Organic and plant-based products are finding its way into hair salons, writes Aznim Ruhana Md Yusup.
In North America, the practice of burning dried sage and other herbs is common in the traditions of Native Americans, who do it as part of their spiritual practice. They believe that smoke can clear a room or place of bad energy.
This practice has been adopted by the hippie and New Age communities too for the same purpose.
While you can’t scientifically measure this “bad energy” and how it is impacted by sage smoke, the herb has been proven to contain antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal and antioxidant properties. These properties make it a popular and effective ingredient in skin and hair care products.
Organic Way from Italy, or Oway, uses sage in its treatment to a battle greasy and oily scalp.
“For salon treatments, the sage comes in powdered form and we mix it with Amazonian white clay,” says Eno Yahaya, senior hairstylist at Karva Salon for Ladies by Nora Danish. “We mix it fresh for each customer, and it’s very good for controlling oil production.”
Karva has been carrying the Oway brand since it opened in April and this is based on the recommendation of the original Karva salon owners in Singapore. Oway uses plant-based ingredients grown in biodynamic conditions, which is an agricultural practice similar to organic farming but with added esoteric factors.
Aside from sage, Oway also uses thyme for dandruff treatment and the flower helichrysum to treat sensitive scalp. “Oway treatments focus on scalp care. It’s like growing a plant, you need to take care of the roots to grow a healthy plant; it’s same with hair,” says Eno.
SAGE ADVICE
As the sage and clay paste is worked onto my scalp, the herby scent gives off a relaxing feeling. It gets more relaxing as my stylist proceeds to give me a head and shoulder massage. The paste is then washed off twice with a sebum balancing shampoo from the same line before a cream mask is applied and my head gets placed under a hair steamer for 15 minutes.
According to its website, Oway grows a number of plants for its products at its farm Ortofficina near Bologna in Italy. It covers 50,000 square meters, with thyme, sage, lavender and rosemary farmed in the biodynamic method.
“The deep bond with nature and the complete respect of its rhythms lead us to put an end to the use of synthetic mineral fertilisers and chemical pesticides and to manage the land following the cosmic and lunar cycles, based on an astronomical calendar,” it explains.
The company then makes essential oils from these herbs on site. Other ingredients are purchased elsewhere from certified growers, such as citruses from southern Italy. It doesn’t do any animal testing, and the packaging is recyclable.
The result from my sebum balancing treatment is clean, fresh scented scalp and hair that is light and bouncy. Actress and salon owner Nora Danish says she had the same pleasant outcome when she tried it for the first time.
“As a celebrity, I do a lot of things to my hair and it gets damaged that way. I’ve done a lot of treatments but after the first time with Oway I was in love. My hair used to be thinner and I’d wear hair extensions but it’s thicker now because I have a healthier scalp.”
Meanwhile, Nora’s priority for the salon is to offer safe and halal products, from the hair colour to the nail polish. While she did not set out specifically for a botanical or organic hair range (she also offers conventional brands), Oway works well with her original plan.
“We believe that using healthier, more natural ingredients that are rich in active ingredients and without chemicals are good for our customers and staff. There are also rising number of guests that wear hijab who are concerned about hair loss and other conditions, which Oway can help naturally,” she says.
WIND-POWERED BEAUTY
Meanwhile, Gracesalon in Bangsar made the conscious decision to carry the Aveda range since the middle of last year. Aveda, based in Minneapolis USA, is well-established for its natural and organic products for skin and hair, and has been in the market for 40 years.
According to its website, Aveda is founded by Austrian-American hairstylist Horst Rechelbacher. He’d been working for some time as a successful salon entrepreneur, but suffered a career burnout and decided to go on a spiritual retreat to India in 1970.
It was here that Rechelbacher became inspired to create Aveda using ayurvedic principles. He developed his first clove shampoo in a kitchen in Minneapolis with ayurveda doctors Vinod and Kusum Upadhyay.
While Rechelbacher passed away in 2014, the duo are still involved with the company. It also maintains its ayurvedic roots in India through a partnership with a local firm called Nisarga to grow produce like turmeric and amla (Indian gooseberry) for some of its products.
“Aveda sources ingredients with organic certification from all over the world,” says Aveda technical educator Eddy Chan. “But the products are all made at its plant in Minneapolis which is wind-powered, and it doesn’t do any animal testing.”
That said, Aveda doesn’t claim to be an organic brand because its products still require some form of preservatives or chemicals to extend its shelf life or ensure efficacy. But Chan assures that more than 90 percent of any Aveda product is still naturally-derived.
ENVIRONMENTALLY-FRIENDLY COLOURS
“The difference between Aveda hair colour and conventional ones are the ingredients,” explains says salon owner Grace Leong. “Conventional hair colour is chemical-based while some brands add natural oils to give more conditioning to the hair. But Aveda is the other way around.”
Having been in the salon industry for decades, Leong admits that she never used to think much about the hair products that she uses daily. Products were picked for its efficacy, client preference or current trends. But it’s different nowadays.
“As the world evolves, clients more knowledgeable and health conscious as to what they use and consume, and how it affects the environment.
“Previously, I was not aware how our products can be a danger as they went down the drain into the sewage system. But all this has an effect on the environment and subsequently, our health. With more information on the issue, I realised that I needed to make a switch.”
Leong is realistic in understanding that an individual can’t completely avoid actions that have some sort of damaging impact on the planet. But she believes that using environmentally-friendly products will at least minimise the impact, so our children and future grandchildren can have a chance at a better future.
“We still use other brands at the salon,” says Leong. “It might be okay for me to make the change but others might have a certain preference after years of use, or they’re not convinced with the information given. We will slowly educate them to change.”