Joie Meets: Olivia Crighton, Owner and Creative Director of Glasshouse Salon

I was recently lucky enough to experience a cut and colour with Olivia Crighton, owner and creative director of Hackney's beautiful Glasshouse Salon. Set in Netil House next to London Fields, the salon is a haven away from the nearby bustling Broadway Market on a Saturday afternoon. Olivia prides herself in taking an as natural-as-possible approach to hair care whilst never compromising on style and aesthetics…

What is the story behind Glasshouse salon - how did it come to be?

In my early twenties I began to develop a passion for a more natural and organic lifestyle. I used to suffer from a lot of allergies and skin sensitivities, and began making lifestyle changes which involved using more organic products, from food to make-up. I wanted to incorporate this approach not only into my personal life, but also my work. Traditionally the hairdressing industry has been quite chemical heavy. When I moved to London seven years ago I began working for Organic Colour Systems as their head trainer. I felt like there were preconceptions that natural-based products didn't work as well as their chemical counterparts but actually for me they worked better and leave the hair condition more intact. With that in mind, I wanted to create an environment that utilised these products and also informed clients on the best way to cultivate long-term hair health. The general aesthetic of Glasshouse was also something that was at the front of my mind - I wanted to combine a strong visual identity with an ethical and natural approach, which I felt like other brands hadn't achieved before.

Tell us a little about the products used in the salon, why is it important for you to use organic/ mostly natural products?

It’s important to me because of my own personal desire to look after myself and my body. I’m also a big supporter of animal welfare and considering the environment. We try and uphold this ethos across the salon, from our shampoos to the coffee we serve and the cleaning products we use.

The Organic Colour Systems range is formulated with the highest proportion of certified organic ingredients (their colour ingredients are 95% naturally derived and at the point of use are 60% organic). I think using fewer chemicals is safer for my staff and also creates better results for our clients. We’ve recently expanded our product lines and launched an online shop for a little slice of Glasshouse straight to your door step.

Cult natural make-up brand RMS has probably been the biggest hit in the salon - their products are designed to care for the skin whilst offering a good coverage and range of colours. Amongst others, we also stock East London organic skincare brand, Guy Morgan, Japanese Binchotan activated charcoal products from Morihata, 5-free nail polishes by Kure Bazaar and many more miracle workers…

Do you find it easy to incorporate natural/ organic cosmetics into your everyday regime? What are your favourite products to use?

I try and use organic/natural products as much as possible especially when it comes to my face and hair. I have some long-term favourites and then constant new discoveries which fill up my make-up bag. I use bases by RMS, and love the really pigmented lip shades by Bella Pierre but also adore Ilia. Current new discoveries include a natural deodorant balm by the Natural Deodorant Co which we’ve just started stocking. The idea of a natural deodorant is particularly important to me due to its relation to the lymphatic system, which when clogged can sometimes lead to more serious health problems. It’s great to finally find a product that actually works and smells great too!

How would you recommend clients maintain strong and healthy hair?

There are two main things I would say are crucial for maintaining the hair’s optimum condition. Firstly is prevention and protection. I always suggest avoiding the use of heat and using a good heat-protection product (Organic Colour System’s Thermal 2 Twenty is a powerful, easy-to-use heat protection spray). Hair with a heat-damaged cuticle can be difficult to get back to good condition once it’s felt the effects of heat, therefore I highly recommend minimising the use of hot tools like irons and tongs. Reducing the hair’s contact with potentially harmful chemicals, ammonia is the big one for this - it degrades the natural protein and moisture from the hair which can lead to some of my client’s most regular hair problems - colour fade, tangles and breakage. Sodium Lauryl Sulphate and Sodium Laureth Sulphate are both commonly used in shampoos to create a lather, but can dehydrate and degrade condition over time, stripping colour faster and aggravating the scalp for a lot of people. Sodium Chloride (table salt) can also have a similar effect and is found in lots of shampoos as a thickener. All our shampoos are free from these ingredients.

