Today we’d like to introduce you to Lisa Saul.
Lisa, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I graduated from the Medical College of Georgia with a degree as a medical technologist. I worked in various hospital labs doing medical testing. I even worked in open heart surgery at one point testing for oxygen levels of the blood during surgery. But my goal all along was to be a hairdresser. I wanted to get an education first and then pursue my goal as a stylist. After graduating from the medical college, I moved to Atlanta and worked at Piedmont Hospital during the day and went to hair school at night. I learned a lot from my medical education about the body and biochemistry.
In 1990 I was pregnant with my son and worried about all the chemicals my baby was being exposed to. I had been working as a haircolor rep, teaching haircolor classes in the US as well as working full time in a salon. I had rashes on my wrists and hands and sinus issues. I decided to open EcoColors a holistic hair salon in hopes to minimize my chemical exposure and my child’s exposure to chemicals. I was finally able to open the salon in 1991 when my son was eight months old. I brought him to work every day and worked with him in a backpack or a stroller. I had found an obscure health catalog advertising a nontoxic haircolor and I opened the salon using this color.
In 1994 the internet was new. I had a Mac with a 2400 speed modem. I would attend Mac meetings in an auditorium(before the apple store existed) and they would teach classes on how to make a web page for “the World Wide Web”. I made a web page for the salon. At that time there were ten salons on the internet. Total! Thats it! I explained the salon was devoted to nontoxic. I received hundreds of emails of people wanting more info and wanting the products I was using. I approached the company I was buying nontoxic color from, explaining that so many people wanted this color. The owner suggested I sell it as my own brand. That’s how a separate company EcoColors Haircolor company started. You can find out about that permanent color line at ecocolors.net.
Since the inception of EcoColors Salon, I have had a son and a daughter. ..both raised in the salon. I have created the environment of the salon to be a relaxing refuge. People often doze off during their hair services. It’s a place to let go the stresses of every day. When the pandemic arrived in March of 2020, stress elevated for most people. When the salon closed down in May 2020, many of my clients wanted a way to touch up their hair color until we could open up again. I had been experimenting with plant-based haircolor for about 25 years, finding the purest formulas. I began to mix shades to get the perfect shade for each client. I decided to open a new business called haircolorfromplants.com. This business sells my personal formulations of henna mixed with other plants. This is completely different than EcoColors haircolor (a nontoxic permanent haircolor that can lighten hair). The henna formulations cannot lighten hair and can only stain grays.
EcoColors Salon has been in the same location for 29 years always devoted to nontoxic. Since the pandemic, we have changed the way we see clients. We take temperature at the door, offer shoe covers, ask the client to wash their hands and we take a pulse oximeter test. We have open doors, fans in every corner of the room circulating the air. We see half the amount of clients and stylists rotate days so most of the time there is 1-2 clients in the salon at a time. It’s still a safe relaxing place to go and let go. We work by appointment only. Appointments can be made from Facebook, Instagram, Google, and from ecocolorssalon.com.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Of course, in every business there are struggles along the way. I am an artist. I have been painting and creating various art forms since childhood. Learning how to do bookkeeping and taxes was something that didn’t come naturally for me. I recommend if someone opens a business to take a business class from the SBA. I did that and it helped a lot figuring out budgets and financial challenges. The other challenge has been managing employees. In the past, I have had employees that have been challenging in various ways.. stealing products, doing clients from home, bad attitudes at work, rude exit strategies. If you are working for someone else I recommend being honest, being respectful and professional even after you have decided to move on to another job location. It’s common for people to see the cup half empty once they have decided to leave. If you have a negative attitude at your job, it can affect those around you. It would be helpful for anyone to focus on the things you are grateful for throughout the day at your job and your life. Positivity and smiles go a long way. A former employee gave it her all and had a positive attitude all the way up to her last moment in the salon and then moved to another city. Years later, she moved back to Atlanta and asked to be hired again. I happily rehired her knowing she would work with a positive attitude and do her best.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with EcoColors – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
EcoColors a holistic hair salon is devoted to nontoxic haircare in a relaxing environment. Since we have so many years of experience with this, it definitely sets us apart from all other salons who still use toxic products. Hair schools don’t teach about plant-based haircolor. We are a leader in this area. I’m working on a class for stylists to learn the art of plant-based color that can be purchased through iBooks.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
The book will give haircolor theory based on plant color and how to apply in the salon (or at home) depending on hair type, color and percentage of grays.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1860 N Rock Springs Rd
Suite 101
Atlanta Georgia 30324 - Website: ecocolorssalon.com, haircolorfromplants.com, ecocolors.net
- Phone: 404-875-2620
- Email: ecocolorssalon@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ecocolorssalon/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EcoColors.Salon
- Other: https://haircolorfromplants.com
Image Credit:
2Tphoto.com
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