Verde Girls Give Back! By Sophia Abi-Kheirs

How often do you think about giving back or paying it forward? It seems the only time we're really reminded to think about this is during the Christmas season. A very special friend of mine left me with a simple reminder: pay it forward everyday. It’s very simple. It’s as simple as holding the door for someone, leaving a couple dollars for the next person in the drive through, walking a dog at a local shelter, washing the dishes, helping a neighbor with yard work, or just simply smiling at someone. This is something the Verde team and I really take to heart, and I will challenge you to do the same. 

During the month of April, at Verde Salon, we celebrate Earth Month. As I’m sure most of you know, Verde ladies love saving the Earth!This is a great time to shine a light on the small changes everyone can make to make a big difference. I am so fortunate to be part of a business that loves to support other local businesses, partners with responsible and sustainable companies, and tries everyday to make their surroundings better than they found it. 

KEVIN.MURPHY, our favorite and carried hair care line, does an amazing job of giving back. KEVIN.MURPHY is a partner in the Climate Reality Project, an organization that raises money, heightens awareness, and does their best to combat the effects of climate change. Climate change is a huge problem right now. Carbon pollution is warming our planet and in turn, is creating crazy weather patterns like drought, flooding, wildfires, and superstorms. We need to create a sustainable and prosperous future we can all live in. That is why, in honor of Earth Day, Kevin Murphy will make a donation to the Al Gore Climate Reality Project for every aerosol-can purchase. KEVIN.MUPHY also works with other amazing organizations who are giving back in a huge way such as Peta, Green.Salon, Culture is Life, and Green Circle Salon. Partnering with KEVIN.MURPHY is another way in which we are giving back. 

This year Verde proudly became a Green Circle Salon member. This amazing company allows us to recycle all the items that would normally end up in a land fill, such as hair clippings, color tubes, used color foil, aerosol cans, and excess color and bleach. Green Circle Salons takes all this waste and turns it into clean water, clean energy, and hair booms used to naturally clean oil spills. Talk about giving back! They are literally turning this waste into amazing environmental contributions. 

Can you imagine life without water? In the past, Verde has raised money for Global Water, a company that helps provide water for under privileged villages. While most of us living in the United States don’t have to worry about water scarcity, there are many places in the world where water is not readily available. These fundraisers were an excellent eye opener to really take notice to how difficult even the most basic needs can be for some less fortunate. Thanks to everyone's donations we were able to help a community raise money to provide water. Sometimes paying it forward is contributing to someone who could never pay it back. 

I knew Verde was going to stand behind their mission of giving back when my first month of being on the floor, Verde let me donate all of my haircut costs to the Wounded Warrior Project. I’m sure we all know someone that is a part of the military and who has sacrificed a lot for our freedom. These donations were very special to me, so thank you to all of those who donated, you all helped me pay it back to those who sacrifice everyday! 

Paying it forward isn’t all about donating money or who has the most money to give away, its about helping each other. One thing I love about Verde is that we love supporting local businesses. Supporting small, responsible businesses makes a huge difference. We get our water from Simpson Spring in Easton, MA. Simpson Spring is the oldest independent bottling plant in the US. They are small, family owned, and provide the best quality water and hand crafted sodas. They also carry awesome local products in their store such as Ruuska Pickles from Plymouth and Chica De Gayo artisan salsa and guacamole from Jamaica Plain . I think its important for us to be supporting local business. You would be surprised by the hidden gems you will find by doing that! I have been inspired to seek out small local companies. This helps the local economy, builds community, and is environmentally sustainable. 

What I want us all to take away from this is that it doesn’t matter how big or how small we give back. It’s about helping each other out. And who doesn't feel great helping out someone in need? It's honestly contagious. It makes them feel good, and you feel great! I choose to follow my passion in hair dressing because I truly love making women and men feel their absolute best inside and out. I think we can all agree that there is no better feeling than knowing you just made someones day a little brighter. The Verde team will continue to find new ways to give back and pay it forward.

This meaningful blog was written by Sophia Abi-Kheirs, one of our passionate stylists. 

Green Your Beauty Routine in 2016!

Now is always the perfect time to incorporate more eco friendly practices in your daily life. We all want the earth to look as beautiful as us! But going green doesn't have to mean washing your hair with smelly vinager and forgoing any glitz or glamour. Here are some tips to help do your part, and look fabulous as a result.

1. HEALTHIER HAIR COLOR: Lets face it, we are going to color our hair. And if it makes us feel beautiful, we should! But the experience of watering eyes and burning scalps doesn't need to be our reality anymore. Professional hair color has come a LONG way in the earth friendly department, and now there are amazing organic permanent color options free of ammonia, PPD, fragrance, parabens, and other yucky scary components. To learn the dangers of these scary buzz words, click here. At Verde we use Nayo, from Kemon, and it's a beautiful, soothing, yogurt-based color that even the most sensitive scalps love. Best part? Its full coverage, long wear, and so shinny! Color lovers rejoice!

