Helen Reavey: First off. I'd love to say how beautiful your voice is Claudia on the podcast. I know there's something I hate listening back to my voice cause I hear my accent, being from Northern Ireland, but was just such a beautiful tone to your voice. I am currently in Tulum, in Mexico. We relocated during COVID, which I'm sure a lot of people have.

Claudia von Boeselager: And you're originally from Northern Ireland, So you went from more rainy days to sunshine and beaches?

Helen Reavey: Well originally Northern Ireland then to New York for the last close to 10 years, and then relocated to Mexico. And honestly it was by accident. We came for a week with one suitcase and didn't return to New York, probably for about six months.

Claudia von Boeselager: Wow. And now it's really your new permanent home.

Helen Reavey: It's our new destination.

Claudia von Boeselager: So today we have a very interesting topic to discuss. I'd like to start with the fact that I was really surprised to learn that about 50% of adults have scalp issues. Why is there so little focus on scalp health in the hair industry?

Helen Reavey: Yeah, I know that's a crazy number and also I think it's over the age of 40 at least one in every two as well will suffer some kind of hair loss as well. That's only the North America market we're talking about there, that's not even taken into consideration the rest of the word, which probably a much higher figure. I think the reason why it's not really talked about is because it's not such an obvious thing to most people or something embarrassing to people. It's definitely not an easy subject. People maybe suffer from acne and you can notice it and they want to talk about it more because they want to get solutions. But I think with scalp, it's just something that we just have shyed away from.

Claudia von Boeselager: As a hair and scalp wellness experts I'd love to talk also about another new fact that was new to me, namely, the connection between gut health and the scalp microbiome. Can you explain this?

Helen Reavey: Yes, of course. So the scalp is an extension of the face. It actually ages six times faster, which was a study done by L'Oreal a few years ago. With that comes the skin microbiome, so your face has a microbiome as well, or the skin on your face. And so your scalp will also have that. So similar to gut health, you've good on bad bacteria, which helps keep the scalp balanced. When we have different scalp issues, it's usually down to an overproduction of the bad bacteria. And we tend to go for those drug brands or brands, that are for dandruff, for psoriasis or various different scalp issues, but they end up stripping the good bacteria away with the bad bacteria. So, you might have instant, good results, but actually over time, that exacerbates and leads to that unbalanced microbiome which can cause many of these issues.

Claudia von Boeselager: So I guess it's almost like taking antibiotics for the gut microbiome. It's like an atomic bomb right? Then you need to replenish then as well. Super interesting. Bit of a different question, but has there been any particular person, perhaps a mentor or role model who has inspired you to become a pioneer and push boundaries to revolutionize hair and scalp care?

Helen Reavey: I suppose it comes at different stages of my career. I actually did a degree in business and finance before decided to become a hairstylist, where I started my journey. And then, I think very soon afterwards I went to hairdressing school. I trained in the UK, so we have this GNVQ, it's a special college certificates. And actually my lecturer there or trainer, had just completed a course in London, a degree in trichology, so that's similar to a Dermatologist for the skin, this is a doctor for the scalp. And I'm actually started my trichology degree so I'll finish this October. She really opened up my mind to thi s other hair and scalp health.
So, you go to school and you train how to use your tools and cut and color hair and perm and all the usual, but no one ever really spoke about scalp health. So I think I was in a very unique position where she really was passionate about that and relayed that on us.
And we got on very well. I was probably one of the older students in my class, everyone else is about 16. And I was coming in as a 22 year old college graduate. So she loved that I was so passionate about it as well, and really, enjoy the learning aspect of it.

 And so I think later in my career, when I moved from Ireland to New York to follow my dream in fashion, I started working with Sam McKnight. He had his own products as well and worked very much doing hair for fashion week for Chanel, Fendi, and all the top brands that you can imagine. He also was very famous for Kate Moss and doing Princess Diana's hair. But, he really pushed me to discover my talents in fashion and understand that kind of world, which to me, that really excited me. But it was working backstage, working with models, understanding how poor scalp health was and how product buildup in the hair and scalp actually made the hair underperform.
There was so many products on the market to help treat things or, quick fixes or style hair. But there was nothing really there to help scalp health and really educate people on this problem and how that was actually affecting your hair performance and your hair longterm.
We've always seen it in skincare this preventative thing. But no one had ever talked about hair care, but yet we're slowly starting to see, maybe not in your twenties, but some people did, but definitely in your thirties, forties, people starting to have hair loss, postnatal hair loss, and stress related hair loss, and then various different scalp issues. It really doesn't discriminate against anybody. We all can suffer from it. We all do suffer from it at some point in our lives. And so I think it was my husband really, that pushed me in that direction to form a brand. And, he left his job as a lawyer and helped us really bring Act+Acre to life. I came up with concept the idea. Someone who's very creative and understand product. Business definitely wasn't my side of things. So he was a person that really was able to bring it to life from an operations supply chain and just really getting the product out there.

