Music by Little Scream "Heron and the Fox". Featuring Whitney Murphy of The Parlor. Special thanks to Dandylion Seattle

Whitney’s Journey

I was absolutely ecstatic when Whitney not only agreed to this project but voiced how genuinely excited she was to be a part of it. She has been working hard to grow her business, The Parlor while maintaining an incredibly high level of safety and sustainability. She explains how it always seemed strange to her even as a kid that salons smelled the way they do. It got me thinking too. Why do they smell so… chemically? It was fun to watch her passionately talk about her journey of finding out how to provide a truly nontoxic environment for her clients. Turns out it’s not an easy challenge, but as Whitney explains, it’s well worth the effort. It was inspiring to see how much care she puts into the health and comfort of her clientele. Even the thought put into her consultations goes above and beyond. Instead of just having her clients plop themselves in front of a mirror, she and her clients sit in comfortable chairs and face each other. This way Whitney can get a better understanding of their hair goals and challenges. They then make a game plan together. It’s truly a beautiful experience!

As we spoke, it became very clear that a great deal of salons in this country are not even meeting the minimum requirements of toxic safety… which is a little scary. Not only is this effecting most patrons but it has a negative effect on professional stylists as well. It’s a well-known joke in the trade that hair stylist’s careers don’t last very long and this lack of education about chemical safety has a lot to do with it. Whitney has a few tips for all of us to take steps toward a safer salon experience:

How to go Nontoxic

• Air Filtration. All salons should have the highest grade of ventilation despite how large they are. Most salons do not meet the OSHA requirements for this. More details here. If you own a salon and want to find out if your ventilation is up to code, schedule a free consultation here.

• Chemicals. For just about every hair product there are really good chemical-free, natural options. Whitney highly recommends Cult + King, Hairstory and Original & Mineral.

• Personal Protective Equipment. All hair care specialists should be educated on chemical safety. For instance, are the gloves used in your salon actually rated for the chemicals you are handling?

I am so grateful to know women like Whitney who are working so hard to overcome seemingly countless hurdles in running their businesses. But she keeps moving forward! All Whitney asks of you is to be mindful of the effect your hair care has not only on your own health but on the environment and even your hair care professional. All we ask is that you make an effort to support these incredibly important small businesses that are a big part of what makes living in the Pacific Northwest so special!

For Business Owners.
For Women.
For the Pacific Northwest.

The Parlor is the first in a series of mini documentaries filmed in the Pacific Northwest featuring the incredibly talented and hard working women who live and work in this beautiful area. Each one passionately tells their story, why they do what they do and what they love about living in the PNW. It’s our mission and pleasure to capture just a glimpse of what motivates these incredible women.

Do you think you would be a good fit as a subject for our next video?