The second step: repair. Hair in good condition is much more manageable and resistant to damage - this is because it’s more resistant to moisture and less porous unlike damaged hair. In the salon, we look at the protein and moisture levels of the hair and prescribe reconstructive treatments accordingly. Chemical or heat-damaged hair is often lacking protein - the Organic Colour Systems Power Build range is high in wheat and quinoa proteins which is formulated to tackle this. For me, hair in good condition is the root of long-term hair health - colour lasts longer, hair grows quicker and it’s so much more manageable. It really is that simple.

Aside from natural beauty products, how do you implement alternative therapies/ holistic living into your everyday regime?

So many ways! Although it’s always a tricky one to try and keep doing from week-to-week. Meditation is important to me, even if it means just taking a break from the day to focus on being mindful for 5-15 minutes. I love the Headspace app - it’s not your stereotypical meditation stuff, it’s much more approachable and has a really simple system that’s easy to follow. Working in a salon can be quite physically demanding, I find gentle yoga very restorative, it also helps relax and stretch my muscles. I get regular acupuncture and also an occasional massage when I’ve had a particularly full-on week. Something I’ve recently started doing is seeing a nutritionist, Danielle Heyhoe, who writes a well-being series for our journal. I’m a great believer in the effects of a balanced diet and seeing Danielle has helped me eat well to target my own individual needs. When I’m feeling emotionally and physically balanced I’m much more productive and able to be the best to my clients and staff.

What have you learned from starting your own business?

So many things! But number one, make sure it’s something you are truly passionate about. Running a business is hard work and you need to be creative and passionate when times get tough. I’m still only three years in and constantly learning all the time from each difficulty and success. And lastly be prepared. Prepared to learn a lot, branch outside of your existing skill set, and to work hard.

What does it mean to you to live a joyful life?

A negative and fearful mindset can be so narrow and restrictive, and I think the key to a truly content life is acceptance and encouraging a positive mindset when and where possible. I’m on a journey towards achieving this- I feel like I haven’t quite reached this outcome just yet. For me it’s been about learning to accept life for what it is and when to surrender to its twists and turns.

Find our more at www.glasshousesalon.co.uk

Balance

I absolutely love this manifesto. It sums up everything I believe about finding balance within one's daily life. We are constantly told how to be healthy by eating or avoiding certain foods, sleeping more, exercising more, talking more - the list goes on. While all of these things are super important, to me being healthy also means having a little of what you fancy now and again. Balance is so much healthier than restriction. How do you find balance? This is the Yin Yang approach to living - as my yoga teacher would say: each of us has both within us so embrace your light and dark sides!   

Moodboard: Balearic Beauty

I'm off to Ibiza in two weeks' time for some serious R+R, and neither of those Rs stand for Raving. I have heard such great things about the north of the island - all clear turquoise waters and chilled bohemian vibes, the opposite of the notorious party areas. To say I'm excited is an understatement.
All images below taken from Pinterest.

Behind the Brand: Dana Levy

Dana Levy's beautiful jewellery designs combine a bold bohemian aesthetic with a sense of meaning. Here, Dana describes the ethos of the brand and the love that goes into each and every one of her fabulously feel-good designs. 

How did the Dana Levy brand come to be?

