Enterprise encore
Better-for-You Beauty
Salon owner is an advocate for safer beauty treatments Robert M. Weir
Brian Powers
Brian Powers
by
The beautiful etched butterfly that adorns
a large window at the entrance to Suzanne’s Organics Salon, at 254 E. Michigan Ave., is symbolic of the transformations that can occur within the shop. “This is our logo, ‘The Spirit of Beauty,’” says salon founder and owner Suzanne Huffman-Chamberlin. “It’s about the soul, the evolution of the soul. We are always changing, transforming, becoming more beautiful internally and externally.” 16 | Encore JUNE 2017
The butterfly, however, is also symbolic of Huffman-Chamberlin’s own transformation over the years. Having started to “do hair right out of high school,” 28 years ago, she became accustomed to using the methods and products that permeate the beauty industry — products laden with chemicals. Then, in 1990, she took a trip to India that immersed her in Eastern medicine. There, she was introduced to the book Rejuvenation: A Wellness Guide for Women and Men, written
Left to right: Suzanne’s Organics Salon owner Suzanne Huffman-Chamberlin is an advocate for organic cosmetology; the interior of her downtown Kalamazoo salon; the salon’s logo etched on a window; and some of the natural and organic beauty products sold at the salon.
by Horst Rechelbacher, founder of the organic cosmetic line Aveda and acclaimed “father of safe cosmetics.” Inspired, Huffman-Chamberlin began to incorporate yoga, meditation, massage, aromatherapy, daily journaling, diet, nutrition and the use of natural cosmetics into her