Interview with Rella, owner of Rella’s Eden

Rella’s Eden find out if you have curly hair and if you like natural treatments , a mix of oils, herbs and henna .

The first time you go there is like taking a leap into an oasis in the desert , a mixture of Africa in the garden, the Milanese one in the Isola district, not so much among the oleanders, but among the unmistakable scent and texture of baobab oil. , of the seeds of the persistent and precious moringa oleifera and among the inevitable jars of colored or healing powders: henna, turmeric , amla and much more. 

The fingers move quickly between the red blender , the scissors and the brushes, becoming soft for massages to the hands, skin and face, and the smiles are certainly not spared. 

And important thing you will have understood,  here the hair is treated first of all , then you think about the aesthetics, and you end up with the curls that literally fly!

A touch of bubbles at aperitif time – yes, because collaborations with the nearby bar could not be missing – and the game, or rather the “beauty night” is done! 

There are many questions, but let Rella, who manages this Eden with passion, tell us the rest.

Rella, many have already asked you, but how and when did you come up with the “crazy idea” of challenging the mainstream in terms of hair and throwing yourself in search of something more? 

Let’s start from what I like, from my curiosity to discover and learn about new worlds: having chosen a job that I like stimulates me even more, then my way of living in private life has given way to everything.

In 2006 I attended an Ayurveda school to learn more about the benefits of massage and the Ayurvedic lifestyle ; besides the massage, I was fascinated by Ayurvedic herbs for the body and hair , I tried to bring to my clients the treatments I learned at school and besides the excellent results I really liked the idea of healing with nature .

From there the research starts in various countries such as Morocco, India, Senegal, Zanzibar, Egypt, Madagascar to learn about the cultures of female beauty in every place, from the return of each trip I created a new herbal product.

In 2011 my line of hair coloring, face masks, natural oils based on herbs and completely natural, ” Hair Kitchen ” was born.

Read also  Karkadé wrap for hair, the recipe >>

Can Rella’s Eden be defined as an ecological salon? Because?

Rella’s Eden ecological? Yes, we wanted to create an ecological and welcoming environment for all ethnic groups in the world , starting with our furniture .

The project was born from a reflection on the recycled material, used in the construction of furniture and objects , where each piece is full of stories and memories, even of my personal life; so, together with the carpenter friend Massimo Turati , who creates the tree houses, we have chosen recycled material such as wood, iron and copper .

Ecological also for our services,  such as our hair colors, face and hair masks, scalp and length treatment, 100% natural “Hair Kitchen”.

Ecological for the choice of using organic products such as John Masters Organics , products not tested on animals, without environmental impact; we try to communicate our philosophy to our customers, why how to choose an organic product rather than another.

How do you find such pure raw material, is it easy to find it? What is your favorite product of all?

To offer a good service while respecting nature, the raw material is essential.

Today in 2018 it’s easy to hear about herbs, but it’s not easy to find their stories; Unfortunately, due to the companies’ fault, the request for a clean and pure product is no longer at the center of attention, so I find myself forced to personally select the spices directly in their place of origin , going to touch what I use.

Every spice chosen by me is already my favorite : sandalwood enchants with its perfume, henna with its coloring and restructuring power, indigo with its fascinating processing that gives it a color defined as “Berber blue” and finally the karkadè flower , which represents female beauty in India.

You are specialized and you love to treat curly hair, right? But what about straight hair? 

The philosophy of the shop supports the care of all hair types “curly, straight, wavy, dread, afro” .

In particular, I love the afro world, with the hedgehog we have many more requests because, with 20 years of experience, I have learned to treat them better, but without taking anything away from the smooth.

Hence the Velaterapia treatment for hair care , in which the split ends are cleaned along the entire length of the hair with a candle and a Hair Kitchen treatment.

What was (if there was) the almost impossible hedgehog case that gave you the most satisfaction? 

Surely the most challenging curls arise when girls with afro hair adopted by Italian parents enter the shop. Unfortunately, having no knowledge about the afro hedgehog, they are unable to treat them and often come with disastrous situations in their heads.

In any other shop everything would be cut, while we calmly get to comb hedgehog by hedgehog working sometimes for hours. So their smiles walking out of the shop with a nice hedgehog are certainly the most satisfying and rewarding.

Do you ever think of spreading your knowledge elsewhere or taking natural courses for hairdressers?

I already run training courses for my colleagues, and on 8 March 2017 I started my association “Hair Kitchen 4 Women” ; was born thanks to the generosity of women around the world who shared a piece of their culture with me, to help other women in Africa , India, to make them independent in every part of the world.

The ultimate goal is to open a professional hairdressing school and train those who want to learn about this world and make a cultural exchange involving various colleagues.

What’s the latest news you tell us about the new research, projects or treatments you have in mind? 

The latest research is in the direction of Senegal where we plan to open a vocational school ; in November I will return to start creating the work for the women of the village starting with the opening of a workshop to work the herbs and extract the oils with the village harvest.

The latest ones are: ” Summer Oil ” (a mix of baobab , argan , sesame , rose) and ” Hair Loss Treatment “.