My company was created kind of by accident. I have an art and design background so have always been involved in the industry in some way. In the '90s I relocated to Jerusalem after completing an art and design foundation course at Central St. Martins in London (and 1^st year of a degree in Product design at CSM), and completed a BFA degree in Fine Arts at the Bezalel Academy of Art & Design. Whilst there I began designing pieces of jewellery for myself and friends and taught myself various different techniques. When I returned to London in 2001, I made some yoga bags for myself and my flatmate using stunning silk damask fabrics that I had discovered when I was living in the Middle East to put our yoga mats in as I couldn’t find any decent looking ones, and we were both constantly stopped in the street by people asking us where they were from. My brother in law who runs an amazing marketing company advised and helped me to set up a website to sell them. They immediately received quite a lot of press attention and were featured in magazines such as Vogue and Harpers Bazaar. Soon after I added my first jewellery collection to my website with pieces featuring spiritual amulets and talismans such as the hamsa hand and evil eye charms which back then were quite rare. The collection was quickly snapped up by Liberty and I sold my subsequent jewellery collections there for over 4 years. The jewellery range evolved and overtook the initial yoga bag collection and I now focus mainly on my jewellery collections which I love and am really passionate about. Today they are sold in department stores and independent boutiques worldwide, and my complete jewellery and accessories collections are sold via my website. 

How would you summarise the Dana Levy aesthetic?

My jewellery lines are inspired by the exotic sights and traditions from different cultures worldwide. Each piece uses the highest quality materials exclusively sourced from around the world too. They incorporate beautiful symbolic mystical charms, amulets and talismans with spiritual meanings. 

There is always a starting point to my ranges whereby I look at ancient symbols, amulets and charms from different cultures and combine them with contemporary materials to give them a modern twist. The pieces must have a significant charm or spiritual meaning in some way. I never produce anything just for the sake of it. Each piece is hand crafted with love and attention to detail.

Many of these originate from the Middle East. For example, the evil eye, Kabbalah tokens and hamsa hand charms feature heavily in my ranges - these charms can be seen in many places, particularly in Jerusalem. The evil eye has always been considered as a powerful talisman to defy evil forces. It is an amulet believed to protect against the evil eye. The hamsa hand serves as an ancient talismanic way of averting harm by providing a ‘protective hand’ over the 5 senses. The kabbalah tokens I use in my pieces have various blessings (for happiness, Protection against the evil eye, Miracles) in Aramaic code on one side and its Hebrew translation on the reverse. The Aramaic blessings symbolise the 72 names of god. 

How do you set about designing a new collection?

I don’t usually design a whole collection in one go. I always carry around a sketch book with me so I am constantly sketching ideas and notes as and when they come to me. Once I have an idea that I think is worth developing further I usually prepare mood boards with collated images and sketches of my initial ideas. My collections usually come about organically in the sense that I may have an idea for one particular piece and work on that, and whilst designing it and sourcing components to make it, I will suddenly have another idea to create other pieces that relate to the original piece in some way, incorporating a particular detail or colour scheme used in the original piece, and before I know it I suddenly have 20 pieces! I spend quite a lot of time sourcing components for the pieces which is an important part of the business and one that I thoroughly enjoy too. All the pieces are hand crafted in London. 

What inspires you?

Primarily different cultures inspire me and fascinate me. I am always researching different traditions and beliefs in different religions and cultures and discovering their fascinating history and meanings. Places with spiritual energy also inspire me. When I visit different countries that I feel a strong spiritual connection to I feel extremely inspired to express the beauty and culture of the place in my work. Jerusalem is one such place. I think it inspires me in the sense that it’s still modern yet has such strong ties to ancient traditions and symbolism which is what I aim to do with my collections. It was whilst living in Jerusalem, immersed in the city’s rich spirituality, beauty, history and culture, that my inspiration for designing jewellery and accessories was truly established.

When you’re not designing jewellery, what do you like to do?

I love travelling but when I am home and have time off I enjoy visiting museums and art galleries which I also find inspiring. I really enjoy watching movies and am a magazine obsessive so spend a lot of my free time reading magazines. I also love spending time with family and close friends. I would love to start painting again but need the space and time. Hopefully one day that will happen.  

What does it mean to you to live a 'joyful' life?

Living a joyful life is to be surrounded by people you love and care about and who care about you. Life is short and unexpected so we need to make the most of every moment of every day as we never know what’s around the corner. Living in the present and experiencing things is really important and enjoying the little things in life creates the fondest memories. You can just be hanging out with your closest friends having a laugh and this can create a most treasured memory, more than anything else. Appreciating what you have is also crucial to living a joyful life. 

