Committing to organic, natural foods is important to a growing number of people, so why not take that same approach when it comes to hair, skin and nail care?
That's what JoAnn Zenner, founder and owner of Traverse City's
Salon Verve, would like customers to consider. It is, after all, a way of life for Zenner, a master colorist with a decade of local salon experience, and something to which her Bay Street business is dedicated.
Beyond the services the eight-member salon provides, Salon Verve staff
work with
Bay
Area Recycling for Charities to recycle about 90 percent of all
post-consumer waste. "We also use all eco-friendly cleaning products to
clean the salon," Zenner says. Hair clippings, meanwhile, are shipped to
an organization that uses them to clean up oil spills.
"I'm doing what I've always wanted to do – create beautiful hair without destroying anything," says Zenner, who in the past worked with Aveda products – a brand known for being eco-conscious. "I was already into environmental friendly, but I wanted to take it one step further."
She opened Salon Verve three years ago, focusing on organic, natural, non-toxic and biodegradable business practices from the get-go. "It has to be the whole package," she says of finding just-right products. "It's been a process. New products are always coming out."
With the exception of ammonia-free hair color from the U.K. -- it was the best hair color that fit Salon Verve's mission -- all of Zenner's products come from the United States, including mineral makeup made in suburban Detroit. "It's great to support local," she says. "As soon as we found that, we signed on."
The salon also features Michigan-made accessories and gift items such as mittens in the winter that are made from recycled sweaters and necklaces created from reclaimed materials by Traverse City artist Gloria Marriott. "Green" cleaning supplies and laundry products also are available. "It's stuff we love and we want to help spread the word," Zenner says.
Writer: Heather Johnson Durocher
Source: JoAnn Zenner
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