2. SHAMPOO LESS: I know your stylist has been telling you for years, but washing your hair everyday is to much. Now you have a new excuse to skip a day (or two)! By shampooing your hair every other day instead of everyday you will use 50% less shampoo and conditioner, 50% less water rinsing your hair, and 50% less energy blowdrying. Sounds great, right? I know what your going to say, "but my hair will be greasy and flat..." Well, my friend, you have not met DOO.OVER by KEVIN.MURPHY. The right dry shampoo will save you time and energy, and give you the lift, bounce, and longevity your missing. Find a low VOC spray, or a sprinkle powder. I'd say experiment on the weekends, and see what works for you. Your color will thank you!

photo credit, GLAMOUR MAG

3. BAMBOO BRUSHES: Using sustainably harvested bamboo brushes is way better than a big hunk of plastic. Often, natural eco brushes will have wild boar bristles which help drag oils from your scalp through your hair preventing over drying and keeping it incredibly shinny. We love KEVIN.MURPHY's line of eco brushes and use them on almost everyone. These brushes will also not sit in a landfill for eternity, but rather decompose! Way better.

4. RECYCLE YOUR PACKAGES: This seems obvious, but sometimes when we are in the bathroom, we just toss empty products in the trash. ESPECIALLY aerosol cans. Most recycle companies don't take these pesky cans. If you have a bottle you don't think your local recycle company will take, bring it to the store you bought it on your next visit! Most companies can accommodate and will be happy to help you. At Verde salon we work with Green Circle Salon to ensure we can recycle everything except for food waste! If you have a can or bottle you can't recycle, bring it to us! Also consider, some packaging is useful and beautiful, you may be able to clean it out and reuse it!

Love: By Samantha Snowdale

Love, according to the dictionary, is a warm attachment, enthusiasm, or devotion. In more depth love was described as an unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another. Pretty great, huh? I was inspired to write about love after last months amazing blog on Gratitude, by Kendra Goodwin. In her blog she challenged the reader to think of five things they were grateful for. My list was easy.

1. My best friend, my husband Brad who makes me laugh and smile everyday.
2. My children, Wyatt & Clinton. Words can't even express how grateful I am for them.
3. Family and friends.
4. My health.
5. My job and the people I work with.

After writing and reflecting on my list I was overwhelmed with a feeling, being full of love. 
I wanted to take a moment to appreciate and write about love. Seeing as this month is February -the month of love- I found that topic to be quite appropriate!

We all have some form of love in our lives. Whether it's for a spouse, parent, sibling, child, pet, hobby, or job. It's an amazing feeling to love or to be loved. I think it is so important to love what you do. Most people spend more time at their job than they do at home, so why not do something you are passionate about? Everyone deserves the opportunity to live a life of fulfillment and passion. 

An article on Business News Daily describes the power of loving your job that said people who enjoy what they do are more productive, feel more motivated, have mental health improvement, and their job doesn't feel like a chore; to name a few. So not money, but loving your job can produce all these great side effects. Those all sound like great reasons to me! 


More powerful than loving your job or loving others, is loving yourself. When you embrace who you are it makes you happier. It is referred to as self-acceptance. According to this article on the Huffington Post, research suggest that self-acceptant people are more optimistic, less stressed, and are less at risk for developing depression or anxiety. Basically you can greatly improve your life just by deciding to love and accept your self. I LOVE ME! 

All in all love is an amazing emotion and we all have the power to feel it, embrace it, and notice all the love we have created in our lives; because we deserve it. 

I'd like to leave you with  a silly yet insightful quote.

The Impact of Gratitude : by Kendra Goodwin

When Ashley and Deanna told me I would be writing our first stylist blog of the year, I immediately knew what I would write about. January 1 is an interesting time. We have just ended a year. 365 days. 8,760 hours. What better time than now to take some time to remember all of the awesome things from 2015? Here is how habitual gratitude can help kickstart your year!

Studies have shown that participants keeping a gratitude journal for 10 weeks versus those who did not were 25% happier. Who doesn't want to feel 25% happier?? It almost sounds like an infomercial for some magic serum, but it isn't. It is simply taking a timeout of every day to look at what you already have, and be thankful. I remember when The Secret was really popular, and I read it for myself. It got pretty extreme at parts, but strip away all the weird magic and the real secret is gratitude.

