Glamorous in Green: Catherine de France Offers Ecologically Friendly Hair Care

You would be forgiven for thinking – nay, hoping – that Beijing’s polluted air only has an effect on your lungs. Unfortunately, prolonged exposure to airborne pollutants can leave hair and skin dull, dry, and prone to premature aging, as well as exacerbating the effects of eczema, acne, and skin rashes, especially when combined with Beijing’s cold, dry winter climate. Thankfully, Catherine de France is not only offering treatments to protect your hair and skin from those ill effects – the salon is also using several ecologically friendly practices in order to do its part to help make Beijing greener.

The Xindong Lu salon has recently installed four high-spec air purifiers throughout the space. “We want the salon to be a safe, healthy place where customers feel comfortable spending a relaxing couple of hours having a coffee or a glass of wine,” says founder and owner Catherine. The air purifiers are part of Catherine de France’s wider commitment to improving both the environment of the salon and the environment as a whole. They recently replaced all the light bulbs in the salon with energy-efficient LED bulbs in a bid to reduce their electrical footprint and have made their day-to-day business transactions paper-free.

Catherine De France's high eco-friendly standards also have the added bonus of directly benefiting patrons' hair. "We have completely eliminated all plastics and vinyl. We are also very selective with our hair salon products, so we use an organic line provided by Helen Seward to help our environment," says Catherine, adding that the salon also keeps patrons' hair healthy by using dyes that are free of ammonia and formaldehyde, which are gentle on the hair and scalp. "We want our clients to know that this is a safe place to let your hair down and relax."

Aside from using high quality, environmentally friendly products, the salon is also careful to purify its water with top-notch filtration systems that remove chlorine and other contaminants, leaving customers' hair and skin far healthier. "Washing your hair in filtered water is one of the easiest and most effective ways to overcome 'tress distress' and achieve gorgeous, soft, and manageable hair," Catherine says. "Chlorine is hair's enemy – it can turn beautiful hair into dull hair, and even the most natural-looking, processed blondes into pond-water blondes.”

For those concerned about the effects of pollution on their skin, Catherine de France has developed a 90-minute cleansing and refreshing facial treatment (RMB 880, with a generous 40 percent discount available for patrons on their first visit). The treatment uses products from the WOVE Style range developed by Japanese medical cosmetics company Highside Creative (currently exclusive to Catherine de France in the Beijing market), including their signature Eposkin electroporation machine. The Eposkin uses electrical pulses to deeply cleanse the face via supersonic wave vibration (including removing blackheads and keratin build up) and help deliver treatments and serums deep into the lower layers of the skin. The salon’s experienced beauticians recommend adding WOVE Style’s Triple GF Essence II anti-ageing serum to counteract the effects of pollution. After the treatment, your skin will be noticeably glowing and rejuvenated, and without the sticky or oily feeling that some facials leave you with.

Combine your facial with a Helen Seward anti-pollution hair treatment (RMB 500) for complete dust busting beauty effect. Founded in Milan in 1969, Helen Seward specializes in professional hair care products. The products fuse tradition and technology, combining natural ingredients from Italy’s Mediterranean surrounds with technically advanced active components. Like the Eposkin machine, Catherine de France is the only salon in Beijing currently using these products.

Salon Team Leader Aurelien specifically recommends Helen Seward’s Radiant product line for polluted days. The products use a combination of fruit extracts and polyphenols to gently cleanse and condition the hair, removing all traces of dust and pollutants, which can make hair lackluster and difficult to style. Polyphenol is a generic term for the compounds found in plant-based foods with antioxidant properties. While you may have heard that eating foods rich in antioxidants is good for your health, it turns out they’re good for your hair, too.

The Radiant line includes several shampoos for different hair types, so your stylist will sit down with you to create a bespoke shampoo “prescription” (for example, my hair is very thin and I tend to wash it every day, so I was prescribed a combination of the volumizing shampoo and the nourishing daily shampoo). After shampooing and conditioning, your stylist will then apply a nourishing hair mask, before a final rinse and styling with a heat protecting finishing spray. The treatment can be booked independently or combined with your regular haircut and styling. Aurelien also gives the following advice for those worried about the drying effects of pollution: try not to wash your hair every day. Frequently washing your hair can cause your scalp to produce more oil (sebum), which can, in turn, trap more dust and other pollutants near the roots of your hair.

So while the air outside might be out of your control, at least at Catherine de France you can look forward to a brighter outlook with clearer, healthier skin, and hair.