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STUART, Fla.-- Unless it's Halloween, not too many people are looking for a green hair color when they see their stylist. But there's a salon in Stuart where being green is an important part of their business plan.
About 8 years ago, hair stylist Rebecca Fiske knew she had to make a change.
“I had extreme dermatitis in my hands where my knuckles were even too painful to make a fist.”
Then she battled alopecia, and began to lose her hair.
“Mine would appear in quarter size bald spots generally in fringe area which was hard for me as a hair stylist because it’s right there,” she said.
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Feeling it was a combination of stress and chemical exposure, when Fiske opened the Lotus Room in Stuart, she made a conscious decision to use as little toxic chemicals as possible.
“Giving people a place to come where they can follow their values and still have traditional hair color,” Fiske said.
Conservation begins even before cut and color. When a client comes to shampoo station, they use nozzles that have helped them reduce water use by 65%.
Fiske says they recycle up to 95% of their waste.
The Lotus Room is one of a handful of “green circle salons” in Florida.
Fiske takes what she calls a “farm to chair” approach when deciding what products to use. She says her product lines cost double, an expense she feels is worth it in the long run.
“Not really worry about what we’re going to wind up with 40s-50s-60s as far as illnesses go,” she said.
Fiske’s efforts have recently gotten notice around town. This year, the business was awarded an “Environmental Stewardship Award” from the Keep Martin Beautiful organization.
