Changing Salons For The Better

As our tribe of passionate Holistic Hair Stylists continues to grow, we want you to get to know our educators! These are the leaders helping us pioneer the holistic hair revolution beyond the chair. As Educators, they help their fellow hair stylists gain knowledge and inspiration by teaching in-salon and online classes.

In the spotlight this month is Maureen Fox-Meyer. She owns The Change, an organic salon in Sartell, Minnesota.

What got you into the world of using healthier, holistic beauty products?

My journey into healthier products stems from my Dad passing away from pancreatic cancer. I was kind of lost and trying to find my path in life at that time. I got a Bachelor’s degree in vocal music and a minor in Psychology, but didn’t want to do music as my career anymore. So I had been cutting and coloring all my family and friend’s hair simply because I really enjoyed doing it as a hobby and seemed to have a knack for it. When my Dad got diagnosed, it really put things into perspective and I realized that the passionate career I was seeking was right there in front of me and all I needed to to was get my degree and get started.

Going through the process of my Dad’s cancer diagnosis and treatment, I started to realize just how important the things we use in and on our bodies really are. We did many natural treatments and dietary changes that really helped improved his quality of life and prolonged his time here with us. It wasn’t a fun or easy time in my life, but without it I wouldn’t be the person I am today.

I made a promise to myself before I even started beauty school that my goal was to start the most natural and non-toxic salon that I possibly could. At the time, I didn’t know if products like Oway even existed, but I was determined to find the best thing out there.

I graduated beauty school in the spring of 2008 and opened The Change, An Organic Hair Salon in the fall of 2013. I tried many product lines in my search of the best non-toxic color line and now am very happy with the results and healthy hair I now get with Oway!

Who has inspired you to be an educator?

There have been a number of great educators in my life that made me see how fulfilling it is to share your passion with others. My voice teacher, Mitra Sadeghpour, was really inspirational to me because she was always positive and motivating. She saw the potential in me and made me believe it for myself.

Cristina Hupe was my haircutting instructor and friend (we are about the same age but she did hair school first and I went to a 4 year college first). She taught me to be very exacting in my expectations for what students can achieve and to not settle for good enough, when you know they can do great things. Finally, my mother was always teaching me about everything around from rock formations to birds to how to make a million crafts and science experiments. She really taught me to love learning and that there is wonder and beauty in everything and everyone.

In addition to being paid to do what you love, how else has your hair life created value to you?

Through all the things I have tried to do for work (music, realtor, retail sales, flooring sales, educator, etc.) I find that the thing that gives me the most satisfaction is being able to use my creativity and talents to make people’s lives better. I get that everyday in this profession.

I get to use my knowledge, help other stylists, teach clients, be creative and get direct feedback about how I am making everyone feel better about themselves which can then lead them to making other people feel good, too.

Seeing the smile on my client’s face as they leave is one of the best compliments I could ever receive.

What is one of your favorite looks you have created with Oway and what products were used?

I have done a lot of transformations with Oway that really excite me. The latest work of love that I created was on a woman who came in for a color correction. She had never been in to our salon before and had 3 colors going on. Her base was a grown out 2 inches of a neutral level 9, the mid lengths were a level 7 gold that was so heavy it was practically copper, and her ombré ends were very golden level 10.

Her hair strength was good, but needing some serious moisture. We decided on a heavy highlight lowlight because she wanted dimension and depth for fall. My formula was 20 volume hbleach for the highlight that I painted down to where the ombré highlights started, the lowlight I used from root to tip; it was 28 grams 4.0+ 3 grams 0.7 9 volume htone. I used a heavy natural looking foil pattern and processed for 30 minutes.

I shampooed her with hbalance shampoo, rinsed and then I applied hmilk and left it on for 5 minutes while I mixed up a toner. I used 20g 11.17+ 20g 10.1 9 volume htone. After rinsing the hmilk from her hair it was a much better moisture content so the toner could take more evenly. I put the toner on towel dried hair and let it process for 6 minutes before rinsing, shampooed again with hbalance shampoo and finished with hbalance mask. To finish I styled her with glossy nectar and frozen glaze cocktailed together, blow dried and loosely curled.

Which styling tool/products are your best friends?

My number one product is Glossy Nectar. I use it on everybody! It gives me such shine and moisture while also protecting the hair from damage. I don’t really enjoy stickiness or overusing products on hair that I have just colored, so I tend to be a minimalist with products. Plus, clients get overwhelmed if you use more than 3 stylers on them!

I have naturally fine, curly hair and I like to wear it natural a lot- so for myself I can’t live without boho pomade. It gives you definition, takes down frizz, but adds volume all in one product. It’s great for second or even third day curls! At first the texture is a little odd, but just ignore that and scrunch it in- you can’t go wrong.

As far as tools go, at the salon, we have all recently fallen in love with the Epic Professional Wet brush-pro Quick Dry Brush. Its a vented detangling brush that cuts down your blow-dry time on those long haired clients that take forever to dry. It is curved to it grab more hair and is gentle to the scalp.

What is your favorite type of client?

My favorite kind of client is someone who has had trouble finding the right stylist, is possibly disheartened with our profession or needs a serious color correction.  I love the process of winning their trust and showing them that many of us do really know what we are doing and that they can have amazing hair again!  The transformation in their attitudes and self-esteem really give me a sense of how I  have an impact on a person’s life simply by showing them the beauty they already possess and enhancing that for them.

If you could makeover a celebrity, who would it be and how would you do it?

A celebrity I would love to make over is Miley Cyrus. She wants to be bold and edgy but it comes off harsh and unpolished. I like her blonde but would like to soften it with some peaches and pinks toward her base and give her a nice shadow root with a 8.1 brushed out over the blondes. The peach I would make with 9.43+ 9.0+ 0.6 and the pink 11.17+ 0.6. That would still give her a fun and bold image, but be more fitting to her skin tone.

Tell us what you love about educating others.

I love educating others because I believe that everyone should know the options available to them. I like to show other stylists what is possible and watch the process of discovery in them. Many people are so used to the ammonia-based systems that they are very wary about things that are new and different. I like to gently show them what can be and let them see it for themselves.

My salon’s name and motto is based on “Be the change you wish to see in the world” – Mahatma Ghandi. I believe that by using products that hold the client, the stylist and nature in the highest regard, we really can change the world.