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Elements Hair Gallerie on Sheldon Street in Prescott is dedicated to conducting business in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way.

Owner Gesika Brown avoids the term “green” be-cause she believes the term is so overused that it has developed a negative connotation, instead of the positive image it is intended to project.

Gesika’s idea of sustain-ability and environmentally friendly practices means that when you can: you buy locally, use organic products, reuse instead of buying new and share your success. “If you can buy your vegetables for a dollar more at the farmer’s market, you should do it,” she said. “You are supporting somebody in your community.”

Sustainability is really all about community at its heart, added Jaymi McDonald, a stylist at Elements Hair Gallerie. “I think it’s about education for people,” she said. “We have so many people who haven’t even tuned into sustainability. All they think about is getting the most they can at the cheapest price possible.

They don’t seem to realize that they have businesses right here that are promoting and practicing sustainability. ”Going organic in the salon business has been a bit of a tightrope act, Gesika said. “We are pioneers as a salon,” she said. “We don’t even know ourselves yet where the lines are.

We try to use products that satisfy both the glamour girls who still want to bleach their hair blonde, but also the natural girls who want to be chemical free. It’s definitely a challenge.

”Gesika said that ideally researchers should seek to rediscover the natural alternatives used by women in the pre-chemical days. “You know that in ancient times they had compounds that were healthy and natural to make their hair shiny or curly…all the things that we do now, only using herbs and not chemicals.

”When you step inside Elements Hair Gallerie you will realize immediately that you are not in a chain salon. The interior is decorated in thrift-store chic, which supports Gesika’s philosophy of reusing and repurposing instead of purchasing everything new. “Sustainability is about not wasting, but reusing things that we already have,” Gesika said.

“For instance, the shelves on the front wall are drawers from an old dresser and they make a great shelving system. ”Old doors and windows that provide a degree of privacy for the stylist and client define the three workstations in the salon. The workstations themselves are old dressers that have been refurbished. The washer and dryer were purchased at a thrift store, as were many of the other items.

The chandeliers were purchased at a local antique store. The one in the bathroom is especially magnificent. Sharing success is also key to sustainability, Jaymi said. “What good is it to sustain our resources if we are not sustaining the human spirit?” she asked. “Sustainability and spirituality are inseparable.

One leads to the other. Most people who are on the path of sustainability are spiritual people. ”In support of that belief, Elements Hair Gallerie participates in community giving. “The first stylings that we did in this salon were women from a local shelter,” Jaymi said. “They needed makeovers so that they could get jobs and improve their lives.

They didn’t have money to pay, so we gave them. ”Gesika added that blessings have to flow: when you give, you receive. “If the humans don’t survive because we can’t be nice to each other and help each other, it really doesn’t matter if there’s a planet left,” she said. Shahana Turpin is the newest member of the Elements Hair Gallerie design team.

The Gallerie is located at 514 E. Sheldon St. To schedule an appointment with Gesika, Jaymi or Shahana, call 928-778-0812.