton John, George Michael - anything I can tap my feet to and sing out loud.
Describe Jim & Jane in one word.
Can I use two? Thoughtfully curated