A Note from Co-Founder and Master Stylist
A Legacy in the Beauty Industry
Over the span of three decades, I have had the pleasure to own, consult, and operate over 15 luxury spas and salons across the West Coast. I have been recognized internationally for my work and events such as The Rose Parade, ESPY Awards, Oscars, and Emmys.
Having mentored thousands of hairstylists, I've dedicated my life's mission to building the next generation of cosmetologists and beauty professionals.
How do we change the world? Morgan Freeman wrote - “One act of kindness at a time - kindness is a way for people to connect and care for each other." Inspiration to live by everyday!
Irreparable Harm To My Health
As a stylist who's tried almost every haircare product on the market, I was unable to find a professional line that checked all my boxes. In fact, I found that most are extremely harsh and don't live up to their promises. Like many stylists, I work with 8 to 10 clients daily, which increases our risk of cumulative exposure to these products, even if they are generally considered safe at "typical" levels of use. Over the years, I’ve noticed the irreparable harm taken on my hands, and I often wonder about the potential long-term effects.
So, I decided that I would create something new - something that surpassed everything else on the market. The result? AWARE Hair: natural-first, effective, and solution-driven products for daily and frequent use by stylists and clients. It’s time to simplify haircare and change the industry for the better.
Setting New Standards
As my team and I developed AWARE, I became increasingly frustrated with the confusing and sometimes misleading claims surrounding "clean" haircare. The reality is—once you know, you can’t un-know—that many of these products still contain ingredients that are potentially harmful at high levels of exposure. For stylists who use hair products 10x more than typical consumers, the prolonged contact with certain ingredients can be concerning.
For instance, products labeled as "natural" can still contain synthetic fragrances or "parfum," with some formulations containing over 3,000 undisclosed ingredients according to the International Fragrance Association. The reason? Most synthetic scents are common, widely available at low prices, and have long shelf-lives. Natural fragrances are rare and significantly more expensive due to strict ingredient requirements.
At AWARE, we have set our own standards that aim to be even more stringent than current global guidelines for ingredient safety. We've chosen to invest in natural scents that are not only ISO 9235 compliant but also imbue the healing effects of aromatherapy. We are not just meeting high standards, we are setting new ones.
Crafting the Perfect Solution
The Pacific has always been an inspiration for me — as a source of life, energy, and beauty. Along with our Research and Development team, we collaborated with experts, conservationists, and other stewards of nature to carefully source a holistic blend of ingredients from all four corners of the region to feature in our signature 9·1 Professional collection. Over the last several years of development and testing, we accepted zero compromises in the quality of our formulations.
Producing everything in small batches under the rigorous control of industry-leading chemists, our goal is simply to craft the very best products that we want to use on ourselves, loved ones, clients, and you.
Our journey is one of passion, artistry, and the continuous pursuit of creating something better. And we are just getting started.