Why Is Reading Product Labels Absolutely Worth Your Time?

About three and half years ago, I made what was not an easy but a necessary decision and left my long-time hair stylist of 15 years. At that point, I was on a personal quest to find a hair stylist who felt comfortable cutting unruly curly hair, used clean hair care products, was closer to home and did not insist on using hair spray on my hair.

I will never forget my first haircut appointment with her. She treated my hair as an artist getting to know my hair first before she even cut one single hair. We talked about how we can get my hair looking healthy and happy again and I never looked back.

In our BLOG, we like to feature strong women who are small business owners, are incredible at what they do and are an amazing gift to our community; I would like you to meet Tracey Burnap, the owner of Ahavah Organic Salon and Spa in Barrington, IL.

Tracey and I also partnered up a couple of years ago. Ahavah Organic Salon and Spa is one of Rodina Botanicals local retail partners that carries our products and is designated location for our local on-line orders.

Anita: Congratulations on your 2 years as the owner of Ahavah Organic Salon and Spa! You are very passionate about wellness and overall healthy lifestyle and that clearly carries into how you run your business. I know that you won a number of local and global hair competitions, and your work has been featured in local and global magazines & online.

Where did your passion originate? And why did you decide to become a hairstylist?

Tracey: I had a slow awakening to leading a healthier lifestyle. It all started with deodorant! Through a friend, I learned that there were toxic ingredients- aluminum- in most deodorants and that shook my world. Why would I knowingly apply toxic substances to my body?! That led me down a path there’s no turning back from, especially after being pregnant and realizing that this human life growing inside me was 100% dependent on what I put IN and ON my body. That’s a huge responsibility.

As my personal and home life became cleaner, it only made sense that my professional life should follow. I was fortunate to help open Ahavah over 10 years ago, and now I proudly call it mine for the last 2 years. I’ve been doing hair for 20 years and I absolutely love what I do and love that I can share that passion for pursuing eco-responsible hair and clean beauty.

What made me decide to become a hairstylist?

It was something I was always interested in since I was a young girl, so going to cosmetology school was just a natural progression in my life. My parents always taught me to pursue what intrigued me and to always do my best. I have always pursued education to further my skills and - I can’t believe that my passion has allowed me to travel and do what I love, this is truly an amazing industry.

“I believe we should always be growing and learning something new every day.”
—Tracey Burnap

Doing hair, meeting people, being faced with challenges allow me to do just that- Grow!

**Anita: What is the meaning behind the name of your salon and spa, namely what does Ahavah mean?**

Tracey: **Ahavah** is a Hebrew word that means “love” which perfectly encapsulates our reason for being here. We want to show every person who walks through our door love. We want to share our love (and responsibility!) for our earth. And we want you to love your hair, skin, and nails - knowing that clean beauty cares for you, our planet, and our future!

Anita: You and your team work very hard to run an eco-conscious salon and spa. How would you describe what that looks like in real life to someone who has not visited your salon and spa yet?

Tracey: Clean beauty and eco-responsibility go hand-in-hand here at Ahavah and we look at every aspect of our business to be sure we are doing our best to provide just that!

From the moment you walk in the door you’ll notice our difference: clean air because we don’t use ammonia in our hair color and we use live plants to help clean the air; no harsh fumes from toxic nail services because we only work with the natural nail and use non-toxic nail polishes; we have several different recycling streams, even composting systems. We use LED lights to keep energy costs down that also double as plant lights. We recycle or reuse everything that can be recycled or reused. I could go on and on… but that would make this blog post a dissertation/TED talk. ;) more ways we are earth-friendly can be found here: https://www.ahavahorganicsalonandspa.com/eco-friendly

Anita: Ahavah Organic Salon and Spa is designated as a GLO salon. What does that mean exactly?

Tracey: GLO stands for Green Life Organization and they are a local organization dedicated to keeping beauty waste out of the landfills. We have been partnered with GLO for about a year and have to date recycled/composted over 97 pounds that would otherwise have ended up in a landfill.

Anita: What type of services does your salon and spa provide? And what is your personal favorite?

Tracey: We offer healthy, organic hair color, highlights, treatments, haircuts & styling, 21-Free non-toxic, natural manicures & pedicures, organic facials & massages.

My personal favorite?

A 60-minute Warm Bamboo Massage followed by a 60 minute Oliveda Facial- this is one of our Full Body services and it leaves you feeling like you’re on a cloud. Then a relaxing organic scalp massage in our shampoo lounge with a treatment and a fantastic blow dry… heavenly. :)

Anita: As someone with wild curly hair, I had a chance to visit a number of hair salons and stylists, and just like with any other profession, each hair stylist has their area of expertise and focus. What’s yours?

