Here’s a movement every organic beauty product lover can embrace
By Olivia Bloom
Biodynamic – As in biodynamic agricultural movement. Similar to organic farming, biodynamic farming creates a dynamic ecosystem using manure created on the farm in place of chemical fertilizers and farm grown natural insecticides in place of toxic chemicals to ensure the plants grown are chemical free while being as natural and of the highest quality possible.
To Dolcé Organic Salon, Med Spa & Salt Room owner Linda Machalicek, the passionate pursuit of all-natural has proven the saving grace of both her life and her livelihood.
She founded Dolcé, one of a handful of all-organic salons in Cleveland, after battling cancer by adopting a greener, organic lifestyle 13 years ago.
Her passion was taken to the next level last month when she was among 30 national contest winners from Simply Organic, the distributor for Oway (Organic Way) Products, to visit Oway’s farm and headquarters in Bologna, Italy. Linda invited her office administrator Michelle Stone along and the darling duo chimed “Arrivederci America!”
Linda began carrying organic products 10 years ago and is one of the few salons in Cleveland to offer Oway’s hair color, hair care and hair styling products, as well as Oway’s men’s care line and the Oway skin care line of eco-sustainable products made from biodynamic botanicals and pure essential oils.
“Only four percent of organic farms are biodynamic,” says Linda. “It takes a long term commitment.”
Ortofficina is the name of Oway’s farm in Bologna and it was first established in the 1950s. Due to decades of biodynamic farming, the farm’s soil is rich in minerals and alive with healthy organisms that make all Oway products so effective yet naturally safe. Every Oway product comes directly from the fields of Bologna, Italy, to Dolcé’s salon chairs totally unadulterated.
Always eager to learn more about her craft, Linda recalled her favorite part of the trip;
“We went to Oway’s education center, Spazio. We met the chemists who hand-create the products. They demonstrated the process of extracting essences from lavender and other herbs, drawing them out with water and oil. Then we took a tour of the family-owned farm where they grow the plants and the herbs used in formulating the products. Each plant is treated as its own living organism, interdependent with elements like the forest, other plants and the soil.”
Green Ideas Imported to the CLE
The ladies brought home more than just memories from their trip.
“It really made an impression on us seeing the way these like-minded people reuse and recycle everything,” says Linda. “Our guests will begin seeing items at Dolcé that have enjoyed a previous life.”
Linda says she wishes all of her clients who are equally conscientious about what they put on their hair and skin, especially those with cancer, allergies or sensitivities, could have visited the farm, too. “Our skin is our largest organ. Knowing exactly what I am applying to our clients’ skin and hair is of enormous importance to me and I encourage those clients to learn as much about the subject of organics as possible.”
Opened last year in its new, expanded location in Middleburg Heights, Dolcé’s devotion to wellness and beauty spans hair and nail departments, facials and massage, a salt cave and infrared sauna.
Dolcé Organic Salon, Med Spa and Salt Room is located at 18820 Bagley Road in Middleburg Heights. Hours are Monday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; Tuesday through Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.; Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; and Saturday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Follow Linda and Michelle’s journey in detail on Instagram @dolceorganicsalon. Call 440-238-5514 or visit DolceOrganicSalon.com for more information.