Photo Credit: Keira Mason Photography
Slow Skin Co. specialises in low tox beauty & skin care and is the forerunner of sustainable beauty in Newcastle NSW.
Emma, owner and founder of Slow Skin Co., shares how her natural and sustainable beauty practices make a big impact on your skin, health and the planet.
Emma and I welcomed Alexx Stuart from Low Tox Life to Newcastle in September 2019. I spoke with Emma in her salon about Slow Skin Co. in July 2019.
Slow Skin Co. – All Natural Skin Care
Emma encourages us to be better informed and forgive ourselves for the things we didn’t know before. It takes “only 26 seconds…for our personal care products…to be absorbed into our bloodstream,” says Emma. An alarming bit of info Emma has learned in her reading and information-gathering about our skin and beauty products.
The Beginning
Makeup and beauty have always interested Emma.
Makeup artistry led to her real passion – understanding the skin and the strong connection with our organs – for Emma to become a beauty therapist.
A combination of learning about our planet’s overall declining health plus life and work experience, Emma realised how many toxins our skin and body are exposed to. “I couldn’t ignore the fact of the industry I’m working in, and it’s like, shattering the glass, with how much waste there is and how many toxins we’re getting exposed to”.
Emma’s journey to becoming a low tox, sustainable beauty salon began. Completing the Australian Go Low Tox e-course, the 35-day course instigated the change needed to make her salon an alternative to mainstream beauty salons.
At What Cost?
Products used in mainstream salons can help people with their skin, but when Emma started to critically look into the ingredients – such as preservatives, stabilisers, fragrance & the number of synthetic ingredients – Emma questioned “but at what cost?” to our health and planet.
Emma introduced more natural and plant-based skin care products as “plants have a more similar cell structure to our skin cells, so it’s more easily able to be recognised and metabolised”.
Many of Slow Skin Co.‘s clients have sensitive skin and prefer the organic sugar-based wax and natural henna tinting, without the nasty chemicals. The water-based wax is vegan and rinse-able, without affecting our waterways and landfill.
Supporting Australian
Emma has consciously chosen to support a majority of Australian products to reduce Slow Skin Co.‘s carbon footprint. Brands such as Studium Essentials, Quite Frankly Natural, Woo Hoo Body (also available online here), Wildcrafted Organics and Miskin feature in the salon.
Lowering Waste
Photo Credit: Keira Mason Photography
Preferring to use the prefix “low-“, Emma highlights how sustainability can be more accessible and open for people to start and continue their low-waste and low-tox journey.
As a salon, Slow Skin Co. prefers to:
- sterilise all spatulas for reuse
- use biodegradable wax strip cloths
- use bamboo cotton tips
- support Who Gives a Crap tissue
- use ethically sourced towels
Emma is conscious about all areas of Slow Skin Co.’s services and products, endeavouring for more sustainable options as they arise.
The Greatest Challenge
The biggest challenge about Slow Skin Co. is going completely plastic-free. Plastic is strong, durable and used in everything. Joining the social enterprise Sustainable Salons, Slow Skin Co. is taking another step toward reducing the business’s impact on our planet.
“we need to forgive ourselves for the things we didn’t know about before”
Slow Skin Co. is a local Newcastle business who’s serious about looking after our bodies and our planet by using natural skin care, choosing local products and embedding workable business practises into the service.
Go here to book an appointment with Emma from Slow Skin Co.
Discover Similar Stories
Find out about local Newcastle organisation, The Share Shop and why shopping locally is more sustainable.
Shop Low Tox Skin, Body and Makeup
Discover an excellent range of low tox skincare, body care and makeup from Australian online shop The Well Store. All the products stocked at The Well Store are natural, organic and definitely non-toxic to your health. Both The Well Store and Slow Skin Co supports a healthy body. I may receive a commission if you choose to make a purchase from The Well Store. Thanks for supporting French for Tuesday and Slow Skin Co. to help you live sustainably everyday.
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