Chemical-fumed hair salons are not usually considered eco-friendly spaces, so when Emmanuel Faipoux announced that he wanted to open Hong Kong's first green hair salon and spa, quite a few eyebrows were raised. Emmanuel F. - Eco Hair and Beauty Couture opened on January 9 this year and has seen a steady increase in new clients who want to improve the environment and their hair.
'It all comes down to the consumer's health and, for me, the connection between health and beauty is paramount,' says Faipoux, who is also the head hairdresser at the salon. 'People look better when they feel better.'
Faipoux, 45, says not all customers feel the same way. Some treasure health over looks, but for others, 'at the end of the day, they just want to be beautiful'. The reason the salon is a success, Faipoux says, is because 'we don't force them to choose between the two'.
When the original Emmanuel F. salon opened on Pottinger Street more than six years ago, Faipoux was using the same chemical-heavy products as everyone else. It wasn't until three years ago that he started introducing more natural products and the response, he says, was excellent.
'Before, people didn't come to me because of the products I used; they came to me because I gave good haircuts. When I started recommending more natural products, they saw that as a bonus, and as word spread, I started gaining clients.'
Faipoux started looking for healthier alternatives to his usual salon products because he realised they clashed with his eco-friendly philosophy outside of work. He and his wife, S?verine, had started eating organic food and buying eco-friendly products at home, and he wanted his professional practices to reflect his lifestyle.