Claudia von Boeselager: How amazing that these mentors come along the journey. There's a fabulous speech by Steve jobs the 2005 Stanford commemoration speech. I don't know if you've seen it? But he talks about only in retrospect when you can actually connect the dots. So, had you not had that teacher at you're hair training college, you might not have actually even had your eyes opened to the importance of scalp health and brought you on this journey to where you are today.

Helen Reavey: Very true! There's different points in your career, I think as well, you start to see what other people are doing. You're like, Oh, if I hadn't started this earlier, maybe I would have been further on. Do you know I always mentor the assistants that come on set with me and you always have to believe it's your time, your journey. I now understand that I wasn't meant to be in all these other places years ago, because this is my journey. This is my path.

Claudia von Boeselager: So many people searching and I think it's so exciting when you find it and you're on track. You were saying that Sam McKnight he was pushing you and encouraging you in certain direction and he obviously saw something in you, but how did he encourage you, what were his ways of pushing you out of your comfort zone to try new things? Maybe you can talk a bit about those tactics and tools that he used?

Helen Reavey: Yes. What I love about and working with him is very different to most people is that you actually did hair. And you got stuck in, your backstage, it's just model after model after model, and you just have to pick up and you just have to watch. You are predicting what he needs, but you're also able to emulate what he's done as well with the hair and like he's an absolute hair legend. And just to be able to, not only understand hair and what it's capable of doing, but understand how to make natural hair look beautiful, un-done, but yet polished. That's what he is so well-known for. He can do the most incredible shapes, incredible wigs and different styles from different eras. But what he does unbelievably is make natural hair look effortless and polished.

Claudia von Boeselager: How special to have trained under him. I understand that you have a good story about a house swap. Can you tell us a bit about that?

Helen Reavey: Oh, this is one of these I don't know, like a movie kind of story. It's like, this can't be true, but yes, it was actually December. It was Christmas of 2017. I'm going to say I could be wrong with the year, but I think it's 2017. And we had traveled from New York with, done a house swap with a friend in the British Virgin islands. So they were come to New York to spend Christmas with their family there. We just wanted something a little bit more tropical and Colm had just come back from Asia. So he had been on a very long flight and we've got on then another set of flights and with the British Virgin islands, you have to take a ferry from one of the islands anyway. So we arrived and, do you know, our friend had sent this extensive list of like where everything was, top restaurants, here's the taxi driver's number they'll pick you up and bring it to the highest blah, blah, blah. And so we arrived at the house everything was where she said it was the gate the number, the keys under the mat. And we went in and I was initially like, huh, this isn't what I was expecting, but okay. I was a little underwhelmed, especially because like how methodical she was with her list of everything. So..

Claudia von Boeselager: And had she sent you photos or you didn't have any photos?

Helen Reavey: We didn't, no photos, but we arrived anyway. And Colm my husband was extremely tired, so he went off to bed straight away and I did what every Irish person does and tidy it up a little bit. Cause this is a little on tidy and went to the fridge and there was like some food that I was like, Oh, we're not gonna eat that. That looks a little off. Made my list, made myself some toast. I think I probably had a beer. I was going up , settling-in, ready to unpack my suitcase. Then I went to look for the supermarkets and obviously my wifi wasn't working. So I was trying to understand the wifi. Wouldn't go in. Wouldn't work. Wasn't even coming up. I started to read over her list again, and a few things just doesn't make any sense, like where the bedroom was, where the child would be, things like that.
And all of a sudden it just hit me and I were not in the right house. I felt like Goldilocks, you know you'd been there, you'd eaten all the food, got the beer. Tapped my husband on the shoulder, darling, I don't think we're in the right place here. He woke up in shock, but he just felt it and knew it. And he's like, Oh my God. We have to get the hell out of here straightaway because someone's got to come home and find Goldilocks here and God knows how they'll react to it. So we went downstairs on we're like, there's no pictures of anybody here. Like this is an Irish friend. Like it's just not very Irish. And it felt like a bachelor lived in this house! And we looked at letters and were like, Oh God, there's no names here. Yeah, we're definitely in the wrong place, but of course I wanted to undo everything that I had done in the last couple of hours. Grab your case and get the hell outta here. So we realized that there was a different cul-de-sac with same number, same gate, key was under the mat, exactly the same way as she had told us and walked in and the house was completely different! Oh it was extremely funny and yeah.. We never found out. And we were a little bit afraid to go back, but some guy definitely came home and thought that a cleaner had come that day and you know tidied his apartment.

