Getting to know… Sarah Smart of Aromatherapy with Sarah

Aromatherapy with Sarah, a local qualified aromatherapist in Sydney’s Inner West, is passionate about empowering clients with knowledge on essential oils safety for themselves and their families whist promoting self-care and a low-tox lifestyle.
aromatherapywithsara.etsy.com
www.aromatherapywithsarah.com.au
Tell us about yourself
I am a busy mum with 2 school-aged girls, with one needing additional services for Asperger’s. We live in Birchgrove and have lived in Australia for coming up to 10 years, originally from the UK. I had a successful career in IT and when our nanny moved away I became a stay at home mum.
With the children getting a bit older and finding a love for essential oils I started thinking about creating a business, which fit around the children. My dream has always been to have flexibility in working hours and still be around for my girls. That’s where Aromatherapy with Sarah was borne.
On top of running my business, I work part-time at a heart-felt company that gives clients with special needs the choice to choose their own carers to look after them.
I live a low-tox lifestyle by removing harsh chemicals from my home and replacing with natural homemade products.
When my daughter was young she was diagnosed with Involuntary Breath Holding spells (faints involuntary), a condition which affects 1 in 20 Australian children. My husband and I volunteer our time supporting parents in Australia managing this difficult condition. For more information and support on Involuntary Breath Holding Spells head to our Facebook group www.facebook.com/groups/IBHSNaturalTherapiesAU
I found using essential oils in and around the home has been my saviour in helping me keep it all together.
Tell us about Aromatherapy with Sarah
Aromatherapy with Sarah offers private consultations to those seeking natural therapy for ailments, aromatherapy massage, and custom blend design.
With our private consultations we find most clients seek natural therapy for ailments such as sleep deprivation, nausea, colds and low moods. Aromatherapy is a holistic modality blending together plant extracts to harmonise your mind, body and soul. The products are designed with essential oil safety usage in mind and are pre-diluted with organic jojoba oil (great for the skin) to be used topically. You will leave with a custom blend, home-treatment plan and material on essential oil usage and safety. All custom blends are carefully handcrafted using 100% natural essential oils (organic where possible) sourced from a reputable practitioner-only supplier.
We can design and manufacture custom aromatherapy blends for your business. Choose to add your own logo and business name on the labels to make them unique to your brand.
This is an ideal service for:

Natural eco-friendly businesses
Subscription box companies
Yoga centres
Massage therapists
Natural therapy specialists (naturopath, nutritionist)
Luxury spas

Aromatherapy with Sarah also offers aromatherapy massages at the Balmain Wellness Centre Sydney, just next to Woolworths. You can bring the children and for a small fee our on-site nanny will take care of them while you get pampered.
What inspired you to build a business in aromatherapy?
I am not a fan of pharmaceutical drugs for common ailments. Absolutely they have a place in the world for serious illness, but I find it hard to swallow a pill for a headache. With having young girls, I started investigating alternative natural ways to support them when they had a cough, relaxing for bedtime, or a confidence boost for when they were worried.
Using essential oils to support my family naturally made so much sense to me. I started to make household cleaning products and body products (bath salts, body scrubs, face creams, room sprays) out of natural chemical free products. My girls love making the products too and the bonus is they enjoy helping clean the windows (200ml or water with 10 drops of Lemon essential oil in a spray bottle). No harsh chemicals used. Both my girls share my passion for low-tox living and regularly point out chemical laden products or the overuse of plastic bags.
This led me down the path of becoming a qualified aromatherapist to guide and promote safe ethical essential oil usage and I have spent the past 2 years studying aromatherapy, with 350 hours of supervised work placement. I wanted to learn everything I could about essential oils from the plant extracts to chemistry and including anatomy, physiology and pathology along with effective and safe use of them.
Why do you believe self-care is important?
As mums we are always juggling life, children, husbands, work, businesses, family and friends, we forget to stop and take care of ourselves on a regular basis. Taking regular time out has so many wonderful benefits; it puts us in a good mood and allows us to recharge and revitalise. Self-care can be in the form of gentle exercise, massage, healthy eating, coffee with friends, reading a book – any action that makes you happy. I have designed a self-care package with this in mind. An aromatherapy set designed to let the body and mind REST, SPARK the imagination and creative juices, bring LOVE to the heart, and NURTURE you to wellness. Take a step into self-care with my mini gift pack for a trial price of $10 plus shipping.
What benefits do regular massage and aromatherapy have on our senses and our mood?
Regular me-time is essential and an aromatherapy massage is a great way to get your regular dose of self-care to recharge those batteries.
Aromatherapy Massage can assist with:

