Davines and ION Studio, Earth-friendly hair

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In honor of Earth Day, I’d like to bring you one of my favorite green beauty companies, the Italian hair care line Davines. As they point out on their highly informative website (seriously-go have a look, especially today), the word cosmetics comes from the Greek word kosmos which means “the correct order of things.” This gives an inside look at why Davines believes beauty will save the world, with their vision of sustainability being one of the ways to make it happen. And it’s this multi-faceted sustainability that makes this company so unique.

In addition to the respectful use of high grade, natural ingredients, Davines uses only renewable resources to create their amazing products through its alliance with LifeGate. (They are Italy’s largest renewable energy supplier and provide 100% clean energy produced by the sun, the wind, water and earth.) Davines has also implemented Zero Impact production, which means any carbon dioxide created by producing the line’s packaging is offset by the protection and reforestation of nature reserves in both Italy and Costa Rica. To continue with these efforts, Davines has also launched a Zero Impact salon campaign, asking salons carrying their products to participate and neutralize stylist’s carbon emissions. At a cost of approximately $270 per stylist, each Zero Impact stylist equals 22,066 sq.ft of trees per year and compensates 3,503 lb of CO2.

I can hear you now “that’s all well and good, but what about the products?” I hear you! All that do-gooding doesn’t mean a thing if the products don’t deliver. I had the sheer joy of trying their Love Smoothing Shampoo and Conditioner for Harsh and Frizzy hair, which describes my moisture-deprived, color-treated hair to a T. With a blend of natural ingredients with intense moisturizing and smoothing actions, like Indian Fig Extract in the shampoo and Borage Seed oil in the conditioner (amongst others), this light pink, subtle and deliciously scented duo left my mop softer and silkier than it’s been in ages. Love is a great name, it’s what I felt when I looked in the mirror!

As an added bonus, we heart this was lucky enough to speak with Pasquale Ferrante, one of the owners of ION Studio in NYC. ION is Manhattan’s first green salon, built using recycled and eco-friendly materials and powered by wind. He’s also a Davines Zero Impact stylist, amazingly talented, loved by his clients (regular folks and celebs alike) and utterly adorable (see for yourself!) We wanted to get a Spring hair forecast (with a green focus) from someone in the know. Pasquale was kind enough to pass this along to all of us…

“Springtime is all about being outdoors and moving away from time inside, and moving away from intense winter hair care. The less time we spend styling our hair, the healthier and more natural it will be! Clients are experimenting with new products that enable hair to air dry (such as Davines DeDe Leave In Conditioner) and are applying a more “natural” approach to hairstyling. Saving time on blow drying not only benefits you, but the environment as well (less electricity, less radiation). Try showering at night and sleep with towel dried hair in a bun on the top of your head. In the morning you will have a light wave and some movement with no blow dry or styling time. Runways are also showing a lot more haphazardous looks, so a bit of frizz here and there, some texture, and subtle asymmetry are all approved trends for this spring/summer.

In these tough economic times, save money on styling tools and blowdrys by investing in a extremely technical and structured cut. A professional cut is a “one time” investment in your overall look and style. Working closely with your stylist, let them know your styling habits (whether you will take time to blow dry, or whether you prefer to wash and go) and be specific! A great cut will save time and money down the line, and give you more flexibility in terms of styling freedom and versatility.

Short haircuts (think “pixies”: Kate Moss circa Coco Chanel ads, Mia Farrow, Madonna bleached early nineties) made a huge comeback on runways (Givenchy, for example) and is the easiest way to have low maintenance hair. The less you wash it, the better it looks, and at the same time you are helping the environment by wasting less water and electricity. Consult with your stylist before impulsing into this cut. Its extremely specific and does not work on all face and body types. If you want to go short without going so extreme, try a sharp straight bob, or a softer, stacked bob with some light layers in the front. Spring time is all about change and “shedding” dead weight. Get rid of dead ends, trim your length, or take a risk and try going short! Every woman should try it once in their lives. It’s liberating!

Author

  • Stef Andrews

    Stef is a plethora of things. Amongst them: co-founder of we heart this, photographer, condiment connoisseur, Philly girl in the California desert, borderline hoarder and a hardcore beauty junkie. She also has a touch of wanderlust and, arguably, the cutest dog in the whole world... skin tone: NC 25/30 skin type: oily with a fear of rosacea favorite beauty product: high end skincare and lip products

5 Comments

  1. Oh, I love Davines! I had a stylist use the DeDe leave-in conditioner on me and fell hard (add “smart” to that list of Pasquale’s characteristics!) Now I can’t wait to try the Love duo.

    I read that their conditioner tubs are based on Nutella tubs. How cute!

  2. I got to try a bit of the Love Duo line over the weekend. Here is what I know, in a hotel with really crappy water pressure, my hair still came out bouncy, shiny and soft. I can’t wait to try some with normal water pressure. I love the tips, I’m not brave enough to go Pixie or even a sharp bob. I love my long hair. I made the mistake of letting my sylist give me layers my last cut, I hate them. I get up at 4, the last thing I feel like doing is blow drying and flat ironing my hair and if I don’t my hair just looks blahh. Knowing what you want and what you are willing to do for your hair is very important when at the salon. Not only will it save time & money but also stress and misery over a cut you hate.

  3. I want to try these too, the Love duo sounds amazing. & a conditioner based on Nutella tubs! that sounds adorable!

  4. I’m a hair product junkie and the Love duo is screaming my name. These products sound wonderful…love that they style their clients hair without blow drying. I would love to be able to skip that whole process.

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