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From Farm to Manicure
Is a garden the new must-have addition to a salon setup? More salons are growing their own herbs, fruits, and vegetables for use in scrubs, manicures, and pedicures.
December 24, 2013
3 min to read
Tracey’s Beauty Salon
Cape Town, South Africa
Tracey’s Beauty Salon, a home-based salon, grows lemongrass, strawberries, lavender, mint, fennel, rosemary, and lemons to use in scrubs, manicures, and pedicures. “I blend lemongrass, mint, or lavender with organic brown sugar until it’s the right consistency,” says salon owner Tracey Biddulph. “I use strawberries in my Strawberry Smoothie manicure, which is blended with sugar, oil, and honey for a nourishing scrub/mask combo.”
Biddulph switched to home-grown ingredients to demonstrate that her salon is truly organic and free from pesticides. One of the biggest challenges has been balancing usage with production. “I tend to use the plant up before it can really grow.” Additionally, fruits and vegetables are seasonal so the treatment menu varies from season to season.
The French Job Nail Boutique
Emmarentia, Johannesburg, South Africa
In order to boost the visual appeal of their salon, Bennie and Haneke Oosthuizen converted their nail boutique courtyard into a large vegetable and herb garden. As clients walk up, they can select which herb they would like used in their service.
The ingredients are mainly used in scrubs for manicures and pedicures. “Clients can see exactly what is going into it and it makes them feel special to see the extra effort,” Haneke says.
A garden requires time, maintenance, and plenty of TLC, according to Haneke. “It is a challenge just to get your herb patch growing at its best,” she explains. “Research the herb including where it should grow and how much water or sunlight it needs.”
Karma Organic Spa
Ridgewood, N.J.
Fresh rosemary, mint, and lavender are main staples at Karma Organic Spa. “We think it is very important to use natural elements in our beauty treatments,” says owner Nausil Zaheer. The salon features manicures and pedicures based on the ingredients, including the rosemary mint manicure and lavender pedicure. Additionally, the fresh mint is used in the green tea pedicure. The natural oils in each of the ingredients have medicinal properties that are beneficial to customers and unique to the salon.
“During the summer months we grow rosemary, mint, and lavender in our planters, and our customers are very generous with the excess from their gardens!” Zaheer says. “During the winter we are at the mercy of Whole Foods. We enjoy the warmer months, as there is nothing better than fresh-picked and the price is so much less expensive.”
The fresh ingredients also help the salon with its retail products. Clients are inclined to purchase a bottle of essential oil after they read all the benefits and experience the service.
Fresh Spa Market
Wichita, Kan.
Before incorporating a garden into Fresh Spa Market’s landscaping in spring 2013, owner Jessica Padgett sourced ingredients online — despite the fact that she also had herbs growing in her backyard. Variations of mint and chamomile now grow onsite.
The ingredients are used for the spa’s monthly pedicure specials as well as a scrub of the month. In the fall and winter, the salon also features homemade tub teas that utilize whatever has been plentiful throughout the growing season. Additionally, the spa creates a modified version of the tub teas to use as eye masks in the facials.
“We grow our own ingredients to control the quality and emphasize our philosophy that simple and pure is better,” Padgett says. “Our customers should be as concerned about what goes on their body as what goes in their body.”
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