Taking care of customers after they leave

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This article was published 27/02/2017 (3294 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Angela Van Hussen believes in keeping things natural.

Van Hussen is the owner and operator of Van Hussen & Sons Windsor Barber Shop, which operates out of Kenneth’s Hairstyling and Barbering at 599 Archibald St. in St. Boniface.

A master barber and stylist, Van Hussen has recently launched her own line of natural products, which are on sale in the shop and include pre-shave oil, shave soap, beard oil and aftershave, to name a few. The packaging and labelling alone have taken more than two years to create and perfect — in part, to bring the labelling in line with Canadian laws, Van Hussen said.

“The response has been great so far,” said Van Hussen, who moved into the shop in late 2015 from her business’ previous location at 713 St. Mary’s Rd.

“I think people are definitely beginning to think about what goes into the products they use. As a professional in this industry, I want to know what I’m putting on your body. Your skin absorbs more than your stomach, yet they are not regulating cosmetics in the same way as food,” she added.  

With this in mind, Van Hussen began her extensive research and began testing the water by making products, starting with shave soap and aftershave.

“It went from there. I’m using organic, eco-friendly ingredients because I want to make something that’s chemical-free and environmentally-friendly. Every day at the salon, I’d be washing liquids down the drain and I started thinking about how we’re connected as a community and how we should try and avoid polluting the environment,” she said.

Van Hussen uses many locally-sourced ingredients to make her products, many of which can be found in a kitchen pantry, such as olive oil, sunflower oil, coconut oil and beeswax. The ingredients in one her products, a bay rum aftershave, include rum, bay leaves, all spice, cinnamon, cloves and orange. She makes all of her own products, except for her shampoo and conditioner, which is manufactured by Di Erbe Inc., which is based in St. Boniface.

While some of her products come in glass bottles with droppers, others are contained in BPA-free plastic containers, Van Hussen said.

“This means it’s not leaching chemicals into the product. They can also be sterilized and reused, when my clients can bring them back and I’ll refill them for them. It’s important for me to promote reusing, with a small incentive for people to do that. This way, we’re hopefully not filling landfills with this stuff.”

One of the characteristics of Van Hussen’s new product line is a less is more mantra typified by a bar of soap that users can shave with, shower with and wash their hair with.

“This creates less waste and eliminates three bottles from the shower. It’s a great way to cut down on waste,” she said.

And while Van Hussen does make products for women, the majority of her line is aimed at men, which make up the majority of her clients, which does have a fringe benefit.

“My line is also perfect for the man that’s running late and needs to buy a Valentine’s Day gift or birthday gift for his loved one,” Van Hussen said.

Visit Van Hussen & Sons Windsor Barber Shop on Facebook for more information.

simon.fuller@canstarnews.com

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