What’s your favourite piece from the current collection?

It has to be my enamel hamsa hand and evil eye charm maxi pom pom friendship bracelets as they are just so colourful and fun and put me in a good mood. They epitomise what my brand is all about – spiritual talismans in a fresh and modern style. 

All my Dana Levy jewellery and accessory collections are available to buy at www.danalevy.co.uk

Joie Meets: Libby Limon, Nutritionist and Yoga Teacher

Libby Limon is a health and wellbeing powerhouse. Her genuine love of leading a wholesome lifestyle is infectious and her approach straightforward and attainable. Read on to find out more…  

What do you do for a living and how did you come to be in this field of work?
I'm a degree qualified nutritional therapist and yoga teacher. I started yoga when I was doing my university finals when I was 20. Someone told me it was good for stress and anxiety so I thought I would give it a go. I was instantly hooked, somewhat subconsciously it gradually became a bigger and more important part of my life over 10 years. 6 years ago I became qualified teacher.

From my teenage years to my mid twenties I suffered from severe IBS which lead to hormonal and immune imbalances. At 25 I hit a crisis point ending up in hospital and off work for 2 months. I felt I had to take my health into my own hands - I healed myself through nutrition and discovered my passion and my career happy place. I decided to quit my job and returned to university to retrain taking a degree in nutritional therapy.

What is your nutrition and general wellbeing ethos?
Nutrition and wellbeing have in the past got a bad name, there has been a lot of focus on what you can't do - don't eat this or that etc etc.
My view is the opposite, it is all about putting the good stuff in. Nutrition is about nourishing your body with good foods, not avoiding 'bad'. I also am against extremes, wellness is about balance both from a physical, emotional and spiritual perspective. Everyone needs to find their own way, what works for them. I am just the facilitator and educator

Taken from Libby's Instagram

What does a typical day look like for you?
I get up about 6am, have a green tea and breakfast (I can't function with out it) usually egg and avocado on rye toast

7am, I teach early morning yoga class at FRAME studios which handily is right next door. Then I do my own practice either on my own or at Jivamukti yoga.

Mid Mornings I usually have matcha cinnamon almond milk latte made in the milk frother bit of our Nespresso machine.

I then do emails or write plans to nutrition clients.

Lunch I usually eat at home is either a soup or salad with balance of complex carbs, protein, fibre and healthy fats.

In the afternoon I either see clients at my clinic to give one to one individualised advice. Or recipe development for corporate or restaurant clients, host corporate wellness seminars, write articles and blog posts - my schedule always has different interesting projects which I love. Some evenings I teach private yoga clients otherwise it's a tasty healthy supper followed by snuggles on the sofa with my husband and pup. I love a good box set, Mad men and Game of Thrones are my current addictions!


What do you do in the way of exercise, and why? What do you enjoy about it?
Yoga yoga yoga! I love it because it doesn't feel like exercise! Although recently I have felt my body needed a bit of change up so have being adding 20min HIIT sessions mainly with plyometric exercises 2 or 3 times week.

Taken from Libby's Instagram

How would you spend the perfect Sunday? 

Get up and practice yoga. Then with my husband, take the dog for a long walk with a picnic via Regents Canal to Regent's Park, Richmond Park or Hampstead Heath are all our favourites. Head home for nice cup of tea and piece of cake (yes you can be a nutritionist and still have cake!). On a nice sunny day hang outside reading a good book catching some rays for the rest of the afternoon. Then a Sunday evening movie.

What advice would you give for kick-starting and maintaining good eating/ exercise habits in the lead up to summer?
Don't go zero to hero in one stint it will just lead to burn out. Build up slowly with achievable weekly goals. Find exercise that you enjoy and is effective I.e. For cardio it should contains high intensity intervals. Resistance is also important to build strength stability and tone muscle mass for stable body composition.

