INDEPENDENT OF THE MONTH
INDIE OF THE MONTH R e:Fre s h SIOBHAN GODWOOD FINDS OUT HOW THIS MILL ROAD SALON IS CHANGING THE FACE OF HAIRDRESSING IN CAMBRIDGE
the salon is independent, Hollie has been able to cherry-pick her favourite products from different ranges. She’s even kitted the salon out with towels that are kind to the planet, made from sustainable bamboo and completely compostable. The teas and coffees that she serves in the salon are organic and ethically sourced, and all the packaging she uses is made from recycled plastic and is recyclable. “I already had quite a few vegan clients, as none of the products I use are tested on animals, so I had a base of customers that were thinking in similar ways to me,” says Hollie. “But we’ve really noticed an increase in people who are starting to change the way they think about what they put on their bodies. Also, I’ve got customers who wouldn’t
n the past couple of years it feels as though there has been a real shift in the way people think about natural, organic and eco-friendly products, from what we eat to what we use on our skin and hair. This change has been very clear to Hollie Meddings, a Cambridge- based hair stylist; for her it’s
changed not only the way she lives, but the way she works, too. Hollie was diagnosed with skin cancer a few years ago, and had started to look into the chemicals in all the products she was using on herself and on her clients. This led her to becoming more aware of our impact on the planet – particularly in terms of packaging. “When I first started doing my research into natural and ethical haircare, there wasn’t that much around. That’s changed hugely; people have started being much more aware of the impact of chemicals on their health and wellbeing. Lots of industry professionals like myself don’t want to use these products on our clients, but equally we don’t want to be coming into contact with them all day in our work.” Hollie was looking for a salon of her own where she could put what she’d learned into practice. Luckily, the owner of the salon where she worked wanted to sell, so in 2018 Hollie and her colleague Vanessa took on the lease, and it became Re:Fresh. “The challenge then became finding organic and ethically sourced products at scale to use in the salon, and looking into other ways to make the business as environmentally friendly as possible.” Many of the small companies that Hollie discovered when she started looking for cleaner products have really grown, as more and more people have started to seek out natural alternatives. And because
IMAGES The salon has a fresh, clean look that goes well with Hollie’s eco-friendly ethos. Services on offer include refillable shampoo and conditioner
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