Relaxation
Improve mood and emotions
Stimulate energy flow
Improve circulation
Improve skin conditions
Boosting wellness
Easing aches and pains

Massage works on both the physiological and psychological levels. By adding essential oils we uplift the mind and relax the whole body.
What can we expect from your massage service?
Entering my massage centre, you will be greeted by a serene and relaxing environment. Enjoy a full body massage, which includes a facial with therapeutic essential oils, to revitalise and rebalance the body, mind and soul. While getting pampered you can safely leave your babies with our on-site nanny for a small fee of $5 for the hour. We love babies and relaxing parents.
Your consultation includes:

Full health assessment
Aromatherapy blend that is designed and created for your massage
60 minute full body massage and facial
After-care treatment plan
Nanny service

The aromatherapy massage incorporates techniques such as lymphatic drainage, reflexology acupressure, politary therapy and Swedish massage. We discuss home-care treatment and I give you hints and tips on how to use essential oils in the home.
What can we expect from your private consultation service?
We meet one-on-one to discuss your health and wellness goals and develop a customised treatment plan to meet your needs. We discuss how to use essential oils for you and the family with a focus on safety (especially around children) and what’s right for you.

Full health assessment to identify and address all health and wellness concerns
1 hour consultation in person or via Skype
A treatment plan with specific instructions
Design and manufacture custom aromatherapy blend
30 minute follow up call to discuss progress
Refills on custom blends at a discounted rate

You blend your own oils – tell us about what types of oil blends we can purchase. What is your favourite and why?
All custom blends made by Aromatherapy with Sarah are carefully handcrafted using 100% natural essential oils (organic where possible) sourced from a reputable practitioner-only supplier.
Examples of custom blends I have created for clients were to help with seasickness, anxiety on the plane, pregnancy nausea, cravings, wellness boosting, spiritual awaken, digestion support to name a few.
All purchases come with a gift presentation box and a safety guide booklet on essential oils.
My favourite custom blend has been the ‘study’ aromatherapy blend I made for you, Sasha. I was so proud of you taking the leap into studying (while looking after 3 babies). The custom blend was to smell during study periods and then take to exams because smell can help with memory recall.
What advice do you have for mums wishing to start their own business?
Source a mentor in your industry, someone who can advise you and has been in the industry for a while; someone to be accountable to. A mentor will understand the pitfalls of your business specific to your industry.
I have learnt that I can’t do everything for my business (design website, accounting, product photography) especially with 2 girls, husband, part-time job and running the fun creative side of my business. The only way around it is to delegate the business elements, which are time consuming or where you don’t have the skills. Even though I have a background in IT, I still delegated my website design to a professional because they can do the job faster.
Support local business mums too because they are in the same boat looking to build a business around their children.
What is upcoming in your business that you can share with us?
My new website is close to being finalised that includes a shopping site to purchase my Self-Care Aromatherapy Blend gift pack and to book my services.
I have enrolled in Reiki Master Practitioner Certificate this year to add an additional service to Aromatherapy with Sarah. Reiki involves channelling energy to the client to bring a sense of wellbeing and Reiki goes hand in hand with essential oil healing properties.
I am running a spiritual essential oil workshop on the 8^th August in Summer Hill, focusing on aromatherapy blends for the soul. Event details will appear on the IWMs Facebook group and website so make sure you keep an eye out!
What are your dreams for the future?
My dream is to own a retirement home in Perth, WA. We lived in Perth and loved the relaxed atmosphere and wineries there.
I would love to complete a Bachelor of Health Science (Complementary Medicine) degree at university. This may take a bit of planning around the family because it is a huge commitment time wise – 8 years part-time or 4 years’ full time. I love studying and never want to stop learning.
Favourite spots in Sydney’s Inner West?
I seriously love drinking coffee and always on the lookout for cafes that source almond milk. My favourite’s are Contessa on Darling Street Balmain, and Ungaro Raw in Rozelle.
I adore eating healthy organic food that I source from About Life Rozelle. It’s also a great low-tox shop to find all your natural products.

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