Community Highlights: Meet Ila Moua of Eyelah

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ila Moua.

Hi Ila, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
It was the winter of 2020, and I was going to experience a lot of different mental health struggles. From bad relationships to losing my job due to COVID, it was a tough time for me, and I was having a difficult time processing. My younger sister gifted me a beginner candle-making kit from Amazon for Christmas, and that’s where my business started.

I have always been a big fan of scents and aromatherapy, whether it be a smell that transports you to an old memory or a scent that helps you settle in and relax. I knew I wanted to create a business that could offer both while also supporting a non-profit that helps provide people with low-cost and probono mental health therapy sessions.

I spent about a year perfecting my craft, testing out different scents, jars, candle wicks and am finally at a place where I feel very confident with my products.

I also came across a mental health nonprofit called Entwine Community. They are local to SoCal and provide low-cost and probono mental health services to the AAPI and multicultural community in California. I love what they do and love the fact that they want to be able to provide affordable services to those who are underrepresented especially in the mental health therapy world.

Being born Asian American myself, I’ve found it harder to connect with mental health therapists when they did not have similar upbringing that I do. Being able to feel heard, seen and connected to a therapist is important!

With Entwine, I am donating 5% of all proceeds back to their fund to help provide probono services to those in need.

Candle making has been very therapeutic for me as well, and seeing how so many people love different scents and what these scents can do for them makes what I do feel so satisfying for me.

I’m currently finishing up my senior year at UCR as a Sociology Student and plan on continuing my education after becoming a Licensed Marriage Family therapist.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been easy!

The candle market is very saturated and there are so many other great small candle businesses out there.

I think the difficult part is seeing Bath and Body Works or Target sell candles at such lower price points and meeting some customers at the market tell you they’d rather buy candles from there.

WHICH, there is nothing wrong with that, I’m all for people making purchases within their means, but I think educating customers on candles has also been a struggle.

There are many small business owners who have taken the time to educate themselves on ingredients that are more eco-friendly versus the candles you buy from Target or BBW. The brands at these major corporations do less testing on their candles and that’s why you see them have these candle recalls due to improper testing and using cheaper quality waxes, essential oils and fragrance oils.

As you know, we’re big fans of Eyelah. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Candles and fragrances can help us unwind, relax, and take us back to nostalgic places.

We are committed to the wellness of our community by spreading the importance of mental health and bringing awareness one candle at a time.

Our candles are small batched and hand-poured just for you. We use USA-grown soy wax and a coconut soy wax blend utilizes only FDA-approved waxes. All of our fragrances are non-toxic and phthalate-free.

We use Eco-friendly, clean-burning, wooden wicks made from FSC Certified Wood, hand-crafted and made in the USA. We also use 100% cotton wicks which are free from lead and zinc.

Here at Eyelah, we value mental health. With every candle you purchase 5% of the proceeds will be donated to Entwine Community a 501c3 non-profit community organization. With a passion to bridge the mental health and support services gap for Asian, Asian American, and multicultural communities in the greater Los Angeles area and beyond.

The mission of Entwine Community is to train our next generation of Asian, Asian American, and multicultural mental health students & professionals, social workers, case managers, and advocates to provide culturally sensitive services to the Asian & Asian American multicultural communities who lack access to mental health and other social service & support services.

Learn more about Entwine Community on their website at entwinecommunity.org

Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
What makes me happy,

One thing that makes me happy is seeing people explore their life in all forms. I’ve spent a lot of my life exploring my “whys” and feeling closer to myself and have felt more content and happy. This makes me happy because I know how dark and sad it is to feel stuck or live in the unknown.

So, seeing others want to make a better life for themselves makes me happy. It gives me hope that this world is still a great place of healing.

Pricing:

• $28 – for 7 oz candles = 45 hours burn time
• $75- for 20oz candles = 100+ hours of burn time

Contact Info:

• Website: eyelah.co
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eyelah.co/

Image Credits
Personal photo take by @crystalkeocreative