As the global trend of health and wellness grows, the hair and beauty industry has been making moves toward covering their shelves in naturally derived products. Salons and beauty brands have been stocking up on the latest in local and cruelty-free brands, with one Melbourne-based hairdresser pushing the limits and encouraging the rest of the industry to do the same. Salon owner Jorge Viota has not only adopted the holistic approach in his salon, Jorge Viota Hairdressing, but takes his practices around the world as an educator for the fast-growing all-natural salon brand, Natulique. For Jorge, it’s not a trend, it’s a lifestyle, writes McKenna Uhde.
Jorge’s passion for this initiative has taken him global, preaching his natural approach to hairdressing in the biggest cities around the world. His salon shelves host endless Natulique products ranging from colour to treatment, all of which are chemical and cruelty-free.
“I made the switch to Natulique when I was looking for an alternative that was going to give me a healthy environment for my staff and was also going to attract clients that not only care about their looks but care about their health,” Jorge said.
Natulique is part of a growing culture of natural led hair products that prioritise health and the environment without losing quality. The brands’ products, though chemical-free, still provide straightening treatments and beloved bright hues, without harming the hairdresser, clients or earth. Natulique’s Perming and Smoothing System offers clients a safe alternative when adjusting their hair’s natural texture.
“Natulique has a product we use for perming and smoothing and obviously it doesn’t have the nasty chemicals that other smoothing systems may have. It all comes down to the same thing; I don’t want to be providing services that are making my staff or my clients sick,” he said. “We’re not going to force clients to choose between natural and quality. We still want bright pinks, yellows, oranges and blues – we just want to do it in a healthy way.”
Keeping the quality of salon products while exempting the harmful additives is an immense challenge that has only allowed the option to clients in the last few years. The popularity of ‘health from within’ has boosted fresh juice bars, cafés and markets in all major and minor cities, thus it is only fitting that beauty make the next major move to natural ingredients as well.
On this culture shift Jorge said, “I don’t follow trends. I just want to better my life, and if I better my life then the lives of people around me will be better as well.”
“The reality in fashion is that clients no longer want to look good at any cost. Now they want to take care of themselves. It’s not only about looking good but feeling good as well. Healthy drinks, detoxes, and skincare; those things are very in at the moment because that natural healthy glow is the epitome of beauty. A lot of my clients have always been health conscious so it is just an extensions of that knowledge and interest to have a hair product that is not harming to them.”
Jorge has even gone to far as to make his workplace an entirely natural environment. From cleaning products to coffees and organic teas, Jorge Viota Hairdressing is an entirely natural atmosphere, perfect for creating a relaxing and holistic experience for its clients.
Jorge will continue to take his practices around the world as the Natulique educator for Australia, U.S., and Canada. This year he will offer workshops in Paris and Florence with his most recent education sessions hosted in Sydney.
“Natulique is growing very fast and they want to educate hairdressers to understand the ethos of the company. In the workshops I will explain everything the company is about and how the products work. I have these products in the salon right now and use them on our clients every day, so I will be sharing my personal experience with the products while helping hairdressers understand how to move from the traditional products to the Natulique range.”
For more information visit www.natulique.com.au
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