Emma Page is an Aveda Institute-trained hairstylist, educator, author, and owner of Verdandi Salon, a carbon-neutral, clean-ingredient salon based in Atlanta, Georgia. After two health scares, she began to assess her overall health and how exposure to toxins may affect it. From this, her salon was born. She has taken all of the experience and knowledge she has amassed throughout her career and hopes to enlighten others via her salon and her book, “Cut the Trauma.” Let’s meet her…
Can you share with our readers more detail on why making cosmetology “green and clean” was important to you?
Of course! Going green and clean was actually the result of a very personal journey. In less than 2 years, and under the age of 30, I had 3 cancer scares back to back. In that process, I learned a lot about the stats for cancer in the beauty industry, and it’s terrifying. I also learned about the safety protocols (surprise: they’re practically non-existent). The harsh reality is that there’s not enough safety research being done for repeated or prolonged exposure of the ingredients used, especially for the professional breathing in fumes for 40 hours a week… I want to be here for a long time to enjoy life and see my son grow up. I want to be healthy and feel good. The difference in my overall health before and after cleaning up my beauty routine is astronomical. Our skin is our largest organ. What it absorbs matters.
How long have you been in the cosmetology industry?
I started in 2011 with the Aveda Institute of Atlanta. It’s been a long, wild ride and absolutely nothing I thought I would do in the industry. My original goal was to do hair in film, but then I found out what their call times look like! I’ve had the privilege of wearing a lot of hats in this business, and I’m okay leaving that particular goal behind.
Were you the girl who was always doing friends and family hair in high school?
Kind of. It wasn’t uncommon for me to be playing photoshoot with my friends at slumber parties. We would do our hair and makeup and pull out the disposable cameras. Oftentimes, yeah I ended up doing most of the “prep work”. It was mostly my hair that I did though. I’m sure I splashed box color all over the bathroom a time or two. I did my own hair for both junior and senior prom. But I didn’t dabble with doing other people’s hair much at all until after I started at Aveda. I was too scared I would mess it up, and I wanted to be taught first.
What do you specialize in?
Really, I specialize in a health-first, customized hair experience. I’m fortunate that my education has been extensive. My reputation is balanced between custom or corrective color, cutting to enhance texture (think low-maintenance, wash and go styles), and corrective extension work. Oftentimes, people come to me because their scalp or hair has been damaged one way or another, and they’re looking for someone who puts health before money.
What is your most popular service?
The Classic Haircut. I love that people can come see me just 2-3x a year and feel good about their shape the entire time in between! The Classic Haircut includes any necessary conditioning treatments and an educational style session, so you’re photo-ready when you walk out with no surprise upcharges.
Was it hard sourcing/finding products for your salon concept?
Not really. I count myself very fortunate to live in a time period where the awareness around the toxins of the beauty industry is pretty high. There are a lot more options than there used to be on the market, and they were fairly accessible. I think it’s great that ingredient awareness is becoming the new norm.
Any future plans to develop your own haircare line of clean products?
At this time? No. But I don’t believe in saying never, so we’ll see what the future holds.
What is one thing you wish you had known at the start of your career that you had to learn the hard way?
This entire industry was built on unpaid labor. It’s still an ugly underbelly of this business. I was definitely victim to illegal (and immoral) employment practices early in my career, but by the time I realized, it was past the statute of limitations. I wish cosmetology schools would have a course on industry-specific labor laws.
Do you wish you had gone independent sooner or were the experience and lessons learned instrumental to your growth as a stylist?
Both. I can acknowledge I am problematically loyal, so going independent was heartbreaking for me. My work team was like a family in a lot of ways. I was blessed with incredible education opportunities from rockstar hairstylists, both of the famous variety and in the salon shoulder-to-shoulder with me. I try not to live from a place of regret. However, there is definitely a part of me that thinks if I had gone independent sooner, I could have grown so much more, personally and professionally, in a shorter time period.
Are you the solo stylist in your salon or do you have others working within your space?
For now, it’s just me. I have opened up the search for the right stylist to share my space with, and I have the privileged position of being able to be picky about it. If it isn’t a perfect fit, I’ll stay solo, but I’m not closing that door just yet.
What sets the client salon experience in your salon apart from the norm?
Am I allowed to say everything? It’s not everything, but it’s an awful lot. For starters, it’s the obvious- products. Beyond that…
-There’s no tipping. Your total is your total and you don’t have to do last minute math.
-I treat you as a guest in every way. My goal is your comfort in my space, so I offer customizations to make the experience what YOU want it to be from the music to a mean cup of coffee.
-The vibe. The fragrances in the space are soothing and subtle thanks to the product lines. The scalp massage is a super important step in almost every service. And I build the mood around your preference- which leads to a lot of my clients becoming genuine friends over the years.
-The pricing. I work on session pricing. With the exception of color services, there will never be any increase in price from what you book. And in the case of color, it’s a simplified product and labor split instead of an a la carte menu, so it’s much easier to understand. Plus, you’ll never pay extra for healthy hair in my chair. All the way up to Olaplex and K18 treatments are complimentary.
Do you offer classes either in-house or online?
Currently, I offer one-on-one mentoring for stylists who currently are or want to go independent. On a request-only basis, I offer in-salon education for teams on cutting and coloring, customized to the team’s needs.
.How can our readers and stylists connect with you online?
You can find Emma at www.verdandisalon.com
Instagram at: @verdandisalon
Youtube at: https://www.youtube.com/@Verdandi.
