Scent Style: Jessica Moler, Co-owner of Hand & Land

It would be very accurate to say that non-toxic living is important to Jessica Moler. As the co-owner of Kansas City’s Hand & Land, she and business partner Nicole Lobdell spend their days curating an enviable selection of all-natural products for beauty, body, and home care (there’s also a dreamy spa portion of the shop that this Vancouver-based writer really wishes she had access to).

From 100% pure vitruvi oils (hello!), to clean skincare brands like Josh Rosebrook and Indie Lee, to non-toxic cleaners from Common Good and Aunt Fannie’s, Hand & Land does the groundwork for its customers—which means all they have is the tough job of narrowing down what they want.

At home, Moler’s focus on the natural world is equally as prominent. Here’s how she scents her space.

Scent is so personal. What does it mean to you?

Scent for me has this beautiful way of evoking an emotional, physical, and spiritual experience through its ability to remind me of things I didn’t know I had forgotten. It’s a portal to the seen and unseen realms—to the past and future—and is a gift for the present moment. It can be intoxicating, erotic, and also offensive and malodorous. It’s an indicator of health or sickness. It’s a relationship between all there is as a form of self-expression by the natural world.

Describe your personality in three to five words.

Curious, spirited, venturesome.

With those words in mind, tell us about the diffuser cocktail that you’ve created to represent your scent style.

I was guided to use Grapefruit, Frankincense, and Grove. Grapefruit represents my curious nature, Frankincense is attributed to my spirited enthusiasm for life, and Grove mirrors my venturesome relationship with other beings, the plant kingdom, and Mother Earth herself.

Why did you choose each of these oils and how do they work together? What does the final aroma smell like or remind you of?

During the selection process, I asked my body to help me decide which oils to choose. I find that somatic guidance is always reliable and particularly helpful when selecting scents. The final aroma brings me back to my time spent in Mullumbimby, Australia in 2013. I immediately remembered eating loads of citrus fruits and enjoying the fresh air and lofting scents from the cedar and pine trees.

What room do you diffuse this scent in and when do you diffuse it?

I often diffuse this blend in our family room in the evenings while we cook dinner and listen to music. This is the most loved room in the house and acts as an in-between for the kitchen and back deck. I recently transitioned back to my childhood home and am now shacked up with my dad and his wife. It’s been an unexpected gift to have this opportunity to spend time together in this way.

Aside from scent, what else makes you feel truly at home in your space?

My pillow! I can sleep anywhere with it.

What’s your favourite thing about your home?

I love the memories and stories my home holds in its walls. It’s familiar and dependable for times such as these.