Elysha Lee Hair, a sustainable and holistic wellness salon
Words Kelsey Garlick Images Sky Elise
Gone are the days you walk into the salon and are bombarded by fluorescence, the waft of chemicals and animated gossip sessions competing with the drone of hair dryers.
It is well past time for these tired old models of hairdressing to retire. In the place of chaos and competition now stands the new golden standard of hairdressing: sustainable, soothing, supportive and, most importantly, collaborative.
If this light-filled, natural and softly acoustic space is the new model of hairdressing salon, you can count us in. Because it’s about time businesses started slowing down and focusing on self-care. While the value for clients is obvious – a quiet place to escape a busy life for a few hours – what’s not as obvious is the value for all of the incredible women working within the space.
Salon owner Elysha Wray opened Elysha Lee Hair four years ago, just a short dash in thongs and bikini away from her beloved Sandon Point. But after going it alone, working 10-hour days, six days a week, she realised it wasn’t a sustainable way forward. So Elysha sought out other likeminded local businesswomen with her same deep core values to share her space. There’s no competition in this arrangement – these women are all unique and bring something completely different to the table.
The hairdressers working together include Cassandra ‘Cass’ Cahill, a local hairdressing stalwart and ex-TAFE teacher who Elysha describes as “beautiful, gracious and kind-hearted”, and Carolyn ‘Cal’ Old, Scottish-trained and internationally experienced, but most importantly “a source of non-judgemental, safe yet sassy energy”. The space also accommodates beauty therapist Jacqueline ‘Jac’ Rowling – “a calming and grounded earth creature” – who operates Ruah Organic in a private room. Ten-month-old golden retriever Leo Blue fulfils the role of salon dog.
Sharing a space, inextricably linked yet operating independently, these women are empowering each other to be successful in their own businesses. They regularly give each other business advice, plan and strategise together, and mentor one another on the daily. They’re proud to be breaking the old hairdressing mould.
But it’s not all business, Elysha explains. “We support, inspire and encourage each other in all aspects of our lives, from yoga retreats to green cleanses to cooking and sharing lunches with each other. We really are family – no judgement, no gossip, no negativity. We’re just a bunch of women who love and support each other to be the best version of themselves they can be – to be independent, strong, successful business owners.”
The team’s biggest shared values are health and sustainability, and to that end Elysha has created a workspace that is a healthy environment for herself, her co-workers and clients. The massive windows allow fresh air, natural light and ocean breezes to mingle with the Aveda oils they use in their haircare.
The salon recently switched to Aveda products and became a Sustainable Salon as part of their mission to “help create the dream” and care for the world they live in. Through the Sustainable Salons initiative, product packaging all gets recycled by 22 local recyclers who have so far diverted 188,600 kg of metals from landfill to be made into new aluminium packaging, not to mention recycled 29,600 L of chemicals and recycled 193,700 kg of paper. But Elysha’s favourite part of being a Sustainable Salon is that all offcut hair gets collected by Sustainable Salons and made into mats to clean up oil spills in the ocean.
“I love the direction the industry is starting to move in now with Sustainable Salons, but sustainability is about more than just looking after the planet,” Elysha says. “We need to sustain the health and wellbeing of the people on this planet too.”
Safe, peaceful and self-care focused workplaces, which nourish their clients, employees and the earth, aren’t just “helping to create the dream”, they’re the way forward.
40E Point Street, Bulli, NSW 2516
For more information visit elyshaleehair.com and sustainablesalons.org
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