It all started in 2020, when the COVID19 pandemic struck us all.
As an extremely active person being stuck at home unable to practice my profession was a huge challenge. To avoid going crazy (because I clearly wasn't born with the gift of being a housewife or a cook) I had to find a way to occupy my mind since I couldn't put my hands to work. That's when I came across a course on Professional Natural Hair Care.
A few years earlier, I had already taken the "Green Salon" training in Copenhagen on sustainability in the Hair & Beauty sector. I learned then how we can work with products that are less harmful to ourselves and the environment. Since then I had always wondered how to create products that were actually good for people & planet. So, this course on natural hair care was perfect for me.
I've always had a passion for products because they are what binds together the elements that make my work truly shine: the haircut, the color, and the styling. Still, for all of these to work I need a good "canvas" - hair, which is why teamwork between me and my clients is so important. When I look at someone, I can't just see the end result. Images start appearing in my mind: what kind of clothes they wear, what type of bags they carry, what kind of friends they have, what profession they're in, what they want to show the world, the gentle touches they make to their hair, whether they like to take care for it at home, what season we're in, what they eat... My mind then projects a haircut, color, and styling for each individual but I also try to understand the human being who is with me in that moment, so that I can give my best and ensure everyone is happy.
But going back to 2020 and the PANDEMIC. After the first lockdown (that meant being confined in an apartment in Lisbon with my partner and two children aged 6 and 7), my family decided to move to Tavira, a small coastal town in the south of Portugal. We needed fresh air, space, and nature. My head was full of ideas from the natural formulation course that I was still taking. As soon as I arrived I started thinking about how much I would love to "work" with ingredients from Ria Formosa, an extraordinary ecosystem that was right at our doorstep. So, during Christmas that year, I asked for all the instruments to set up a small laboratory as a gift. I didn't get that gift and I was extremely disappointed at the time. However, looking back now, I realize it was the best thing that happened.
Curious???? Then read the next one…
By Ana
