Our Story

Traci Dalrymple, Founder of Kokokahn Essential Oils

What is aromatherapy and the “art” of essential oils and why did I decide to make it a thriving business for myself and my family?

Living in Japan 18 years ago, I was introduced to aromatherapy and essential oils from an Australian friend. Her stories of “natural healing”, not only intrigued me, but sparked something that resonated deeply within me and I fell in love with essential oils almost immediately. The idea of naturally benefiting my mind and body through the use of something growing naturally out of the Earth always felt right to me. So, I started slowly incorporating essential oils into my everyday life when routine health challenges started to appear. I tried eucalyptus for colds, tagetes for my feet after ballet class and lavender for stress… and surprise surprise, I was actually seeing positive results.

One of my biggest challenges living in Japan was finding skin care products that worked for me. I tried several different Japanese skin care products and my skin kept feeling dry. Then it dawned on me, Japanese people tend to have oily skin and I have dry skin, no wonder I couldn’t find any skin care products to work for me. After this aha! moment, I thought, why not make my own! I still have my original journals detailing the recipes and formulations that I tested and learned about through trial and error. My skin felt amazing when I created different recipes incorporating essential oils, carrier oils and other base ingredients… it was magical! I was surprised and delighted over and over at how well the essential oils worked for my everyday health issues. From stress and achy feet to skin care I had a treasure trove of essential oils to help me feel better physically and emotionally. And the best part about it? It all came from plants and nature!

I spent the next 5 years learning anything and everything that I could get my hands on regarding essential oils and making products for myself, but, it was also becoming painfully obvious that it was time for me to leave Japan and head back home. On my journey back, I took a (rather life-changing) detour and stopped off in Bali. I spent one month traveling around the island and learning about their aromatherapy industry.

While I was there, a local Bali word, Kokokahn (actually spelled, kokokan), resonated with me deeply. It is the Balinese word for “white heron”, which are considered sacred and eternal in Balinese culture. These graceful birds are revered as spirits that flock to the trees in Petulu every night around 6pm. It was a fitting name for my beautiful new venture and Kokokahn was born! Well, almost. I still had some learning to do before officially launching my business.

When I returned to the United States in 2005, I was beyond excited to start my new business formally, but realized that I needed to brush up on industry knowledge, as well as learn about the science and chemistry of essential oils. So, I spent 4 years working in Spa Management for different companies, which allowed me to really dig deep into how to put together spa menus, aromatherapy products and different treatment protocols. It was a “Master’s Degree”, of sorts, in Aromatherapy and the “Business of Health and Beauty”.

During this time, I also earned my formal Aromatherapy Certification gaining the chemistry knowledge I so craved. It was only at this point that I finally felt ready to start sharing my knowledge and experience of essential oils and aromatherapy products with other people who were in search of natural alternatives to support their body, mind and spirit. And the rest is history, as they say…

Important to Note: ALL of the products that I formulate for Kokokahn are made with unrefined, organic ingredients and pure essential oils GC/MS tested to ensure therapeutic quality and purity. No parabens, dyes, sulfates or phthalates are ever used in our products! Just pure, simple NATURE supporting you and me in our daily lives.

Enjoy and Namaste……Traci Dalrymple, Founder