"“A human being in itself already possesses beauty” (Adri van Lieshout on sustainable entrepreneurship)"

Natural beauty: We read a lot about it, but what is it really? How does your view on beauty influence the way you run your salon? Adri van Lieshout is a hairdresser and owner of Christiaan Lifestyle Salon & Spa in Rotterdam and has been operating as sustainably as possible for decades. “Every person has their own beauty and authenticity.”

Love for nature

“My love for nature started with my grandfather, who had a responsible farm in Brabant. There, on the bench in front of the house, he taught me about nature and birds. Especially about blackbirds, which—if you listen carefully—‘tell’ you what the weather will be like. In the 1970s, when I had just started working as a hairdresser, I lived with a landlady who was a nature photographer. He took photos for Natuurmonumenten, and I found that very fascinating as well.

My love for nature started to come back in my work as a hairdresser. With Christiaan, I shared the idea that washing hair a lot is not good for it. I started experimenting with henna and natural ingredients to color hair. I bought a cheap red wine at the supermarket and cooked it with henna to create a deep red color for the hair. Fortunately, over time, professional, natural hair products came onto the market. I had a great connection with Horst Rechelbacher, the founder of Aveda. He was originally from Austria, and I loved hiking in the mountains there. That created a bond.

“Natural beauty means: adding as little as possible”

From person to person

Nature is impressive. It possesses enormous power and beauty, but that’s not the only thing that attracts me to it. The diversity is also beautiful. No flower is the same. And of course, the same goes for people. That’s what natural beauty is about for me. It’s about honoring that diversity, the person behind it, who they are. In practice, this means letting go of routines and thinking about why you do something. It also means paying attention to your clients. In the salon, we really schedule time for the initial consultation. We sit down with the client, face to face. The hair doesn’t matter for a moment; you talk to each other as people. Then the client’s wishes naturally come to the surface.

Shampoo and a good haircut

In my vision of hair, nature is the strongest element. Every action has a reaction. The more product you use, the more it works against you. I teach my clients not to wash their hair so often, and if they do, to use as little shampoo as possible. A dime-sized amount is enough. This has never hindered my product sales. In fact, they are higher than average. I work with good products. With a good haircut and a good shampoo, the hair doesn’t need much else. My clients trust me because I never try to sell them something they don’t need.

A person in themselves already has beauty

Natural beauty also means: adding as little as possible. If you color, you only do it where it’s needed. For a ‘regrow’ treatment, I only color the roots, and not the lengths every time. We only do that once a year, preferably after summer, to spare the lengths and ends. And we tell clients that gray hair can also be very beautiful. With a combination of permanent and demi-permanent highlights, you can enhance it if you wish, without having to deal with regrowth. In my view, a person in themselves already has beauty. As a hairdresser, you can only add something.”

Text: Anouk Oudkerk Pool

Hair: Juliette den Ouden | Photography: Michelle van Dijk