Heather Sielaff
Heather Sielaff grew up in the rolling hills of North Carolina, a blend of British, Irish and German heritage that gave her a keen sense of place and memory. After years of experimenting with kitchen spices and garden herbs, she taught herself the chemistry of scent, turning a modest home lab into a workshop of discovery. In 2009 she launched OLO Fragrance in Portland, Oregon, a storefront where each bottle still receives a hand‑blended touch. Over the past decade she has turned a quiet studio into a gathering spot for collectors who return for the honesty of her compositions. Her career is marked by steady growth, word‑of‑mouth acclaim, and a reputation for creating scents that feel both familiar and surprising.
The hits
Notable creations
The signature
How Heather composes
Her signature technique centers on hand‑blending, a ritual that lets her adjust ratios in real time. Heather favors a core of essential oils—lavender, bergamot, clove—paired with absolutes like jasmine or rose, then adds a whisper of synthetics to sharpen focus. Coconut oil provides a creamy base that lets volatile notes linger longer. She often builds around a single accent, such as lemon verbena or eugenol, allowing it to define the scent while supporting layers remain subtle. The result feels intimate, like a private memory shared through aroma.
Philosophy
What drives Heather
Heather believes that fragrance should echo the textures of everyday life without pretension. She approaches each formula as a conversation between natural extracts and a handful of carefully chosen synthetics, letting the ingredients speak rather than dominate. Sustainability guides her choices; she favors coconut oil as a carrier, sources essential oils responsibly, and refuses animal testing. The drive behind her work is simple: to capture a moment—a sun‑warmed porch, a rain‑kissed garden—and bottle it so anyone can experience that feeling on their skin.
The houses