Any green girl worth her hair color knows that getting your hair done involved chemicals.  Heck, I was a tween when I got my first and last perm, (yes, this means I am old,) and literally walked out of the salon with large chemical burn on my forehead.  Because I was a kid, I didn’t utterly freak out as I might now.  (This would involve lots of screaming and crates of organic Vitamin E.) 

But it did leave me with a lasting quest to find non-toxic, non-burning-holes-into-your-scalp hair products.

Flash forward a couple decades to a salon where you can walk in without fear of a chemical blast.  Located just outside Los Angeles is Nori’s Eco Salon, a family-owned, full-service “green” salon.  

According to their mission statement, Nori’s Eco Salon “provides excellent services using non-toxic hair products in a green environment in accordance to the principles of sustainability.”  They offer cuts, coloring, makeup, massage, waxing, and organic facials (yay!).  And all their products are natural based and non-toxic.

Recently, I spoke with one of the owners, Roya Adjory, who filled me in on all the great, green details.  When I asked Roya what inspired her mother, Nori, and her sister, Roza, to form an eco salon, she informed me that the salon is just an extension of the way they live their lives.  Roya is a 20-plus year hair stylist, artist, activist, and environmentalist.  After reading Blessed Unrest by Paul Hawken, she was more determined than ever to make their family salon a green space.  But why does a hair salon need to be green?  (Besides preventing chemical burns on clients.)  Roya informed me that “hair stylists are four times more at risk for disease.  72% of traditional hair color products contain phthalates, and the chemicals are penetrating the blood stream.  This is bad for stylists and customers.”

And so, Nori’s Eco Salon uses a fantastic line of clean color from a line called EcoColors.  This is a permanent hair color that is free of parabens, gluten, sulfites, and mineral oils.  Its main ingredients include buffered food grade hydrogen peroxide, jojoba oil, castor oil, linseed oil, lemon grass essential oil and more.  It contains many botanical ingredients, but it is not completely botanical.  Apparently, in order for any hair color to be permanent, oxidative dyes must be present.  But this is about as non-toxic a product you will find on the market.  And if you can’t make it to the salon, they sell the color in home care kits that retail for only $18.50. 

So Nori’s Eco Salon is all about green product.  But even their pleasant, stylist space is eco-friendly.  The floors are covered with the natural linoleum made from linseed oil with jute baking, their light bulbs are compact florescent, and their insulation is recycled denim.   The dry wall is non toxic, and the brochure and business cards are printed with soy ink on 100% post consumer recycled paper.

Nori’s Eco Salon is located at 15826 Ventura Blvd. in Encino, CA, 818.995.6571.  They are open Tuesday through Saturday, 10am to 5pm, with late hours on Thursday.

>> Check out "Super Natural Hair Color: NYC's Grace Heaven Salon" for eco-friendly hair care on the east coast!