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Do you know your Dosha type?
Even for those who know their Pitta from their Vata, do you know how your dosha relates to your hair and body? Aveda do. And they are hosting just the thing for you.
Next week, Aveda are running two exclusive botanical science workshops with Aveda’s Global Director of Botanical Research, Cindy K. Angerhofer, Ph.D: The power of plants: Combining plants and science to care for yourself from Scalp to Soul. The event will be a fascinating exploration on how plants and botanical ingredients combine to deliver high performance results for a better mind, body and spiritual connection. Focusing on a customised solution for each dosha type – Pitta, Vata, Kapha – guests will discover their hair, skin and body type and explore the powerful plant ingredients that are right for oily, dry or sensitive types.
The workshops will run on Tuesday 10th October at Bondi Junction, and for you city-dwellers, at the QVB on Thursday 12th October. Tickets are $25, and fully redeemable on any glorious Aveda product.
Grounded in the wisdom of Ayurveda, the ancient healing art of India, this is not to be missed for those with a keen interest in spirituality, and the relationship between botanicals and our bodies.
In the lead-up, we were lucky enough to chat to Cindy about her role at Aveda, and really how significant are botanicals to our hair health.
CAN YOU EXPLAIN A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR BACKGROUND AND YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH AVEDA?
I’m a Pharmacognosist, which is the study of drugs from natural products. I spent the early part of my career in academics doing research, then I switched over to the industry side and came to Aveda where I’ve been for 15 years. My team is the team that looks at botanical ingredients for their potential benefit in our skin, scalp and hair products, then we choose and recommend the best ingredients to the formulation team.
BOTANICALS ARE OFTEN CRITICISED FOR NOT BEING EFFECTIVE – WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS? IS THIS A MYTH?
I think that it all depends on how you use the ingredients. We don’t just put plant ingredients in a product because they’re pretty and look good on the label; we choose plants and extracts that have proven function. I feel very strongly that plants are powerful when used properly. We spend a lot of time studying and we have the people and the tools to use them properly. Some of the most functional ingredients come from plants.
AND WHY SHOULD WE BE CHOOSING BOTANICALS OVER THEIR CHEMICAL COUNTERPARTS?
I believe that plant extracts are natural chemicals from nature. I think nature has provided us with wonderful chemicals in the form of plants, so it’s not like we’re choosing not to use chemicals – I think that’s a bit of a myth. Plant chemistry is fascinating, functional and ever-evolving. I trust nature as a teacher and that nature knows how to use chemicals best.
CAN YOU EXPLAIN HOW BOTANICALS AND ESSENTIAL OILS WORK IN THE INVATI RANGE?
This is a very big question. We choose a lot of botanicals that really function to do what we need to happen in the Invati range; which is to help people keep their hair longer. Hair loss ultimately occurs due to ageing; hair density naturally decreases after your 30’s, and the diameter of the hair decreases after your 40’s – in women particular, all of which makes your hair more susceptible to breakage. With Invati, we are using botanicals to reduce breakage and condition the hair. We’re using them as soothing agents and anti-oxidant agents, to help keep the scalp healthy. We’re using a lot of plant oils that really help to condition the hair fibres themselves, and that is really key to making sure that hairs don’t break.
DO YOU BELIEVE IN HAIR DETOX, AND IF SO, WHY?
Well, yes from a standpoint that the hair is really exposed to environmental aggressors (e.g. smoke, pollution and those types of things) and that can be damaging and have a detrimental effect on hair. So when people are exposed to chemicals in chlorine and pools etc. we want to be able to not only cleanse the hair, but to have some ability to prevent those types of things sticking to the hair in the first place. Kind of a prevention tactic. We do have a professional treatment available in our salons that has the ability to pull heavy metals and other things like that out of the hair and yes, I think it’s important to do that. The most important thing is actually to keep the scalp in balance – a healthy scalp leads to healthy hair.
TO SECURE YOUR PLACE AT THE AVEDA WORKSHOPS, PHONE EITHER AVEDA BONDI JUNCTION OR AVEDA QVB WITH YOUR RSVP. BOOKING FEE OF $25 IS FULLY REDEEMABLE ON AVEDA PRODUCT.
WORKSHOP 1: BONDI JUNCTION:
TIME: 12 – 1PM
DATE: TUESDAY, 10TH OCTOBER
VENUE: WESTFIELD SUITE, LEVEL 6, WESTFIELD BONDI JUNCTION
PH: 93891105
WORKSHOP 2: QVB:
TIME: 5 – 6PM
DATE: THURSDAY, 12TH OCTOBER
VENUE: THE VICTORIA ROOM, LEVEL 4, QUEENS VICTORIA BUILDING
PH: 92643349
