Hello there! I’m Arlene, a newly retired cosmetologist of 39 years. 39? Wow! That number seems so unreal to me - but, realistically, it is 3/4's of my life. I began my cosmetology career at the tender age of 17 and loved every minute (well, almost every minute) of it! I was hired right after graduation, as a shampoo girl, and worked my way onto the floor. I eventually became a manager of a salon, then opened my own, home based salon, when my oldest was a toddler. This allowed me to work around my children's activity schedules and be able to enjoy their special moments as they grew up. Fast forward a few decades and major life changes....
Like many, my passion for creating handmade self care products began as a hobby and eventually turned into a small American business. I always enjoyed research and was intrigued with the amazing benefits of essential oils & botanicals. The dabbling with formulation & mixology took a hold of me and the experimenting began. Over four years ago, a longtime friend asked me to sell my products at her family’s Farm Stand. She advised me on the specifics to do so and that I definitely needed a legit, doing business as name, to sell at their Farm Stand. Hmmm, I tossed around a few ideas for days. I wrote them down, spoke them out loud. Ehh, nothing felt, looked or sounded right…. I began reminiscing of growing up on our family owned and operated farm in NY state. Cedar Hill kept coming to mind. It was a rambling parcel of farm land with a hillside of Cedar trees. Where we, as children, happily spent countless hours exploring and playing imaginative games, once our chores were all done. The proverbial light bulb appeared above my head, Aha! Cedar Hill Botanicals - that was the perfect name!
Since that day, the time sure has flown by! As a business owner, formulator, designer, IT tech (ahem, that's a long reach) and customer service representative, I’m learning something new every day. I am blessed to wake up excited every morning for what the day has in hold for me! I never fathomed just how much I would love working in my studio, which is basically the entire basement of our house, much to my husband's dismay.
Listen to your intuition and strive to fulfill your dreams because all things are possible.
Feel free to reach out to me if you have a custom order you would like to discuss. If I have the ingredients for your custom order and can create a formulation, I will make it for you!
Best regards, Arlene
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