Two steps forward, hitting the center with your foot and not touching the edge. The red-brown stone slabs, which are joined together like large shards to form a sidewalk mosaic, remind me of the hopping game “Heaven and Hell”. Which of the two can I expect in the “Naturfriseur.in” salon at Bremer Feldstraße 113? I’ve always avoided cutting my hair as long as it was possible. Strangers ruffling my hair and scissors on the back of my neck used to scare me. As an organic fan and inquisitive person, I am also attracted by adventure!
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All signs point to green: natural hairdressers are very trendy
Jana Mühlbach’s salon is painted green on the outside. Actually logical, I think to myself and I’m happy about this unexpected splash of color in the pale winter gray. Between typical old Bremen houses, which proudly present their stuccoed glass verandas towards the cobbled street, the modern corner house with the two wooden benches and their wrought-iron backrests in front of them looks like a small Garden of Eden.
Very trendy: organic hairdressers
There are currently an estimated 800 organic hairdressers in Germany. Pioneers were the salons of the American manufacturer Aveda, which opened its first store in Munich in 1991. There are now 285 nationwide. But even without being connected to a chain, the small “Salon Meyer” around the corner is increasingly becoming a “Natural Hairdresser Rapunzel”. Jana Mühlbach works with the Austrian company CulumNatura, which not only offers seminars on ecological hair care, but also sells accessories such as shampoos, herbal hair colors and wooden brushes. In 2008 alone, the number of newly opened CulumNatura hairdressers rose by 20 percent to 250 in Germany.
As soon as I step into the 50 square meter salon, I feel comfortable. Light wood everywhere, jungle-like green plants, small fairy figures next to rose quartz. A round rock crystal lets its light reflections dance to soft pling-plang music in the candlelight. A little esoteric, but beautiful. I imagined it to be something like that at an organic hairdresser.
But then something happened that I didn’t expect! With a step onto the wooden platform directly at the window, I step into another world. “I’ll close the mirror now, if you like,” says hairdresser Jana Mühlbach, pointing to an ivory-colored silk handkerchief that hangs over the corner of the frame like a theater curtain. direct hit! Whether it’s in cafes or malls, I’ve always found it weird to watch myself drinking coffee or shopping like I’m in a movie. But I don’t want to take my eyes off Jana Mühlbach at work either. We agree to simply turn the styling chair to the side.
Brush massages with wild boar bristles
Brush massages with wild boar bristles? sucks!
“How often do you wash your hair ?” the petite woman with the sparkling brown eyes wants to know, and I answer truthfully: “Every two to three days.” Not that often, I used to think. But Jana Mühlbach resolutely grabs a beech wood brush, which may only have a matchbox-sized handle, but has plenty of boar bristles. “If you use a brush like this every day, you need to wash your hair much less often,” she explains. “This is because natural bristles suck up excess sebum without degreasing the hair. The acid mantle of the scalp remains intact.” Since the brushing ritual has become part of her everyday life, she herself comes off with a wash every eight days. This not only protects hair and scalp, but also the environment.
Bend your head slightly forward and off you go! Schraaap, schraaap, slowly stroke the bristles through my hair. But not only from top to bottom, but also back and forth. And that’s supposed to be good? But after just a few minutes, a deep peace spreads through me. I feel like a mini Shetland being groomed in a warm stable as a reward after a ride. Childhood memories come alive. Scent of hay, holidays in Büsum on the farm, pony rides in a booth at the fair. I give up all responsibility and let myself be carried mentally. When I straighten up again and look through my mane, I take a curious look in the mirror. Help, my hair is sticking out like Princess Gloria von Thurn und Taxis’ punk hairstyle, with which she caused a stir in the 80s. But amazingly, I grin contentedly like a honey cake horse…
Everything in flux
Everything flows: my hair is washed comfortably while lying down
Enough dreaming! Now it’s time to get up and go to the back room to wash your hair. A black sink with a comfortable wooden chair in front of it awaits in front of a rustic brick wall. I’m supposed to put my feet on a stool so I can relax better. “When lying down, it’s easier for many people to relax,” says Jana Mühlbach. That’s why many organic hairdressers even have a special wash bed with an attached “long-hair slide” behind the headboard. The hair hangs down on a sloping board with a water container at the end, so that it cannot become knotted when shampooing and rinsing.
“I dream of a lounger like that too,” says the 35-year-old, “but I haven’t had enough money for that yet.” The shampoo, which contains washing substances made from sugar, is specially mixed for me. Since my hair tends to be dry, Jana Mühlbach enriches the product with an additive of sunflower oil and wheat proteins.
Energy for the scissors
Energy for the scissors: just esoteric bells and whistles?
After washing, it’s time for the “energetic haircut”! Back on the wooden platform, the hairdresser pulls out a comb and scissors. But they aren’t on the trolley next to my chair, but on a bed of red silk under a glass pyramid. For Jana Mühlbach, she is the pride and joy because she had the glass container specially made. To me, the good piece looks more like a triangular cheese dome. What is that supposed to help? “If you align the pyramid to the north, energy is charged and the blades of the scissors stay sharp,” says Jana Mühlbach.
Pretty esoteric, I think, looking to the side in embarrassment. Then the surprise: When the organic hairdresser starts to snip the ends of my hair after drying it with a hair dryer that swirls negatively charged oxygen, I don’t think it’s sneaky for the first time. I don’t worry about sacrificing too much of my beloved head of hair or suddenly missing layers that I didn’t want in the first place. I only feel one thing: lots of energy.