Side effects of gratitude might include:

More energy

Hire emotional intelligence

More forgiving attitudes

Less depression

Less anxiety

More feelings of being socially connected

Better sleep

Fewer headaches

My favorite chapter in my favorite book, You are a Badass by Jen Sincero, is titled "Gratitude is the new attitude". How awesome would it be if we made our New Year's resolution to be grateful? It is a lot easier than going to the gym or sticking to a diet! 

Here are some simple ways to remember all of your blessings every day:

- Think of five things you are grateful for every morning

- When you think of something someone did for you that you are grateful for, send them a card or even a quick email to let them know you appreciate them.

As we enter 2016, I am grateful for my smoking hot, incredibly supportive husband; our healthy, strong baby girl; and for a career doing what I love.

Remember, Thanksgiving isn't the only time to be thankful for! And Christmas isn't the only time to be generous with your love! Happy new year and a 25% happier new year if you track your gratitude :)

*A note from Ashley, co-owner of Verde Salon. This beautiful article was written by one of our amazing stylists, Kendra. She is a genuine person who practices gratitude everyday. More info about Kendra, click here .

Taylor, October's Stylist of the Month!

Everyone who knows Taylor, loves her! Not only is she unbelievably talented and creative, she is just a total sweet heart! Taylor has shared some of her favorite stylist tricks and treats with us!

In her natural habitat.

Glo Minerals *New* Contour Kit- 20% OFF

Why Taylor loves it?

"I'm absolutely loving these fabulous versatile kits. The Contour Kits come with 2 deeper shades (one is a perfect bronzer) and 2 lighter highlight shades (one had beautiful shimmer) and they can double as eye shadow! The Contour Brush is the perfect double ended tool to chisel in depth and blend on highlight. "

KEVIN.MURPHY Anti-Gravity Spray 20% OFF

Why Taylor loves it?
"I chose Anti-Gravity because it gives you everything you need for the perfect blow-dry! Light hold, volume, and heat protection in one bottle! I also love spraying this on dry hair before I use a curling iron, it adds light hold, shine, and protection. Anti-Gravity also smells like lavender, I love it!"

Taylor's favorite fall trends: "For hair my favorite Fall trend is healthy hair! Everyone is coming in asking for big cuts to clean up dry damaged ends. We are doing a lot of glosses for shiny, healthy looking hair! For fashion, my favorite trend right now is all the bold Aztec patterns on clothes. Paired with moccasins or moccasin boots... so cute!"

Taylor is Supporting Shiloh this Month!

Our Stylist of the Month gets to pick one special animal at the APCSM to support. This means throughout the month all of our stylists will donate a portion of their tips toward Shiloh's adoption fees. Hopefully this is expedite this handsome fella into someones loving home. Shilo is a 10 year old rat-terroir mix, and he is a love bug! He loves walks and snuggling. He is friendly and sweet, a total gentleman. He deserves to spend his golden years with a loving best friend. Maybe it will be you?

Handsome guy Shiloh!

DID YOU KNOW?? A few (not so secret) secrets about Taylor!

1) Taylor is Verde Salon's very first employee! That right, she has been with us (Ashley and Deanna) right from the beginning. We all worked together in a previous salon together and we loved her so much she needed to come with us!

Taylor and Ashley on a tour in San Fran!

2) All Taylor's tattoos have an underwater theme. And she has got a lot! Her arm had an octopus, ship, sharks, buried treasure, coral and more. Her leg has a swan and sea shells, and on her torso is a lady pirate skeleton! The ocean is definitely a big part of Taylor's soul!

Taylor's newest edition!

3) Taylor has not one, but two motorcycles! This is actually how Deanna and Taylor met, in there mutual love for riding on two wheels with the wind whipping in their hair! (Just kidding, they wear helmets) Years ago they were both in a all girl motorcycle club, Chic Riders! Ride or die, ladies ;)

Deanna in the middle, Taylor on the right. Chic Riders. 

Taylor and her handsome guy, Ruscko!

Meet Kendra, Verde's September Featured Stylist!

September is the perfect time to spotlight our fabulous stylist, Kendra, because it is our one year anniversary together! How time flies!! Although, Kendra is such a perfect addition to the team its hard to imagine the salon with out her.

Kendra has been a stylist for over 8 years, but has been passionate about hair as long as she can remember. Her first clients being Barbies and childhood friends, nothing was going to hold her back from her true love, making everyone beautiful! Kendra is a real master and excels in every aspect of hair. From the most extreme makeover, to a precision classic bob, her work is always gorgeous. As an amazing listener with an honest heart, Kendra will always create a look perfect for each unique guest. 

Kendra's Products Picks for September!

KEVIN.MURPHY KILLER CURLS  20% OFF (its NEW!!)

