INSTYLE May-June 2019

INFEATURE
NATURAL
WORLD
WHEN IT COMES TO NATULIQUE, IT’S
MORE THAN A BRAND. IT’S A PHILOSOPHY,
FAMILY AND COMMUNITY – SAYS AUSSIE
HAIR HERO BRYAN THOMSON-DIPALMA,
WHOSE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE BRAND
SUITS A LIFESTYLE, LOCALE AND MENTALITY
DEDICATED TO WELLNESS.
Bryan Thomson-Dipalma is one of Australian hair’s most
celebrated returned exports, as a Hair Expo Colourist of
the Year, international TV, film and fashion hairdresser
and salon owner. In 2019, he, his husband and his son
have left the bustling streets of New York to live in sunny
Tasmania, with an enshrined philosophy of natural health and
wellness, a major facet of his partnership with Natulique.
Bryan’s career in hair began in Brisbane and quickly moved
to Sydney, where his apprenticeship led to salon ownership and
work in the glamourous backstage settings of major entertainment
productions, first in Sydney, then in New York. Throughout this
journey, Bryan’s talent and many international connections and
collaborations catapulted his career, but his core ethos and values
geared towards health and wellness remained omnipresent.
“ I was involved in my own personal wellness, I used more natural
products in my life with organic food and practiced meditation so
I ended up learning more about herbalism, I did a clinical training
program in the US, and that made me always curious about including
that part of my life in my professional life,” he said. “There weren’t
really a lot of products at that time that were focusing on improving
in that area, especially hair colour products, that would deliver the
results that clients and hairdressers were looking for.”
These values led him to two important discoveries that would
change his personal and professional life. First, a visit to see a family
member in Tasmania altered his path irrevocably, sparking a move
from frenetic New York to the calm shores of Tasmania, defined by its
greenery, fresh air and community spirit.
“It’s been an incredible experience for us to move here because
while it was a huge undertaking it was kind of like Tasmania opened
up its arms and welcomed us and we’ve had an incredibly easy
landing here,” he continued. “There are a lot of people from all over
the world living here for the same reasons we’re living here – clean
air, clean water – so I find using a product that has that philosophy in
the creation of the product is a perfect marriage.”
Now that Bryan’s life could be entirely dedicated to his passion for
wellness, his need for hair products that suited this mindset in both
his own salon and his creative work equally required this natural
stance. A former apprentice, whose passion for the environment
he had inspired himself, introduced him to the brand, lauding
the products for their capacity to cater to and satisfy clients and
hairdressers in a natural way.
“I’ve been working with Natulique because they really fulfill the
criteria of the products I’m looking to work with in my life,” Bryan
confirmed. “It’s much healthier for me as a hairdresser to not have
the exposure to chemicals.”
Bryan heralds Natulique for its high production standards, family
values and desire to create a real community of likeminded people,
connected by more than hair, that he has found right in Tasmania.
“I have been working with thebrand and they have a very
interesting philosophy that they’re a family, the founders of the
company are husband and wife so it is a real family,” he said. “I have
met with other hairdressers since I’ve been here who are using the
product, they’re small salon owners or individuals. Everyone gets
together and exchanges ideas about health and wellness.”
Bryan continues to use the product in his ever-growing creative
work and salon services, with a particular penchant for the brand’s
sun and heat protector products – a particular necessity in Tasmania
- as well as the Moroccan Argan Oil for finishing hair, with a
handy dose of Vitamin E. The Colour Shield shampoo also proves
important in maintaining and caring for colour within the elements.
He continues work on TV sets and for local music artists, joining
Tasmania’s thriving creative hub as another talented cog in the
artistic bubble. Beyond this product use, he can provide a mentorship
role to younger hairdressers, passionate about the environment and
following in Bryan’s footsteps to treat it with kindness.
“A lot of young people seem to really be embracing a change
towards healthier products, people are becoming vegan and
becoming conscious of how products are sourced and if products are
sustainable,” he said. “The ground swell is coming from millennials.
I see our role as hairdressers as influencers because we have
intimate relationships with clients. We naturally educate people
about products.”
“The industry is really changing,” he concluded. “It’s not so much
about trends in fashion, it’s about wellness and work life balance,
they’re very popular topics for people.”
With the skills, experience, products and true passion backing
his significant role in the worlds of hair, health and wellness,
Bryan continues to be a thinker and an innovator to embolden
the movement.
For more information visit www.natulique.com.au
136 INSTYLE