Ep. 45: Building a beauty brand that blends African roots with a quintessentially British vibe; Abi and Liha of LIHA Beauty

I first met Abi Oyepitan and Liha Okunniwa of LIHA Beauty around three years ago. At that time they’d been building their beauty business for almost three years and since then, I think I’d be correct in saying that their success has been that of a snowball effect. While Liha’s background is  arts and aromatherapy, Abi is a former Olympic athlete, and together they channel their strengths into creating an all natural brand that takes inspiration and ingredients from Nigeria.

I sat down with Abi and Liha at their new workshop in Witney, Oxfordshire to talk about their teen inspirations - Lauryn Hill gets mentioned a LOT - as well as the challenges they've faced building a brand from the ground up, with their own savings.

Products mentioned

Abi

Rose Oil: https://www.hollandandbarrett.com/shop/product/miaroma-rose-blended-essential-oil-60060154

LIHA Beauty Gold Shea Butter: https://lihabeauty.com/collections/product-page/products/copy-of-gold-shea-butter-120ml

LIHA Beauty Idan Oil: https://lihabeauty.com/collections/product-page/products/idan-oil-100ml

Big Hair Leave-In Conditioner: https://bighair.co.uk/products/milk-leave-in-conditioner

Boucleme Curl Conditioner: https://www.boucleme.co.uk/collections/all/products/curl-conditioner

Liha

LIHA Beauty Idan Oil: https://lihabeauty.com/collections/product-page/products/idan-oil-100ml

YouTube Frequencies

Jason Citrus Body Wash: https://www.hollandandbarrett.com/shop/product/jason-citrus-body-wash-revitalizing-60036978

Dermalogica Charcoal Rescue Masque: https://www.dermalogica.co.uk/charcoal-rescue-masque/223,en_GB,pd.html

Heritage Store Rosewater: https://amzn.to/2ZobToY

Aloe Vera Gel: https://amzn.to/35uj2YG

Weleda Wild Rose Smoothing Day Cream: https://amzn.to/32hQKi0

Avene Hydrance Light Hydrating Emulsion SPF30: https://amzn.to/2FnyBGP

Episode artwork: by me

I'd love to know what you think of this episode so feel free to say hi over @beautymepodcast! You'll also find full show notes over at charissekenion.co.