What is your favourite recipe at the moment?
I love a daily green juice made from celery, cucumber, ginger, parsley, kale and lemon. It is incredibly high in protective antioxidants and supports liver cleansing for hormone balance and healthy clear skin.

Taken from Libby's Instagram

How has focusing on wellness and nutrition enhanced your everyday life?
As it is my job as well as my passion it is my everyday life. I am 35, but I look and feel the best I ever have. My body, my skin, my mood health, my sleep, my ability to deal with stress, my energy levels are all the better than when I was younger. I am not strict I have whatever I want whenever I want, there is nothing (except fast/processed foods) that I don't eat. I don't crave things that don't make me feel good. That freedom of not worrying about my body or health is truly fantastic.

Find out more at www.libbylimon.com

3 Days in Ubud, Bali

I was recently lucky enough to visit beautiful Ubud in Bali. A destination rich in culture, spirituality and positive energy, I instantly fell in love. Luscious green rice paddies and bright blue skies make for a truly stunning backdrop to the established and abundant health and wellness scene. With plenty of cafés and restaurants offering wholesome and nutritionally dense food, open-air yoga studios and spas on every corner it's safe to say I was in heaven. My friends and I embraced all the goodness on offer, indulging in raw, vegan salads, wheatgrass shots, a sweaty vinyasa class and of course a soul-soothing massage. All in all it was the perfect beginning to our holiday - what better way to recover from a 16 hour flight?

There were so many places I wanted to see, but here are just a few of my favourites...

Alchemy

Situated just a 10-minute walk from our amazing apartment, Alchemy Café was our go-to spot for organic cold-pressed juices,  locally sourced raw chocolate delights (the peanut butter cups are to die for), and impressive breakfast and salad bars. This place has such a cool vibe and is frequented by bohemian types and ex pats. Not just a café, this haven of health also has a shop selling everything from superfood powders to jewellery as well as a clinic offering all sorts of alternative therapies. 

Our first breakfast in Bali didn't disappoint - giant green juice, a medley of fresh fruit, raw granola, chia jam and cashew strawberry 'yoghurt' made for the perfect start to day one.

Wise words!

The salad bar was abundant with such healthy and vibrant options, it was hard to choose. This is a combination of courgetti, parsley tabbouleh, sauerkraut and avocado (among other things!) 

Sari Organik

Set deep within Ubud's beautiful rice fields, Sari Organik is an eatery with a view. The menu is mouth-watering with a mix of local delicacies and vibrant salads, juices and desserts. We struggled to decide so opted to share a selection of equally delicious dishes. Their Balinese take on falafels was particularly delicious, as were the chicken satay skewers. 

Colourful and beautifully presented food from Sari Organik. A true feast for the senses. 

Rice fields in Ubud.

Yoga Barn 

At the centre of Ubud's Yoga community is the gorgeous Yoga Barn. We opted for an early morning 90-min vinyasa flow class with Les Leventhal, an enthusiastic and instantly inspiring teacher. Our studio was airy and open walled with a panoramic view of the surrounding rice paddies (a recurring theme in Ubud that never gets old). After a sweaty session we headed straight for Yoga Barn's onsite Garden Kafe and were in for another treat in terms of delicious food and drink. Feeling a little dehydrated, coconut water, brightly coloured smoothies and wheatgrass shots were all sampled in one sitting. 

Coconut water straight from the source - complete with bamboo stick straw, naturally.

Yoga Barn's Tiger Bowl:  brown rice, sauteed bok choy, cashews, steamed veggies, carrots, kim chee, marinated local seaweed topped nori and sesame seeds. Yum!

A selection of beautiful juices.

Wheatgrass shots to put a post-yoga spring in your step. 

All photographs taken by myself and Scarlett Santi Brooks.