It's a buzz-term that's just about everywhere on the internet: clean beauty and clean makeup.
But for mother Karla Lockett and daughter Mesha Lockett, clean beauty is more than just an internet sensation. It's been their calling for the past ten years.
It started out as a personal solution to a wide problem.
"At that time, they really weren't making products for our hair type off of the shelf, so that, that's what really made us, you know, just dive in and start doing a lot of researching," Karla said.
As the mom and daughter duo began researching how to make their own hair products at home, they started learning about the ingredients many beauty companies use. Ingredients that they decided to ditch for good.
"We do use natural, organic, and clean ingredients. So they're free of parabens and phthalates," Karla said. "We feel that our, you know, the skin is the largest organ, we really wanna make sure we're taking care of it and we know what it is we're putting on our bodies."
After family and friends tried their products, Mesha and Karla were encouraged to sell to the public. While both worked full-time in I.T., they made time to sell at farmers' markets. And that's when the name Love Lurra, which means "love the earth" was born.
Those farmers' market beginnings lead them to sell at the biggest outdoor market in Tacoma. And as their business grew, so did the community's need for access to clean beauty.
In 2019, both ladies decided to step back from their full-time jobs and focus completely on their small business instead. Thanks to a lot of patience and determination, in 2022 their first store opened in Auburn's Outlet Collection Mall.
Inside the charming decorated walls, you'll find everything from candles scented with essential oils, to lavender geode bath bombs. All made with natural ingredients, and all encouraging self-care that's kind to the skin and body.
On top of largely plastic-free packaging, a refill station was also recently added. Hoping to encourage reusing, customers can get more of their favorite liquid products without creating more waste.
Of all the products Mesha and Karla sell, there are a few they're most proud of — their eczema salve, body wash, scalp ease, and soothing spray. Every purchase hits close to home because each of those products helped alleviate their own eczema symptoms. And they're not the only ones singing its praises.
"We had a young lady who was suffering from eczema really bad in her hands. She said she would wake up throughout the night and emerge her hands in water just to try to cool it off and give it some ease," Karla said. "As she started using our products, one day she came in, I wanna say it's probably a month, a month and a half later, she's like, 'Look what I could do! Oh my gosh, I never could do this! I can open and close my hands.'"
Love Lurra is a store that does more than just offer solutions for cleaner products. It's a place you can come to learn exactly what goes into everything you put on your skin.
"It's not that we have to do this," Karla said. "It's about what we really desire to do, how we feel like we can contribute to society."
And contribute they do — one bath bomb, one candle, and one solution at a time.
You can find Love Lurra at the Point Ruston Public Market, and their store is located at 1101 Outlet Collection Way. You can also find many of their store products online on their website.
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