Why Kendra Loves it: "I love that Killer Curly provides serious moisture and hydration to my curly hair clients. It enhances their curls, while still keeping a natural texture. Its perfect for curly girlies who want to wash and go!"

Glo Minerals LIP GLOSS 20% OFF

Why Kendra Loves it: "Glo Lip Gloss is one of my favorites because it feels great and lasts long. My lips always feel nourished and not too sticky. There are so many beautiful colors to chose, I especially love  Poppy & Peony !"

One thing we absolutely love about Kendra is her passion to learn and educate. Every time she learns something new, she shares it with the staff. Recently she became the salons first Kemon Master Colorist. In the year she's been with us she has dove head first in learning everything there is to know about Kevin Murphy and Kemon Color. She brings a fresh perspective and always has amazing ideas to share. 

One of Kendra's recent ideas is to sponsor an 'Animal of the Month' at the A.P.C.S.M. We will be raising money by stylists donating some of their tips, and posting about this particular animal to spread the word. This month we are sponsoring Cinder, a beautiful grey cat. Click HERE for more info about Cinder!

Cinder looking gorgeous ready for adoption!

In Kendra's own words:
Q. If you could style any celebrity, who would it be and why?
A. "I would love to do Lena Dunham's hair because she would be down for whatever hairstyle and we could chat. I think she is hilarious and intelligent."

Q. What would your 'spirit animal' be and why?
A. My spirit animal is obviously a cat because they are always in charge, and always do what they want. But can also be great listeners and great snugglers. And they have great hair!

This beautiful family with Kendra, Nate, and Rocky!

Since Kendra had made the move to Verde she has been having an incredible year! Aside from being an amazing, super-start stylist, she had married the man of her dreams, and is expecting baby-girl Kinsley in October! We are so excited for this upcoming bundle of joy, and know Kendra is the perfect role model to raise a kind, genuine,  and empowered little girl.

Meaghan, Verde's August Stylist of the Month!

Meaghan Morrissey!

August is the perfect time to feature Meaghan, Verdes newest team member, because it's warm and sunny just like her! 

Here are Meg's products favs for the month of August!

KEVIN.MURPHY Plumping Wash and Rinse 20% OFF
I choose the Plumping Wash and Rinse because this is the only hair product that actually does what it promises ! There are olceanioc acids that are a derivative from Biotin scientifically proven to work! After about a month you will start to see and feel a difference in your hair.  Don't even get me started about the scent, this scent is everything... I wish it was made in a perfume! Plumping was the first product I tried from Kevin Murphy. I've been using it since December of last year and continue to every time I wash my hair. This is my one product that I would bring to a desert island with me, it's my tried-and-true! 

Glo Minerals Sheer Lipstick 20% OFF
I chose the Sheer Lipsticks because they are beautiful and there's a ton of vitamins in them- A, C, & E! Vitamin A: fills in fine lines. Vitamin C: helps protect against environmental elements such as sun damage and aging. Vitamin E: is a vitamin that will lourish your lips with a ton of moisture, chapped lips are not cute in the summer!They also will last a lot longer than the standard lipstick which is awesome! The sheer lipsticks will add a pop of color without the feeling of a matte lip. I also love the names of 

them!

 
Meaghan graduated this year from Toni and Guy, where she excelled in blowouts, styling, and undos.  Since her start at Verde Meaghan has been a perfect fit. She is a huge animal lover (and is now the resident dog-sitter) , she love everything eco, and is obsessed with fashion! If it's glitzy or glam- it's for Meg! 
In the salon you'll find Meg helping with appointments, giving the worlds best head massage, and helping the with basically everything while she completes Verdes training program. But Meaghans talents don't stop there! She is now a member of our wedding team. She is a fast master of beautiful & romantic formal looks. Meaghan is also working wonders with our Glo Minerals makeup line! 

In her own words!
Q. What is your favorite hair trend right now?
A. I love hair accessaries! Headbands, bows, flower crowns... they add more interest to your look. They are also more fun and noticeable than everyday jewelry wear.
Q. What would your dream vacation be?
A. Bora Bora! They have these cool bungalow hotels that I am dying to stay in. I would definitely bring my Glo minerals sheer lipstick in color Bora Bora with me :).
Q. Who is your celebrity hair and makeup inspiration?
A. I love Ellie Goulding! Her makeup is soft and simple keeping the focus on one feature of her face at a time. It is usually her eyes, and the look is beautiful!

Although she is a natural at everything in the beauty field, that's not our favorite thing about her. Meaghan has this genuine kindness that is absolutely infections. She is so sweet and bubbly that she literally lights up a room. The whole Verde community is in love with Meaghan and we are so glad she's ours!