VOORHEESVILLE — After many years of working in somebody else’s salon, Allison Tulio decided it was time to branch out on her own. So, in January 2014, she opened “bloom. Salon & Makeup Bar.”
Nestled in the Hannaford Plaza, “bloom.” offers haircuts, styling, and coloring, as well as makeup applications and lessons, and facial waxing services. But at “bloom.”, these aren’t the normal salon staples.

“I knew I wanted to go eco-friendly,” said owner Tulio. She has made many efforts to ensure her salon leaves the smallest impact on the environment possible, starting with carrying eco-friendly brands that are better for the Earth, and the client, she said.

The Use Me! brand, which is sulfate- and paraben-free, and Paul Mitchell’s natural-ingredient-based tea tree line sit by the washing sinks, as well as Paul Mitchell’s Awapuhi line, which comes from a completely solar-powered farm in Hawaii.

In addition to these environmentally-considerate hair products, “bloom.” also carries a makeup line called 100% Pure, which, as its name suggests, is made without synthetic or petro chemicals, chemical preservatives, or artificial fragrances. The colors in 100% Pure products come from vegetables and fruits, Tulio explained.

Tulio is most excited by the makeup bar that “bloom.” will be showcasing at its grand opening on Saturday, April 5, from 2 to 6 p.m. The grand opening will feature makeovers, wine, tea, and a drawing.

“I love making people feel like they don’t have to wear a lot [of makeup] to feel good,” she said. “It’s about enhancing their natural features.”

Tulio looks forward to a “relaxed, yet playful” space where people can come in, get individual or group makeup lessons, and just have fun without feeling pressured to buy anything.

The makeup bar sits in the back section of the salon, a table handmade by the father of her longtime boyfriend. Next to the makeup bar are a few wooden repurposed chairs and a vintage metal table. The walls are painted in pale green and crème stripes, accenting what Tulio calls the “girly area” of the salon.

The main area where clients can get their hair done by Tulio or either of her two employees—and former coworkers—Sarah Van Cleve and Amy Georgia, has matte charcoal gray walls with a glossy stenciled pattern in the same color. Sleek black chairs with metal pedestals sit on the wood floor.

When walking into the salon, patrons are greeted by a beverage table that sits on the left-hand side of the door, offering up teas from Short and Stout Tea Company. Short and Stout is based in Guilderland, near Albany, where Tulio lives. She also features flowers from a local florist.

Solidifying her commitment to the environment, Tulio has worked to make “bloom.” the first Greencircle salon in the United States. Greencircle is a Canada-based organization that gives its certification to salons dedicated to reusing or recycling color tubes, foils, plastics, hair, and other materials usually considered “trash.”

Hair cut at Greencircle salons is sent to a women’s prison in Vancouver where the prisoners get paid a small fee to weave the hair into mats, said Tulio. Hair mats are then sent out to oil spills to help absorb the oil.

Nature inspires how Tulio runs her salon, and it also made an impact on her decision of what to name it.

“I was reading an article and the word ‘bloom’ stuck out to me,” she said. “I actually dreamt about it that night.”

Now, instead of just dreaming, Tulio gets to fully incorporate her self-described passions of the environment, beauty, and local businesses into her life.

“My main goal,” she said, “is to make people think twice about what they’re putting in a landfill or on their body.”