Your New Happy Place

Posted on Feb 3

Soaps to Skincare & Success every step of the way.

lahVdah Skincare + More is changing lives with their all natural, organic products. What started out as making homemade soaps and candles has now evolved into an ever-growing line of skincare products and more, with a mission dedicated to helping people. Many of lahVdah's customers travel from all over to visit the shop and to find their favorite all natural and safe products. From cleanser to moisturizer, lotion to bath bombs, makeup to lip balm, and so much more— lahVdah has been able to help so many people, especially those with allergies and sensitive skin, to feel beautiful with their products. The V in lahVdah stands for it's creator, Ventia Allen, who makes all the products by hand. She's always innovating new ideas and products to further help her customers.

Venita creates more than all natural products though— lahVdah has created an online community for people filled with love and support, as well as a fun and safe space in their shop on Main Street. Ventia likes to call her customers family and many call it their safe place, or as Venita says...

Our Happy Place.

"It's all about relationships and lifting people up," she says.

The LahVdah Story

From the beginning, Venita's creations have always been made with love and care. She started out primarily making soaps and candles over 16 years ago. She retired early from the Butler County Sheriff’s office to start taking care of her father in law, who had been diagnosed with cancer. It was around this time she began to trust in the healing powers of all natural oils, most importantly, argan oil.

Argan oil is typically the first ingredient in majority of lahVdah products, which Moroccan women have been using for thousands of years. Due to high levels of vitamin E and essential fatty acids, argan oil has extreme healing, hydrating and strengthening benefits for the skin which is why it's often referred to as The Tree of Life.

Many of Venita's customers come to her with acne issues, allergies, and even radiation burns. The healing powers of argan oil along with other natural ingredients in lahVdah products have helped numerous people. Customers with allergies often find they can use lahVdah products instead. Alongside beauty and bath products, Venita also makes a natural all-purpose cleaner and laundry detergent without any harsh chemicals.

When she was just starting out, Venita was selling her products on the weekends at Findlay Market and worked hard to build meaningful relationships with her customers. She called her business lahVdah Soaps + More because she was always adding new products and creating new recipes. As her skincare products continued to grow in popularity, the business evolved into lahVdah Skincare + More.

lahVdah officially rebranded in March of 2016 and had Venita decided to hold a grand re-opening, where over 500 people from all over the country showed up to purchase their favorite products.

Walking into the lahVdah shop today, you would be blown away by the positive energy, vibrant colors and bright smiles that greet you at the door. The atmosphere is relaxing and friendly, with charming decor surrounding the products. There's a bit of a whimsical atmosphere, with eleven chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.

"We couldn't decide which one we wanted, so we just got them all," Venita jokes.

Venita started calling LahVdah her happy place, and it quickly caught on with her customers and the local community. Venita's helpful skincare routines, and especially her moisturizer, are a life changer for her customers.

All Natural Products

The amount of natural, organic products throughout lahVdah is outstanding. What started out as artisanal soaps has grown into so much more. You can find mini bath bombs, shower "icing", bubble cakes, toilet fizzles, cleansers, candles, earrings, makeup and more throughout her shop.

"If I had to go to an island and could only take one thing, it would have to be my lip balm," Venita says. "Once you try my lip balm, you'll be a customer for life."

Lip balm was one of the first products Venita started making and now the lahVdah makeup and lip balm are extremely popular among customers. Due to the natural ingredients, many people with allergies or sensitive skin find that lahVdah makeup doesn't cause any reaction. "I love making makeup," Venita says. "I love making products for people that can't usually use that kind of product."

One of Venita's customers is a teen named Emmy who was diagnosed with celiac disease when she was young, so she would break out in allergic reactions to gluten and could never use perfumes, makeup, or any scented products... until she was introduced to lahVdah.

"I use a lot of the makeup, skincare, and everything really," Emmy says. "I live off the perfume roll-ons."

Over the last few months, Venita has seen a lot of customers who are just finding out they have an intolerance to gluten, which can make things difficult because so many beauty products on the market today contain gluten ingredients. lahVdah stands out among these brands to provide makeup, lotions, and skincare without any gluten or chemicals in their products.

"That's really what I live for. I am not here to just sell you a product for you to keep under your cabinet, that's not me," Venita says. "I'm here to build a relationship with my customers."

Building trust and relationships is a large part of why Venita makes and tests all of her own products. Each and every item from lahVdah is handmade. "I want the best for me and I want the best for my customers, so if it's not good enough I won't sell it," she says. "I am not always going to nail it the first time."

Venita constantly works to improve and perfect her products. It took her four years to create lahVdah's mascara, but now that and her eyelash serum are among some of her most popular makeup products.

The customer reviews speak for themselves. Venita does Facebook Live videos and flash sales to show off products, and the comments are always flooded with five star reviews. It's Venita's drive, passion and love for her customers and her products that stands out the most. She says it's her hands that are blessed with the talent to do what she loves.

Printed on one of the back walls of lahVdah has one of Venita's favorite quotes:

"When I stand before God at the end of my life,

I would hope I would not have a single bit of talent left,

and I could say I used everything You gave me," — Erma Bombeck

Along with her talented hands, Venita also has a talented and creative mind. She is always coming up with new ideas and that's really portrayed in every corner of lahVdah. The creativity in her products and product names make lahVdah such a fun place to be.

Make & Take, Parties & More

It only seemed natural that with the positive energy in lahVdah, it would be a great place for birthday parties, bachelorette parties, a girl's day, or really any occasion. Venita already has groups who come from all over to visit her shop, so it inspired her to create a Make & Take.

With a Make & Take party, guests can make their own products like candles or Venita's unique leather earrings. lahVdah sells a large variety of handmade leather earrings in all kinds of shapes, colors and designs but with the make & take, you can choose your style and pattern to create your own.