Page 15 - San Diego Woman Amy Haber Issue

Women of Distinction

Mindy Nguyen to find organic products. I tried
different lines and different processes.
Eventually, I found a few products
that were made with mostly organ-
ic ingredients. Not 100%, but still
much better than the toxic chemicals
Healthy Hair, Healthy Color that are so widely used in the beauty
industry, even today.”
She offered these products to her
By Judith A. Habert clients and noticed positive results.

Photos by Duane Chevalier/Duane's But other stylists were hesitant to
Photography follow her lead. So while she had
improved her own area, she was still
I recently sat down with Mindy Nguyen to working inside a salon permeated
learn about her local hair salon, and the with fumes from hair color, nail pol-
unique chemical-free hair color service she ish, polish remover, and other harsh
is offering. chemicals. She decided that the only
way to create a toxic free workspace
was to open her own salon. Which
n 1975 the North Vietnamese junior year in high school, she stud- she did, in 2005, christening it “MAI
Communist Army defeated the ied cosmetology at a beauty college Blossom”, an eco-wellness salon.
ISouth Vietnamese Army and its through an Occupational Program.
American allies. As they invaded Before earning her diploma she had
Saigon, the country fell into chaos already received her cosmetology
and violence, and South Vietnamese license and was working in a family
civilians were targeted by the North. salon as she graduated high school.
Mindy Nguyen’s family fled the city During the early years of her
and managed to make their way to career, the world was becoming more
the seaside town of Vung Tau. By and more aware of the importance
sheer luck, or some divine interven- of natural and organic products. But
tion, they escaped on an overcrowded most of the focus was on the food in-
fishing boat. Mindy had just turned dustry, and little attention was paid to
seven. She remembers hearing the beauty industry. Mindy had been
gunshots on the streets behind them busy building a successful reputation
as they boarded amid the turmoil and and a loyal clientele. But as the years
mass exodus. went by, she became highly sensitive
It would be more than a year, and to the harsh chemicals and fumes.
numerous stops, before the family She began researching healthier hair
would arrive in the United States, color, and it was then that she discov-
sponsored by a church in Nebraska. ered the potentially harmful effects
None of them spoke English. But of the chemicals in hair color and
they had already beaten the hardest beauty products. She came to realize
odds of their journey, escaping a that if she wanted to continue in this
war-torn country halfway around the field, she had to find an alternative
world. Together, they set their resolve way - an organic, non-toxic approach
to make it in this new country, this to hair color. She needed to bring
new home. The family’s path in the organic awareness that had been
America took them to several differ- building elsewhere into her salon.
ent cities, and by the time Mindy was Both for her own health, and that of
in high school, she was living in San her clients.
Diego. It took a long time for her to Many of her clients followed her
Those trying early childhood find these alternative products. The to the new location. Over the years,
experiences of fleeing her home organic movement was slow to take largely through word-of-mouth, the
under threat of violence, and landing hold in the beauty industry compared salon grew, became successful, and
in a completely foreign nation, helped to food, and availability was limited. continues to thrive today. It’s a clean
forge in Mindy a resilient, coura- As she noted in our interview, “When environment, with a tranquil feel,
geous, and ambitious spirit. In her I first started it was very difficult and free from any of the usual strong

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