My name is: Helen Reavey.

My stomping ground is: New York.

I’m known for being: Celebrity hairstylist, certified trichologist, founder and CCO of Act+Acre—and all around spiritual friend.

I'm talking about: Act+Acre and scalp care.

You can find it at: actandacre.com.

Before I launched this, I was:

Previously, I was a hairstylist for 20-plus years, starting out in a salon in Ireland and then working my way to New York where I started working with high-profile clients and celebrities. This led me to working behind the scenes at photoshoots and every single fashion week around the world, which is where the idea of Act+Acre was born.

My interest was sparked when:

My husband was visiting me while I was working at Paris Fashion Week. I was telling him how the models’ scalps were destroyed by so much product buildup after a full month of traveling to all the different cities for the various fashion weeks. I’ve always promoted the importance of good scalp health with my clients, but had never found products to help treat it. At that moment, my husband had the idea that we find a solution for treating scalps and revolutionizing how the industry approaches haircare.

What inspired me to start this was: 

Aside from having a front row seat to poor scalp health impacting hair health, I noticed beauty companies bringing products online and the rise of direct-to-consumer (D2C) and e-commerce. Although D2C beauty companies were popping up everywhere, there was no one in the haircare space. As I was working to develop a product that I knew would be better for consumers, I saw the opportunity to take advantage of that accessibility to high-quality, innovative products. In addition to the product being great, I’m so passionate about scalp and haircare education, so having a D2C brand gives me the opportunity to spread awareness and education through content, which I love being involved in.

The idea behind it is:

Skincare for your scalp. Your scalp is an extension of your skin and, when not cared for properly, can cause the assortment of hair appearance issues that the industry normally speaks to. Think about it this way: the soil in a plant needs to be nourished and cared for and, if overlooked, the plant will wilt and die. The same goes for your scalp. More times than not your hair damage or lack of hair growth stems from issues with your scalp health. Removing product build up, using plant-based, sulfate-free and silicone-free products will open the hair follicle to be able to grow better. Our scalp care products range from scalp treatments, to your basic Cleanse (shampoo) and Conditioner. Updating your routine with scalp-friendly products will make your hair better than ever.

What makes it different is:

Most haircare brands speak about your mids and ends and overlook the root problem, your scalp. We focus on repairing and restoring your natural growth cycle to help you have healthier hair that looks and feels great too! We also work to create content to educate you on how best to take care of your scalp and your hair by breaking down the misconceptions and marketing claims that the haircare industry has sold to us for so many years. We’re a no BS haircare brand looking out for your scalp's best interest!

Our secret ingredient is:

Our cold processed method is one-of-a-kind and uses 90% less energy than your average personal care products (which use a heat process), and it maintains the efficacy and purity of each ingredient which gives us the ability to have fully plant-based products that don’t include chemicals. Better for you and the planet.

My favorite lesser-known detail is:

The scalp ages six times faster than the facial skin, which is why you’ll notice people start losing hair and/or graying a lot quicker than developing other aging signs like wrinkles. People don't really understand, when we refer to aging, it's not correlated to the appearance but the results of aging, such as lack of collagen and hair loss. Our products help to regenerate the scalp’s natural growth cycle, producing things like collagen and microcirculation for fuller hair.

This connects you to the earth because:

As a plant-based brand, we’ve adopted connection to the Earth as our core ethos. Act: the process of doing. A ritual. A moment of consciousness. Acre: of land and nature. A return to natural elements.

A relationship with nature is so important because:

Through consumerism, we borrow so many resources from Earth and it’s on us to make sure we’re taking care of the land and always giving back, thus seeking sustainability wherever we can.