When it comes to Natulique, it’s more than a brand. It’s a philosophy, family and community – so says Aussie hair hero Bryan Thomson-Dipalma, whose relationship with the brand suits a lifestyle, locale and mentality dedicated to wellness.
Bryan Thomson-Dipalma is one of Australia’s most celebrated hair and colour returned exports, as a Hair Expo Colourist of the Year, international TV, film and fashion hairdresser and salon owner. In 2019, he, his husband and his son have left the bustling streets of New York to live in sunny Tasmania, with an enshrined philosophy built on natural health and wellness that is a major facet of his working life and partnership with Natulique.
Bryan’s career in hair began in Brisbane and quickly moved to Sydney, where his apprenticeship eventually led to salon ownership and work in the glamourous backstage settings of major entertainment productions, first in Sydney, then in New York. Throughout this journey, Bryan’s talent and many international connections and collaborations catapulted his career, but his core ethos and values geared towards health and wellness remained omnipresent.
“ I was involved in my own personal wellness, I used more natural products in my life with organic food and practiced meditation so I ended up learning more about herbalism, I did a clinical training program in the US, and that made me always curious about including that part of my life in my professional life,” he said. “There weren’t really a lot of products at that time that were focusing on improving in that area, especially hair colour products, that would deliver the results that clients and hairdressers were looking for.”
These values led him to two important discoveries that would change his personal and professional life. First, a visit to see a family member in Tasmania altered his path irrevocably, sparking a move from frenetic New York to the calm shores of Tasmania, defined by its greenery, fresh air and community spirit.
“My husband, son and I thought it was so beautiful, we loved the people we met, and the fact that there was really great organic food everywhere,” he said. “It just seemed to be a natural next step for us in our lives so we packed up and moved back to Australia.”
“It’s been an incredible experience for us to move here because while it was a huge undertaking it was kind of like Tasmania opened up its arms and welcomed us and we’ve had an incredibly easy landing here,” he continued. “There are a lot of people from all over the world living here for the same reasons we’re living here – clean air, clean water – so I find using a product that has that philosophy in the creation of the product is a perfect marriage.”
Now that Bryan’s life could be entirely dedicated to his passion for wellness, his need for hair products that suited this mindset in both his own salon and his creative work equally required this natural stance. A former apprentice, whose passion for the environment he had inspired himself, introduced him to the brand, lauding the products for their capacity to cater to and satisfy clients and hairdressers in a natural way.
“I’ve been working with Natulique because they really fulfill the criteria of the products I’m looking to work with in my life,” Bryan confirmed. “It’s much healthier for me as a hairdresser to not have the exposure to chemicals. It’s a significant difference when you’ve worked in an environment with using a product like Natulique because there is no odor, people always comment on the lack of chemical smell because it doesn’t have the traditional ingredients that most hair salons use.”
Bryan heralds Natulique for its high production standards, family values and desire to create a real community of likeminded people, connected by more than hair, that he has found right in Tasmania.
“I have been working with thebrand and they have a very interesting philosophy that they’re a family, the founders of the company are husband and wife so it is a real family,” he said. “I have found the family philosophy to be very true here because I have met with other hairdressers since I’ve been here who are using the product, they’re small salon owners or individuals. Everyone gets together and exchanges ideas about health and wellness.”
Bryan continues to use the product in his ever-growing creative work and salon services, with a particular penchant for the brand’s sun and heat protector products – a particular necessity in Tasmania – as well as the Moroccan Argan Oil for finishing hair, with a handy dose of Vitamin E. The Colour Shield shampoo also proves important in maintaining and caring for colour within the elements. He continues work on TV sets and for local music artists, joining Tasmania’s thriving creative hub as another talented cog in the artistic bubble. Beyond this product use, he can provide a mentorship role to younger hairdressers, passionate about the environment and following in Bryan’s footsteps to treat it with kindness.
“A lot of young people seem to really be embracing a change towards healthier products, people are becoming vegan and becoming conscious of how products are sourced and if products are sustainable,” he said. “The ground swell is coming from millennials. I’m always excited with what’s coming and what’s happening in general in the world of ideas and I think that it’s a really exciting time for that. I see our role as hairdressers as influencers, we’ve always been influencers because we have intimate relationships with clients, there’s a lot of discussion about clients coming in and looking for alternatives so we naturally educate people about products.”
“The industry is really changing,” he concluded. “It’s not so much about trends in fashion, it’s about wellness and work life balance, they’re very popular topics for people.”
With the skills, experience, products and true passion backing his significant role in the worlds of hair, health and wellness, Bryan continues to be a thinker and an innovator to embolden the movement.
For more information visit www.natulique.com.au
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