We all want to take care of ourselves. A good haircut leaves you feeling light and refreshed, and what elevates that further is a haircut that leaves you healthier.
Over sixteen years ago, hairdresser Indre Holliday was working at a packed salon in Boston, the kind where a dozen stylists worked side-by-side every day. Everything from hair spray to ammonia mingled in the air on a daily basis, and after a time, Indre started noticing frequent dizzy spells and trouble breathing. She wondered if the chemicals in the air were to blame. So she dove into research.
What Indre discovered worried her. Many of the chemicals used in the average salon can irritate people with sensitivities. While haircuts themselves are perfectly safe, chemical color services often expose stylists and clients to those ingredients throughout the day, especially in busy multi-stylist salons.
After she had deep-dived into the effects of chemical-based salons, Indre found herself at a turning point. Recollecting that moment, she says, “Either I had to move away from doing hair color and just do haircuts, or I had to find something that was going to be a lot healthier for my clients and me.”
Indre didn’t want to sacrifice her passion for hair care, and she didn’t want her clients to dye their hair somewhere just as toxic. So she moved to Colorado and started Royal Salon Organic Care, a place dedicated to healthy, organic hair care.
“We use as many certified organic ingredients as possible to make the salon healthier, breathable,” Indre explains.
This approach extends out to all of their hair services. Royal Salon offers haircuts, hair color, gray retouches, hair loss treatment, styling, scalp treatment, and more, all while minimizing exposure to harsh chemicals.
The salon is known for its scalp treatments. The process begins with scalp analysis, looking at the head on a microscopic level to identify problems from the root up. That can mean an oily scalp, clogged follicles, mineral buildup, or a myriad of other conditions that might cause issues. From there, the stylist formulates next steps tailored to the individual’s results.
“A month or two later, we'll look at their scalp again, and it is glorious,” says Indre. Many of her clients struggle with health issues, allergies, and other sensitivities, so reaching the point of a healthy scalp can be a complete breakthrough moment. But it can be invigorating for every person, regardless of their health––everyone just wants to look and feel good.
Throughout her twenty years of hair care, Indre’s biggest hope has been to educate the community. She wants people to “be more aware of what they're putting on their skin, on their scalp, on their hair, and that there's options.” She advises that everyone read ingredient lists, try at-home treatments, and when in doubt, do their own research.
At the end of the day, Royal Salon Organic Care blossomed from Indre’s motto “a breath of fresh hair.” Indre creates an experience of healthy, revitalizing care that doesn’t take the client’s breath away.
“But it can be invigorating for every person, regardless of their health–. Everyone just wants to look and feel good.”
Royal Salon Organic Care blossomed from Indre’s motto “a breath of fresh hair.” Indre creates an experience of healthy, revitalizing care that doesn’t take the client’s breath away.