[caption id="attachment_62850" align="alignright" width="460"] Duffin continues Organics’ employees hands-on training when they arrive at the salon.[/caption] Organics Salon offers hair styling, hand and scalp massages and facial makeovers, all while customers can drink a glass of wine or tea and eat chocolates—a tradition owner Nicola Duffin brought to Texas from her native England. Before opening in Round Rock the Liverpool native traveled to various countries working on a cruise ship. “Living on a cruise ship is like a fantasy world,” Duffin said. “You don’t own anything; you are living on a ship; you have no house, no bills.” Duffin said she wanted a more grounded job after five years on cruise ships and found a job in Abu Dhabi. After two years there she opened her own salon. There were expatriates living in Abu Dhabi but not many English salons, Duffin said. “I saw a good opportunity to open my own salon,” she said. “I catered to a lot of different cultures.” Duffin said she worked for members of the royal families of the United Arab Emirates. She said she had to be flexible whenever the palace would call and say a member of the royal family would like to have a haircut or facial at a certain time. Duffin said the lifestyle in Abu Dhabi is great for businesses. “They [break] between 1 and 5 p.m,” she said. “So I would close the salon, go to the beach and open up again later.” After meeting her American husband she moved to Texas with him in 2002. In 2004 she opened Organics Salon in Round Rock and a second location in Pflugerville in 2013. She has 16 employees today. Duffin said she likes to hire graduates from the Aveda Institute in downtown Austin and continue their training. The salon has regular classes to ensure the stylists stay current with trends. “It is not just technical training—you have to build their confidence, too,” Duffin said. “I offer them a hands-on experience.” Wanda Venter, an Organics Salon Pflugerville customer, said she appreciates that Duffin strives to make her patrons happy. “I’m very picky about my hair,” she said. “I needed to find someone that I can trust and really feel comfortable with. That’s Nicola and her shop.”

 Giving back

Organics Salon owner Nicola Duffin said she likes to give back to the community. She and her staff participate in a charity event each year, she said. “On a Sunday all the staff will volunteer their time, and we do haircuts,” Duffin said. “All that money we make on that Sunday we donate to a charity.” They have given money to breast cancer research, Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas, Texas Baptist Children’s Home, toy drives and a cat shelter. This year Duffin and her staff were active during April to support Aveda’s efforts to raise money for the Clean Water Fund.

What is Aveda?

Organics Salon owner Nicola Duffin said she prefers to use Aveda products and recruits from the Aveda Institute in downtown Austin. According to the company, Aveda products contain mostly organic ingredients and a high percentage of essential oils. Aveda aims to use only environmentally sustainable ingredients and materials. During its annual Earth Month campaigns Aveda raises money for environmental and social causes. Duffin said Organics Salon follows Aveda’s practice of using only organic products. “The hair color is 96 percent naturally derived, contains essential oils, [and] is less damaging to the hair. [Also] the colors last longer,” said stylist and color specialist Jessica Tucker, who came from the Aveda Institute in downtown Austin to work at Organics Salon. “These products contain very little water. So they are really good.” 2051 Gattis School Road, Ste. 190, Round Rock. 512-255-6763 1512 Town Center Drive, Ste. 350, Pflugerville. 512-251-6763 www.organicssalon.com Hours: Mon. 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Tue.-Fri. 9:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m., Sat. 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.