One of the most powerful drivers of neglect is overlooking things. It’s easier to neglect things those either we don’t always see or think have less of an impact on things we care about. And it’s an analogy that rings so true in hair care, particularly when it comes to scalp care.
Licensed hairstylist and holistic, clean-haircare expert Brianna Davis, founder of Abl Hair Studios in New York City and one of the top professionals ready to share their expertise through bookable experiences and shoppable products on PureMaven, has spent more than a decade of her career practicing a hair philosophy grounded in core essentials. Earlier in her career, she grew frustrated with how many relied on quick-fixes – like a 10-minute hair mask to enliven dormant hair - and how instead of a sustainable approach to hair care, it was constantly needing to reboot hair to undo the damage we inflict on it, knowingly or unknowingly.
Brianna’s focus on natural products that are effective while also infusing a holistic mindset to haircare drove her to not just make the experience available in her Williamsburg hair spa but also spread the word through expert retreats and masterclasses. “My wake-up call was during my transition period of switching between using natural products and regular products. I saw a big difference, and this didn’t register with many salon owners, but at one point, I asked myself: “what are we doing to people’s hair?”
And by extension, what are we doing to our scalps? Because we don’t see the scalp the way we instantly see hair in the mirror in our daily rituals, we become overly focused on how the hair looks and is styled, hardly giving a second thought to where the hair actually originates and doing more harm than good when we just use one bad product after another to get instant, short-sighted results. “You cannot expect good hair from an unhealthy scalp,” Brianna says, and adds, “We all get facials and massages, but we don’t have anything like that for hair in terms of the mind, body, and soul aspects to the service.”
Most importantly, Brianna believes in customizing an approach to a client’s hair, something that we can all start by “listening” to what your scalp and hair are telling you. At Abl Hair Studios, Brianna emphasizes, “we’ll start with a consultation, and I’ll look at their scalp and I’ll tell them where they need to detox or where to put more volume or moisturizer.”
Getting to the root of the matter instead of just treating symptoms is a fundamental tenet of any effective self-care act. It’s a mindset shift, and one that’s not always easy, but the rewards can go on for a long time if you do invest in getting on the right path.
Fortunately, every now and then we can get expert help to get ourselves started. Take part in Brianna’s Maven Masterclass on scalp care in which The Yard and PureMaven are sponsoring four (4) complimentary slots, expertly curated product kits included!
Here’s how you can win a slot:
Follow both @theyard and @puremaven on Instagram so your participation gets a direct route to our inboxes
Create a free PureMaven account (or have an existing one) to access more expert wellness guidance
Share an Instagram post, reel, or story of any self-care act that inspires using the hashtags #BeKindToYourself #WellnessWednesday and tagging both @theyard and @puremaven.
#BeKindToYourself @puremaven @theyard