How it started

We are Maria and Maria, and we own and run Green Heads. Our journey together began back in 1991 when we, as 16-year-olds, started hairdressing in high school with the goal of working in a social and creative industry, a little naive but above all completely unaware of how many toxic chemicals are in a traditional salon.

For Maria Cruseman, her hairdressing career was short-lived; just a few years into the profession, she was forced to quit due to allergic reactions to a number of different substances - preservatives, perfume, nickel, etc. She quickly had to change careers and eventually began working as a photographer and Creative Director.

Meanwhile, Maria Hellström first worked as a hairdresser in Sweden and then moved to the USA and LA, where she spent a few years. One thing led to another, and one day she was back in Sweden and opened a salon on Ekerö. Color is, as most people know, a big part of a hairdresser's everyday life and can also contain a lot of toxic substances. During this time, many eco-friendly and ammonia-free color products began to appear on the market, of which she used one, but quickly realized that it was not as natural and healthy as it was claimed to be.

Just because a product is produced in a factory powered by solar energy, or is packaged in recycled paper, does not mean that it is also free from substances that are harmful to health and the environment.

When she realized what the dye contained by carefully going through the ingredient list, she decided; she wanted to work cleaner than that if she was going to continue as a hairdresser.

Green Salon Certification

After research, Maria H found Grön Salong, a Danish certification for hair salons that work without harmful chemicals.

The certification is guided by independent and up-to-date research, and one criterion for becoming certified is to exclude substances that are on the public ban list. These are substances that are allergenic, endocrine disruptors and environmentally harmful (e.g. certain silicones, preservatives, dyes such as PPD/PTD, etc., and substances that emit formaldehyde or microplastics).

The certification serves as a guarantee that both customers and hairdressers do not come into contact with the most problematic substances in the hairdressing industry, to improve the hairdressers' working environment, the environment and the health of customers, while still allowing hairdressers to be creative and perform all types of treatments.

Green Heads

During the process of Maria H switching to working 100% green, she opened our first salon, Green Heads, in Birkastan . That's where our paths crossed again. She had started something unique and needed help with the experiences Maria C had gathered along the way. So in 2016 we started working together and quickly realized that we are both passionate about green hair care.

For us, it was obvious to start building something that allows more people to take part in a world where you can take care of your hair and be creative with your appearance, but in a way that is not harmful to either your health or the environment.

Challenging an entire industry

Today we have three salons in Stockholm, all certified by Grön Salong. We have a webshop with a unique range of green products from professional brands. In addition, we have developed Green Head's own color series, Plants In Colour , which is based on plants, as well as a care and styling series that is certified by Grön Salong and Peta. Two series that are sold both to other salons who want to work green and directly to our fantastic customers.

At Green Heads, the entire team is dedicated to working with quality, inclusion and creativity. We are not only passionate about our business, but we want to challenge the entire industry and push it towards a healthier and more sustainable direction.

The solution

Our mission is to inspire and encourage everyone to want to choose green hair care. Through an innovative combination of non-toxic and vegan ingredients, with a focus on maximum active ingredients and results-oriented function, we have taken a big step towards realizing our vision: a world where all hair care is green hair care.

Our goal is to contribute to a more sustainable world where beauty, health and the environment are equally important. We achieve this by making it easier for people to make informed choices about their hair care, without compromising on results.

Green Heads - Hair care with a mission