Tracey: I really like to focus on each individual client and come up with healthy solutions to their hair issues. So that could mean a different hair cut, color, highlights, treatments, styling products, styling method/tools… I really look at each client as a unique work of art and it’s my duty and pleasure to make that work of art look and feel its best.

Anita: The health of our hair is affected by a number of factors, including our overall lifestyle, hormones but also the environment we live in. What are the top three MUST HAVE-s that you wished folks knew when it comes to the health of their hair? As a hairstylist, what are your top three hacks that we can do in our 30s, 40s, 50s to help us enjoy healthy and vibrant hair into our 80s and 90s?

Tracey: Make sure you’re getting enough protein in your diet along with all the essential minerals and vitamins your body needs to make hair- Vitamin D, Zinc, Copper, Selenium, Iron, B vitamins. As well as you can, reduce stress: stress causes inflammation, inflammation can cause your hair to fall/thin prematurely. Use clean, healthy hair and skin products that nourish the hair, avoiding ammonia, phthalates, parabens, etc.

Anita: I am a big proponent of reading labels of the products that we apply to our skin. There is a crazy amount of different hair products on the market. When buying hair products, what are the top three ingredients you suggest we stay away from and why?

Tracey: Reading labels is so needed! And so is learning how to navigate around those tricky marketing terms! It is best to just go straight to the ingredients list.

Top 3 ingredients to avoid in hair and skin care (including body lotions/deodorants/perfumes) are: Parabens of any kind, if it ends in -paraben, it can disrupt your hormones. Phthalates of any kind are also endocrine disruptors; they can also mess with fertility. DMDM Hydantoin is a preservative that releases formaldehyde- which is known to cause cancer.

Yes, as insane as it is there are products still out there with all three of these. It’s not just hair care, it’s all personal care items.

Read all the labels!

Anita: Many folks want to use more natural products when it comes to both their skin care and hair care. Unfortunately, oftentimes, we still run into many companies turning to use of greenwashing techniques when it comes to marketing. Do you have any tips on how to navigate this space when it comes specifically to hair care products?

Tracey: Yes, I have seen this time and time again. It’s a bit disheartening. The best way to navigate this is the best way to navigate all of life- arm yourself with knowledge!

Know what ingredients you should avoid and if you have any questions, research them for yourself. And know the difference between marketing tactics and truth.

Anita: What is your take on hair masks? How often should we apply one? Can you share an easy DIY hair mask that most hair types find beneficial?

Tracey: I love hair masks! Of course, I recommend the ones we use and love in our salon, but a good DIY mask is always fun.

Mash half an avocado well, mix it with jojoba oil, argan oil, and a little bit of castor oil. Apply to clean towel dried hair, clip it up, put on a shower cap or plastic wrap. Heat it up with your blow dryer for 5 minutes then wrap your head in a towel to trap the heat and leave it on for another 25 minutes. Rinse, shampoo, condition.

Castor oil is super great for hair and scalp, but it’s also super thick- so be sure to shampoo well. After you’ve rinsed your conditioner, you can add a couple drops of argan oil to your hair for soft, shiny hair. Do this once every couple weeks and watch your dry, brittle hair become softer and shinier.

Anita: What book(s) are on your nightstand right now? And currently, what is your favorite one?

Tracey: I read a lot of non-fiction. The Coconut Oil Miracle, The Magnesium Miracle, Cayenne Cures, and a whole bunch of other books about herbs, wild foraging, supplements. But my favorite book is the one fiction book I am reading to my children, “The Princess and the Goblin” by George MacDonald.

Anita: What is the best life advice you have ever received?

Tracey: Love God and love others, always be growing, & do your best.

Anita: We at Rodina Botanicals are about overall wellness, and especially organic, plant-based, natural skincare. In your daily skincare routine, are you camp facial oil or camp moisturizer? Which do you prefer, liquid lotions, lotion bars, or whipped body butters? And do you have a favorite Rodina Botanicals product? If so, what is it?

Tracey: For facial care I use elixirs, serums, creams… whichever my skin needs at the moment. For body care I tend to stick to lotions…

`...but for my hands I love the Rodina Botanicals Flower Bouquet MYLotionBar, Rodina Botanicals Wild Meadows Cuticle Oil,`

`...and for my tattoos, the Rodina Botanicals Tattoo Oil of course!`

**Anita: What is next for Ahavah Organic Salon and Spa?**

Tracey: OOH this is a big question! We are working on bringing in clean, vegan friendly makeup into our salon and spa. We are always looking for ways to up our earth-friendly ways, expand our healthy beauty services, and continue to bring clean, healthy beauty to more and more people.

Anita: Thank you for your time and sharing with us about Ahavah Organic Salon and Spa, Tracey!

Note: You can check out Ahavah Organic Salon and Spa online at Ahavah Organic Salon and Spa and make sure to visit their Instagram page.

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