Visit to hairdress salon Marcapar in Lyon

On February 11th 2017, on the occasion of the fourth conference of the Erasmus+ Green Salon we are given the chance to visit the hairdresser salon Marcapar, property of Mr Christian Roche who found himself forced to abandon his profession because of dermatological issues in his hands. This situation, far from discouraging him, helped him to discover a new market niche for a business opportunity, as the consequences of the use of chemicals are increasing and so is the number of people who develop allergies and intolerances to different products.

 

As soon as we arrive, we value very positively the fact of not perceiving the smell of chemicals that generally invade hairdressing salons. The environment has been designed carefully, with a vintage decoration in recyclable woods and a distribution with separate rooms for hair washing and the working stations for product application and styling.

The staff is also very attentive and helpful and tries to give answers to all our questions despite the language barrier. Most of Mr Roche's employees, like him, have suffered from some kind of allergy or reaction that almost alienated them from their profession because of the inability to handle cosmetic products containing these toxic and sensitizing ingredients, and yet they assure us that all those problems have disappeared.

Four of the attendees were invited to try the colouring products on our hair, products of 100% natural origin that they produce and market themselves; we were all delighted by the opportunity to experience in our own skin the cosmetics we had been spoken so well about.

 

My experience had lights and shadows because, although the application process was simple and relatively fast and the sensations during the exposure time were pleasant, perceiving only freshness and in no case itching or discomfort, later the washing was not so easy or fast and, in fact, even after brushing there remained large amounts of product residues attached to the scalp.

On the other hand, the resulting colour was of a surprising intensity and shine, far surpassing my expectations but nevertheless, the touch of the hair once washed left much to be desired, since it was tremendously dry, frizzy and ungovernable, not comparable to what it was before colouring.

Inside the salon they had an area reserved for makeup, displaying samples of Zao brand products, which they distribute because they follow the same parameters of natural cosmetics. We were testing the texture of the products and we were very surprised by the quality, the concentration of pigments, the packaging and the organoleptic characteristics in general, so much that we decided to acquire several of them.

 

The day ended with a fantastic tasting of sausages, cheeses and wines from a winery also owned by Mr Christian Roche. In general, the valuation of the visit is very positive, having enjoyed a great kindness and assistance from Mr Roche and his staff, as they shared their experiences, information and products very generously with us.