Strong as a tree into the future
Jana Mühlbach’s private break came four years ago. “I was pregnant at the time and my mother had cancer. Three months after my daughter Hannah was born, my mother died of her illness.” Suddenly, life and death were very close together. For Jana Mühlbach, this experience was the trigger to deal with a healthy lifestyle. Fast food? Sprayed bananas? Didn’t come in the bag anymore! The next step for her was a critical look at the composition of shampoos and hair dyes, which she had to deal with every day because of her job: “I was really amazed at the harmful substances I was handling!” for Jana Mühlbach that she only wanted to work with organic hair care and plant colors after her parental leave. “Although my former boss knew that colorations e.g. B. can trigger allergies and even cancer, but didn’t have the courage to change his business.” So she dared to take the leap into self-employment and opened her salon “Naturfriseur.in” in autumn 2007 on the outskirts of Bremen’s trendy “Viertel”. The store is doing well because most of the customers come because they have been consciously looking for an organic alternative. It’s often young mothers like herself, but there are also many women between the ages of 40 and 50 who want to treat themselves to a holistic hair treatment that costs 49 euros an hour. in” on the outskirts of Bremen’s trendy “Viertel”. The store is doing well because most of the customers come because they have been consciously looking for an organic alternative. It’s often young mothers like herself, but there are also many women between the ages of 40 and 50 who want to treat themselves to a holistic hair treatment that costs 49 euros an hour. in” on the outskirts of Bremen’s trendy “Viertel”. The store is doing well because most of the customers come because they have been consciously looking for an organic alternative. It’s often young mothers like herself, but there are also many women between the ages of 40 and 50 who want to treat themselves to a holistic hair treatment that costs 49 euros an hour.
As I leave the salon, my foot immediately hits the middle of the rust-red pavement: “Heaven!” I think and suddenly understand the ginkgo leaf that is the large logo on Jana Mühlbach’s hairdresser’s sign: It is the symbol for life and immortality.
Öko-Hairstyling
Organic users can no longer be lumped together! One wears a pure natural look, the other an exact bob. Eco-hairstyling products are therefore also available especially for trend-conscious women. Unlike conventional hairsprays and mousses, which work with climate-damaging propellants, pump sprayers are used in organic products. Coconut surfactants ensure that a fluffy styling foam is created. The necessary hold is not neglected either: bamboo extract replaces the usual plastic polymers by coating the hair with silica. You can even find hair gel on the natural cosmetics shelf: Its basis usually consists of xanthan, a sugar compound, and aloe vera, whose gel-like juice also provides moisture. Although organic hairstyling does not set as much as conventional hair styling, it provides more care and leaves no residue.
Products: e.g. B. “Jasmin Haarspray” by Marc Booten, 100 ml approx. 25 euros; “Hair Volume & Shine Mousse Aloe vera & Bamboo” by Lavera, 150 ml approx. 8 euros; “Hair Gel Style & Shine” by Logona, 50 ml approx. 5 euros.
Organic hair care at home
If you want to wash your hair with a natural shampoo, you now have a large selection. But beware: Many providers interpret the term “organic” in a wishy-washy way! You can recognize real eco hair care by a seal of quality such as that from the BDIH or EcoCert. The special feature: organic products clean extra gently with sugar surfactants, but they foam less. Eco conditioners and treatments use vegetable oils instead of silicone. So that it foams more and the hair shines more intensively, some companies mix a pinch of chemicals into their products, but do not wear a logo.
Products with an organic seal: e.g. B. Shampoo Macadamia Orange” by Dr. Hauschka, 250 ml approx. 9 euros; “Organic pomegranate conditioner” from Schauma, 250 ml approx. 2 euros; “Bain Tolfioow Shampoo” by La Biosthétique, 250 ml approx. 19 euros.
Products without an organic seal: e.g. B. Essensity Moisturizing Shampoo” by Schwarzkopf Professional, 250 ml approx. 14 euros; “Nature Masque Richesse” by L’Oréal Professionnel, 200 ml approx. 21 euros; “Chestnut Shampoo” by Weleda, 100 ml approx. 5 euros.
Green light for vegetable colors
Gentle and safe: green light for plant colors
A touch of mahogany or a golden shimmer in the hair often makes us look more interesting at first glance. That’s why every second German woman regularly spices up her natural tone with a bit of color. Conventional colorations not only attack the hair, but can also promote the development of allergies and even bladder cancer. Gentle alternative: herbal hair colors. Instead of using chemical clubs, they tint with henna, chamomile extract or ground walnut shells. They are usually offered as a powder, but occasionally also as a ready-made cream.
The only catch: Big jumps in color are not possible, because hydrogen peroxide, which is used for bleaching, is just as illegal as chemical dyes for extremely dark coloring. Herbal hair colors are also only suitable to a limited extent for cheating away gray hair. To do this, they cover each hair with a protective cover that protects it and makes it thicker overall. This brings great color shine and volume! Products : e.g. B. “Color Creme Teak” by Logona, 150 ml approx. 13 euros; “Plant hair color reddish blonde” by Santé, 100 g approx. 6 euros; “Flora Ton hair color hawthorn golden blonde” by Basler, 90 g approx. 7 euros.
