Acorn Organic Salon announces its one year anniversary, and celebrates with a grand re-opening and weekend-long party and sale. Allison Degan and Laura MacKay opened the salon last summer and demand for their non toxic brand of salon services has skyrocketed. Starting July 31st, Acorn will now offer non-toxic nail services to clients with the doubling of their salon space in Downtown Dover, NH.

Acorn is full of new and innovative methods to reduce the environmental impact of traditional hair and nail services. Laura and Allison have combined years of beauty experience with a passion for sustainable business products and practices to create a truly green hair salon. Some of the green practices that make Acorn unique have been easy, such as not subscribing to magazines to reduce paper use and recycling the salon’s cut hair to make mats to clean-up oil spills. Other choices, are the result of extensive research using the “Environmental Working Groups' Cosmetic Safety Database” and requesting MSDS data sheets from manufacturers so as to offer only the safest and healthiest products on the market.

For the recent expansion into nail services, Acorn has conducted months of studies and contacted vendors to find safe and healthy alternatives to the traditional chemical-filled nail salons. Nail products are typically high in toxic chemicals such as formaldehyde, toluene, and DBP (Dibutyl Phthalate). “These ingredients have already been banned for use in cosmetics in the European Union for their links to health hazards such as birth defects, strong allergic reactions and cancer. So, finding a line without these ingredients was necessary for Acorn to go forward with manicures and pedicures services and remain committed to our green principles,” says Degan.

With this weekend’s grand re-opening, Acorn begins offering nail services that are organic, paraben-free, vegan and custom made to meet the highest salon standards while being Earth friendly. Acorn’s nail products use ingredients such as essential oils, Dead Sea salts, organic herbs and organic fruit extracts. In keeping with their strict safety and environmental standards, the salon will not offer artificial nails because currently there are none on the market that are toxin-free. Keeping a safe, toxin-free salon for both clients and employees is something Acorn believes strongly in. “The lack of these chemicals will provide a difference customers can smell from the moment they set foot in the salon,” adds MacKay. “To us these choices are a necessity – these are very important dangerous substances that women should not put on or near their bodies.”

Acorn needed more space to provide these new services and has expanded into the adjacent unit to grow their salon. Even while building and expanding Acorn has remained “green” by working with Dover neighbor, Habitat for Humanity’s Re-store to obtain sustainable and recycled lumber, flooring and other building materials. The new addition used no-VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) paint and the addition was furnished with donated supplies. Local artists’ work will grace the walls and a display space has been created to showcase pets from local animal shelters in need of adoption.

The grand reopening celebration starts on July 31st and runs thru August 2nd. All services will be on a “buy one, get the second half off” special, including the new nail care options. Door prizes from local Dover businesses and free food and drink will make the celebration complete.