• We use Eco-Action, a recycle service, that takes care of our colour tubes, hair foils, light bulbs, paper, plastic, tin, metals, electronics, batteries, and more! They also help us to safely dispose of chemical waste so that it doesn’t go down the drain.

• We carry the most natural, safest, non toxic hair care products from sustainable, environmentally-conscious companies.

• We kept the space as natural as possible to avoid using more materials (natural concrete floor, fewer walls and open ceiling).

• We have ammonia free hair colour, including the most non-toxic permanent hair colour line we could find worldwide: Organic Colour Systems, which is ammonia free, PPD-reduced, vegetable based, recorcinol free and is 98.68% natural.

• We use energy-efficient lighting and lighting systems.

• We use energy-efficient, Energy-Star rated washer and dryer.

• We use biodegradable, non toxic, natural cleaning products to keep our salon environment clean and white.

• Much of our furnishings and/or materials–styling chairs, mirrors, filing cabinets, counters– have been bought second hand and refurbished whenever possible.

• Our walls are painted with low VOC paint.

With all the information available now and with our increasing awareness of the dangers of some of the products we use, many are searching for healthier options in their choice of cosmetics and hair color. Because of this, many companies have started changing their formulations to include more natural ingredients. Some have truly made improvements to the safety of their products and some have merely masked the dangers by adding in some natural ingredients but not removing the toxic ones. This way they can make claims of being “natural“ although they are just as harmful. The movement to more natural products has also sparked a growth in new start-up companies who tout themselves as having more natural, organic products. This is definitely great progress as it gives consumers better options. There are definitely safer products out there, but we do need to have the right information to ensure that we’re getting what is advertised. Because of the lack of regulation, knowledge is key for the consumer. We need to look for companies that believe in full disclosure and happily display their complete ingredient lists.

Most of us take for granted that the popular cosmetics, soaps, lotions, hair color and hair care products that we buy and use from our local salons, drug and department stores are safe. Why, as consumers, would we be able to buy and use a product on our skin, lips, eyes and hair every day if they were harmful?

In fact, 89 percent of all ingredients in cosmetics have not been evaluated for safety by any publicly accountable institution. Over 90% of all ingredients in commercially available cosmetics are of synthetic origin. Many of these are directly linked to serious health risks like cancer, infertility, kidney and liver disease and severe skin issues. Of the 20,000 different off-the-shelf cosmetic products that are for sale in the US and Canada, over 80 percent of the products surveyed contained one or more ingredients that have caused documented adverse reactions in humans and animals. The FDA has banned or restricted only 9 ingredients in personal care products in its entire 67 year history (FDA 2000). On September 6, 1997 the Boston Globe reported that “The General Accounting Office, the investigative branch of Congress, has identified more than 125 cosmetic ingredients suspected of causing cancer- and others that may cause birth defects.”! Many of the harmful chemicals still used abundantly in cosmetics in North America have been long banned in the rest of the world’s countries. The typical adult uses nine cosmetics/ personal-care products a day with an average daily load of around 126 chemicals. Most of these chemicals are absorbed into your body through your skin. Others, found in lipstick and lip balm, you actually eat as they come off your lips when eating, drinking or wetting your lips.