We were lucky to catch up with Ashley & Anaiah Alcorn recently and have shared our conversation below.

Ashley & Anaiah, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

PureAah started in the most organic way possible. My daughter Anaiah and I began making bath and body products as Christmas gifts for friends and family who struggled with allergies, sensitivities, and reactions to many conventional products. I wanted to create simple, nourishing products with ingredients we felt good about using on our own skin.

What began as a heartfelt hobby quickly grew into something more. We started selling at local markets, and the response was incredible. Customers connected with our commitment to cleaner ingredients, thoughtful formulations, and products that were both effective and luxurious.

When Anaiah was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, our priorities shifted. Homeschooling her and managing her health gave us a new perspective on what mattered most, and PureAah became an opportunity to build something meaningful while creating flexibility for our family.

The first year of business was especially challenging. Just 10 months after Anaiah’s diagnosis, we lost her dad in a car accident. It was an incredibly difficult season for our family, and PureAah became more than a business—it became a source of healing, purpose, and stability during one of the hardest times in our lives.

What started as a side hobby eventually grew into our full-time business. Over the years, PureAah has continued to evolve based on both our own desire for cleaner products and the needs of our customers. Some of our best-selling products were created because someone asked for a natural solution for sensitive skin, muscle soreness, dry skin, or everyday self-care.

What excites me most is knowing that every product we make serves a purpose. PureAah is more than a business; it’s a way for us to share products made with intention, heart, and ingredients we truly believe in with families who are looking for the same thing.

Ashley & Anaiah, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Hi, I’m Ashley, the owner and maker behind PureAah. I’m a mom of two, homeschool teacher, gardener, foodie, and self-proclaimed crazy chicken lady. PureAah is truly a family business—my daughter Anaiah and I handcraft each product together in small batches from our home in Texas.

Our journey began when we started making natural bath and body products as Christmas gifts for friends and family who struggled with allergies and sensitivities. I wanted to create products with simple, nourishing ingredients that I felt confident using on my own family. What started as a thoughtful hobby quickly turned into something much bigger as we began selling at local markets and realized how many people were looking for cleaner, more intentional alternatives to conventional products.

When Anaiah was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, our world changed. Managing her health while homeschooling her gave us a new perspective on what mattered most and inspired us to build a business that offered both flexibility and purpose. The first year of business was especially difficult, as we also lost her dad in a car accident just 10 months after her diagnosis. During that incredibly hard season, PureAah became more than a business—it became a source of healing, stability, and hope for our family.

Today, PureAah offers handcrafted soaps, body butters, sugar scrubs, facial care, hair care, natural bug repellent, and a growing line of home essentials, including our very popular natural toilet bombs and natural laundry detergent. We create essential oil-only soaps and body care, as well as products scented with carefully selected fragrance oils when appropriate. All of our products are nut-free and gluten-free, making them a thoughtful option for customers with ingredient sensitivities. Many of our products are inspired by our Texas roots, featuring scents like Bluebonnet, Texas Mountain Laurel, Poteet Strawberries, and Fredericksburg Peach.

Our formulations are built around ingredients chosen for both performance and skin benefits. We use grass-fed tallow, goat milk, shea butter, cocoa butter, coconut milk, aloe vera, castor oil, olive oil, and avocado oil to create products that nourish and support healthy skin. We also offer plant-based options so customers can choose products that best fit their preferences. Many of our products are naturally colored with plant powders and clays, which not only create beautiful hues but also provide additional skin-loving benefits.

We don’t make products just to smell good—we formulate with intention. Many of our best-selling items were created to solve specific concerns, such as Arnica Magnesium Body Butter for sore muscles, Sinus & Headache Shower Steamers, gentle facial care for sensitive skin, natural bug repellent for outdoor adventures, and home products that help families reduce unnecessary chemicals in their everyday routines.

What sets PureAah apart is the heart behind every product. Many of our most-loved items were developed in response to customer feedback, allowing us to create solutions for real needs while keeping ingredients as clean and skin-loving as possible.

What I’m most proud of is the story behind PureAah. What began as homemade gifts has grown into a full-time family business built through perseverance, faith, and a desire to help others care for themselves and their homes with confidence.

More than anything, I want people to know that PureAah products are made with intention and love. Every soap, scrub, serum, body butter, and household product is handcrafted with the same care I use when making products for my own family, and it means so much to be able to share them with you.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I believe the biggest factors in building PureAah’s reputation have been consistency, transparency, and genuinely listening to our customers.

From the beginning, I’ve been committed to creating products with ingredients I trust and use on my own family. Customers know that every item is handcrafted in small batches with intention, and that I’m thoughtful about every ingredient that goes into our products. Being transparent about what we use, why we use it, and the benefits each ingredient offers has helped build a strong level of trust.

Another major factor has been taking the time to listen. Many of our best-selling products were developed because customers shared a specific need—whether it was a natural bug repellent, a body butter for sore muscles, a gentle facial product for sensitive skin, or a natural alternative for their home. When people see that their feedback is valued and turned into products that truly work, it creates loyal, long-term relationships.

Showing up consistently at local markets has also played a huge role. Meeting customers face-to-face, letting them smell and try products, and having genuine conversations has allowed us to build a personal connection that goes beyond a transaction. People aren’t just buying a product—they’re supporting a family business and getting to know the story and heart behind it.

I also think our reputation has grown because our products are both beautiful and functional. We put a lot of care into creating items that feel luxurious, but more importantly, that solve real problems and deliver noticeable results.

Most importantly, I treat every customer the way I would want to be treated—with honesty, kindness, and a commitment to quality. Word-of-mouth referrals and repeat customers have been the greatest compliment and the strongest indicator that we’re doing something meaningful.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

One of the biggest pivots in my life and business definitely came when my daughter, Anaiah, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Overnight, our priorities shifted. At the time, her father and I were working a traditional 9-to-5 job, and Anaiah was attending private school. When it became clear that there wasn’t a nurse available to manage her medical needs during the school day, we made the decision to begin homeschooling so I could care for her full-time.

Just ten months after her diagnosis, we experienced another devastating loss when her dad was killed in a car accident. That season was incredibly difficult, and I had to rethink nearly every aspect of our lives.

A year later, COVID-19 hit, and everything shifted again. Markets closed, in-person events were canceled, and the small but growing outlets I had begun to rely on for PureAah suddenly disappeared overnight. What made that time even more unexpected is that in January of that same year, we had actually gone viral on our Etsy page with a shark bath bomb, which brought a huge wave of momentum and excitement for our small business. When covid hit in March online sales slowed down heavily for awhile.

What felt like progress came to a standstill, and I had to quickly adapt in order to keep things going. I leaned heavily into connecting through social media, popping up in our driveway and finding new ways to reach customers directly—often learning as I went.

Looking back, that season taught me that resilience isn’t just about pushing through hard times—it’s about being willing to pivot when everything changes.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.pureaah.me
• Instagram: @pureaah_ashley
• Facebook: @pureaah