After searching through all the different beauty boxes available, we found there was limited options for sustainable and Canadian boxes. We also found that people wanted a low cost and high value.
What we found interesting was that people often ran out of their shampoo and conditioner or their favourite styling products! Resulting in a last minute drug store purchase. Admittedly, this news broke our hearts just a bit, as we worried for the overall health of our clients hair and the longevity of their colour. Thus we created for 'Your Essentials Box'. Which is a subscription box for your favourite Davines Essential shampoo and conditioner. *Bonus, every one of these essential boxes receives a gift!
And as we gear up for the Holidays and gifting season, we are looking for more ways to simplify your orders and gift options with new box offerings. We'll do the work and you get to look and feel great! Creating these kits for you beauties really gets us excited, we can't wait for you to open them up!
Grab your favourite box or subscription (you can subscribe and save with individual items too!), then sit back and get excited for the surprises!
We love finding the best from the sustainable world and we've been busy curating since we started!
Alicia - Queen's Shop Founder
We are now preparing our 4th edition of our Hey Beauty Kit
]]>As a hairdresser, I wanted to know my clients were getting the best products for their hair. And I'd have clients come in and tell me they were using all natural shampoos, coconut oil or bar soaps on their hair. The hippie in me loved it and wanted them to work so bad, but their hair always felt waxy, dry or brittle. I knew I needed to try to find a better solution for them.
This was a big factor for choosing Davines when we planning the salon in 2014. I wanted plant based... and it had to be pretty, smell pretty AND be effective! Clients felt better about the products they were investing in and their hair was thanking them for it!
What it comes to sustainability, Davines has definitely taken their mission to the next level... If you don't already know I am in love and very obsessed with their brand and ethos as a whole. Yet, a liquid shampoo still has to come in a bottle, recycled plastic or not, its plastic!
Did you know we do refills and bottle returns? And you even receive a discount!
And, honestly, I still wasn't sold on shampoo and conditioner bars. Or most body soap bars at that! Then, just last year I came across a Canadian company called Bottle None. They were advertising their shampoo and conditioner bars as plant based, zero waste and ph balanced... their branding was also clean and attractive. What can I say, I'm in the beauty industry, I'm obsessed with aesthetics!
Either way we had to order some and test them out. We wanted to be sure it wasn't all just a pipe dream. Amongst the team, we tried out different products on our varying hair types, and we were all pleasantly impressed.
They have been a hit so far... don't tell anyone, though I will even use them as a body bar! One of my favourite parts is just how delicate they are on the skin. That's the ph balanced part, which is key for happy hair and skin!
We were again over joyed that Davines has launched 4 Shampoo bars. As part of their Essential Haircare line, Dede, Volu, Love and Momo! Similar to Bottle None, we are impressed.
If you told me 10 years ago that a shampoo bar could not only clean my hair effectively, but also create volume in my fine, straight hair... I would have likely snickered, while trying not to complete laugh in your face! Needless to say, I highly recommend trying a bar if overall consumption of plastic as been getting to you... on top of the waxy or dry hair feeling you've been feeling with your current shampoo and conditioner options.
Alicia - Queen's Shop Founder
]]>We have a few tips wherever you are your sustainable journey:
Getting started:
Thriving in the lifestyle:
Learning a new lifestyle can be overwhelming. Keep in mind, this isn't an overnight change. One step at a time and in a few years, even just one year, you can look back and see change in your overall mindset.
The sustainability of our current lifestyles and how we treat this planet are heavy topics. It doesn't mean your day to day needs to be heavy too. If you aren't enjoying or valuing a change (of any kind) that will give you joy in the end, then you are likely doing more harm to your body than good. On top of not having the energy for long term follow through.
It's pretty difficult to have a positive impact if you are not also taking care of your mental/ emotional/ physical health.
And, of course, if you want your friends to join you, share your excitement and inspire them... lecturing won't get you far, lead with the positive!
Now get out there and help save this beautiful home of ours!
Alicia - Queen's Shop Founder
]]>Finally, it arrives! The big day! The Unboxing!
A big box. But the product is small.
Plastic fills the empty space, to protect your product.
And the product has, what feels like, endless additional wrapping.
You're devastated. Furthermore, you realize the container has more plastic then you expected.
Ugh! The good news is that there are companies out there trying to correct this problem. Companies with a conscience, companies that are purpose driven like Queen's!
Welcome to our little store! We started as a hair salon in Toronto, Ontario with a primary focus on sustainability and community, on top of our beauty focus.
Every day we look for ways that we can authentically represent the best in all things that care about a circular economy for the care of our planet. And find ways to offer a welcoming space for anyone who wants to be apart of Queen's.
We hope you enjoy our space and are always searching for the very best in sustainable and conscious beauty & lifestyle products!
Queen's Team xoxo
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And to be honest, there often isn't much said about how your package will arrive. With most things you just hope its packaged as marketed, sustainably. I know I've searched through too many websites to find nothing or to read that their ethos/ missions didn't include a beginning to end statement. Rarely was there any information, if anything it has often been vague or just missing the mark.
This is one problem we've set out to solve with Queen's Shop Lifestyle. So far no solution is proving quite perfect. I'm daydreaming of storks, gently floating your package right into your hands, carried in a tote bag or even just a cotton wrap. There's always a package of some sort to deliver goods from one hand to another, especially with shipping breakables...
So far our preferred options are compostable, reusable and recycled options.
For our smaller orders we've found and love our compostable mailers from Noissue. Larger orders and our Beauty Box Subscriptions are shipped in our branded recycled boxes made by Shipmaster (it took a long while to find a box supplier that actually seemed to care about sustainability as a whole for this one). Anything in between, we reuse packaging from our supply orders, including cushioning. Luckily, we are in the business of finding other sustainable brands and can feel confident about the packaging we do receive.
If you are stopping by to pick up an order, we will have your package in a recycled branded bag, ready and waiting for you. Feel welcome to bring your own bag and/ or refuse packaging at any time.
We encourage our customers to reuse our compostable mailers and recycled boxes, whether for returns, refills or anything else that comes to mind. Our super cute branded tissue paper and tape is also from Noissue, we admire their mission to evolve how shipping is done globally.
Even our shipping labels cut down waste, as there is no liner(backing)! We just think this is super cool... especially since we'd be going crazy if we had to do a happy then sad dance every time we printed off a shipping label.
Imagine that, so excited to see our customers loving what we have to offer. To just feel immediately defeated knowing we had to throw a piece of label backing into the waste bin. Can that waxy paper even get recycled in Toronto recycling?
We'll save the Toronto recycling program talk for another day... until then, thank you for being here. Happy, confidently and consciously shopping for all your favourite things at Queen's Shop!
Alicia - Founder/CEO
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