Ron King: The Green Salon

by The Style King/Ron King on Monday, April 19, 2010

Ron King has worked as a hairstylist, transforming people’s appearances, for more than 20 years. With a growing celebrity clientele, King travels the world taking inspiration from different cultures and countries. Along the way, he has developed his own “easy wear” style philosophy which plays up a woman’s natural hair texture and pairs it with natural-looking makeup that’s easy to apply. This mantra led him to launch a signature line of cosmetics for women who want to look pulled together but who are are short on time. King has worked with some of the most respected names in the industry, including L’Oreal Professional, Ted Gibson, Eva Scrivo and Rick Wellman.

Though sustainable living has seemed to be the trendy buzzword among the style and beauty crowds for the past few years, it seems our industry has really taken to it and made some great strides in going green. Since it’s April, and Arbor Day is around the corner, I thought I’d share with you some of the most innovative and eco-friendly professional products I’ve been using lately.

By now, I’m sure you’ve heard of L’Oreal Professionnel’s new breakthrough color line called INOA. Short for “innovation, no ammonia,” INOA has managed to make permanent hair color a little greener by taking ammonia, one of the harshest chemicals we work with on a daily basis, out. Instead, they developed a new technology called ODS (oil delivery system) that coats hair with a layer of oil while coloring it to maximize the effectiveness of the formula without ammonia. One added bonus for us as stylists and colorists is that INOA has also eliminated nasty odors. If you haven’t tried INOA yet, test it out—your clients will love it.

Another eco-friendly beauty breakthrough I’m starting to use in my salon is called Bio-Lights. Created by my friend and New York-based celeb stylist Rick Wellman, this system is a green alternative to traditional foil highlights. He recognized the negative effects aluminum has on the environment (aluminum is one of the top materials filling up landfills and can take up to 500 years to decompose. Foil also produces emissions of carbon dioxide contributing to the negative effect of global warming) and also wanted a softer approach to highlighting. Enter Bio-Lights, a highlighting system that trades in foils for 100% biodegradable cotton pads that mimic the shape of foil. And since the cotton pads react in a non-accelerated temperature, Bio-Lights also reduce the risk of baking any color brand into hair.

We all know that formaldehyde in beauty products has a bad rep. Some countries, like England, have even banned the use of the ingredient in treatments and have forced companies to be innovative and go a little greener. La Brasiliana, makers of fabulous keratin treatments infused with collagen, offers a new formaldehyde-free treatment called Spuzzi Zero. This treatment combines their original keratin and collagen formulation with lavender oil and aloe vera. It’s also a great money-making service because Spuzzi Zero is sprayed on to hair so the actual salon process takes much less time. Typical treatments last just over two months, comparable to traditional keratin treatments, but luckily the company makes shampoo, conditioner and styling products to help extend the life of a treatment.

Now, this last beauty product isn’t reserved just for beauty professionals; clients can get in on the action also: mineral makeup. Typically in powder formation, it’s very often comprised of finely ground natural ingredients, without any chemicals, dyes, and preservatives, that are considered to be less irritating and healthier for skin than traditional makeup. They also contain a higher level of SPF and aid in achieving that light, sparkling glow that is usually not obtained with heavier skin makeup. This is exactly why I wanted to make my very own makeup collection—Ron King Cosmetics—a mineral line. I love that it’s a green choice in that the byproducts of chemicals used in making traditional makeup are simply not an issue since it is usually void of harmful man-made ingredients. The products are ethical choices that are as kind to your skin as they are to the earth. Most of them have SPF 20 and contain traces of vitamins A, C, and E along with Gingko Biloba and Ginseng for a naturally beautiful look, providing antioxidants and nutrients to your skin. They also have light-diffusing pigments that help fade facial lines (and what woman doesn’t want that?).

I hope this post inspires you to go a little greener at your salon. If you have any other green tips, leave them as comments here—I’d love to hear them!