As Hair Stylists, we – as well as our clients – are exposed to an alarming amount of chemicals. Some of these chemicals come with links to allergies, irritants, and carcinogens. And worse, these toxins don’t just attack the body, they also cause severe damage and harm to the planet.
While there isn’t 100% organic hair color available to us yet, Oway has managed to create the cleanest professional salon products in the industry through green chemistry and biodynamic farming.
But the Oway brand is more than its products. It’s meant to represent a way of being. Individuals who subscribe to this kind of lifestyle make up the Owayans, a community of passionate hairdressers whose sole purpose is to promote a healthy, positive way of living. Below, we break down what it truly means to be part of this revolutionary movement.
Holistic Beauty
For Owayans, beauty transcends far beyond the surface. To them, hairdressing is more than creating beautiful hair. It’s also about nourishing the body from the inside.
Beauty is a clear indicator of health, so when we’re healthy on the inside – it radiates on the outside.
Activities such as meditation, eating organic, and even the most mundane things like reading your favorite book or listening to wonderful music can relax the body and take away the negative energy that’s building up within.
Green Chemistry
Part of the Owayan lifestyle is to make sure products are free from health-damaging ingredients. Products containing ingredients such as the 5 toxic Ps, ammonia, SLS, among others belong to the Owayan no-fly list.
In place of these chemicals, Oway uses gentler, safer alternatives through natural and naturally derived sources. These are specified in the product labels, along with other nutritional and safety information, which include where and how ingredients are obtained and how products should be disposed.
With Oway, you’ll find that all the necessary product information you need are clearly indicated in the labels.
Ecology and Conservation
Owayans believe that the environment greatly impacts our quality of life. And nothing can be truer than that. In order to have a better, healthier life, we need to constantly incorporate environmentally friendly practices in everything that we do.
Simple things such as adding plants in the salon or growing a green space on a rooftop, backyard, or balcony help absorb all the chemicals in the air and turn them into oxygen, thus preserving the sustainability of the environmental systems around them.
Oway’s products are also packaged in reusable amber glass jars. From flower vases to storage, their containers can serve a variety of purposes. By upcycling them, Owayans are able to reduce their ecological footprint as well as not contribute to the millions of tons of waste that we already have.
Global Well-Being
Owayans believe in the transformative power of inclusive and sustainable economic development. This involves purchasing via fair trade networks as well as responsible production to ensure that natural resources are used rationally and efficiently.
Sustainability is governed by three basic pillars: environmental, economic, and social dimensions. These dimensions need to be kept balanced in order for the planet to subsist. And Fair Trade plays a major role in this.
Through Fair Trade, disadvantaged producers are able to enjoy secure and sustainable livelihoods and, at the same time, provide for the needs of consumers.1
While Oway grows its active ingredients on their biodynamic farm in Bologna, Italy, other ingredients are sourced from international fair-trade networks. Natural raw materials are obtained from Africa, Amazonia, Indonesia, Indochina and Aboriginal Australia, supporting over 800 poor communities.
The Organic Way of life goes beyond eating clean food and using organic products. It’s about taking a stand on important issues and creating positive change in our local community and the world around us, one head of hair at a time.
Source:
1 Fair Trade International. Fairtrade’s Contribution to a More Sustainable World. Available: https://www.fairtrade.net/fileadmin/user_upload/content/2009/resources/2010-12-31_flo-sustainability-position-paper.pdf