Claudia von Boeselager: Or Goldilocks was there. Oh, I love that story. That's really, really great. So with all the daily commitments you have Helen growing your business and all the exciting things that you are doing. Do you have any particular morning routine that you use to start your day as a success?

Helen Reavey: Yes, absolutely. And this has developed over time, where I've tried different things. So, I think the first thing I would have started with was hot water and lemon and a cele ry juice.
And I also do intermittent fasting. So from 8:00 PM till 12, the next day. So, that was really good. In the morning and I'd have my water, my celery juice my coffee. Different kind of like moments in my life where different things are happening. I, practice different things like, I try to do my breath work in the morning as well, but recently what I started doing and I obviously love, and it instantly changes my mood. And so if I got up and I try not to look at my phone straight away, but some days you do can't help it. But very luckily in Mexico, they love a cold plunge pool. Now when we arrived at this place, we thought it was a jacuzzi and we're very excited about, I realized actually its just a cold pool. We'd go straight out in the morning and I jump into it and I have like about three to four minutes there on do my breath work.
But. That cold kind of like jumpstart your body for the day. It's incredible. Like it really wakes you up on that. Something that, I put off for so long, I was like, no, I'm not doing it. My husband did it. And then he was like, you really got to try this. And I did. I ended up loving it. And so that's how I start my day, every morning, followed by the lemon water and salary.
Jason, whenever I come as well.

Oh, wow. That sounds like a winning routine. And I think part of the reason they say with the cold therapy, I mean, Wim Hoff is obviously the famous Dutchman. The ice men as they call them that does actual ice baths for, I don't know how many minutes at a time I misquote that.
But it's really getting into your body and getting those senses going again because we're so in our mind the whole time, and it's resetting the body that way and, and starting the day out to win. So that, that sounds like a fantastic morning routine. Well done. Do you have any unusual habit or absurd thing that you love?
Okay. This is a difficult one because I think that, again, that's something that probably changes over time, but the one thing that I'm obsessed with and it's just from growing up with my mom bought us these special pillows. I don't know what is so special about it. It's called a Dunlopillo. It's like a latex with little holes in it.
So never lose a ship. I hit a feather pillows or anything like that. This particular pillow. And I cannot sleep without it. I travel everywhere with it. I go to hotels, I bring it on an airplane. So yeah, I'm one of those people on Airplane with a big, massive fellow and people are, they're going, that's a bit strange, but also they're thinking, wow, that was actually genius.
Why didn't it?
And it's called the Dunlopillo. Like the tennis brand. Is it?
Okay. Wow. And it has special beads
in it. Is that what it has? It's like a latex, but it has holes and that's all, it never gets worn on one side. It's like breathable and you can watch it.

Claudia von Boeselager: I love this. Yeah.
Because I, the awkward pillows and some hotels have all these brilliant pillow menus these days, but they're probably so disappointed when you show up with their, with your own pillow. Let's talk about your, we talked a bit about this, but the journey to fashion. And you were saying that I'd like to deep dive into this, you know what really.
Took you from living your dream, working in fashion, having a stellar career to actually not only discovering the needs to address scalp health for hair and overlight tality, but actually taking that giant step to creating something new. Can you talk about that process and those thoughts and challenges that went into that?

Helen Reavey: Yes, absolutely. And I don't even know where to begin here, but I suppose it's like, Having someone pushing you. Like my husband really was incredible at Pershing me to get from, being a hairstylist on set, having a personal brand and, being fit to do hair for this, but now it's completely different.
It's creating a product and putting something out there into the world. And, it's obviously involves a very different skillset, which, along my journey, I realized that, I wasn't. I didn't really have the skill set either. So this is something that I had to develop and something that I had to learn and something I had to, educate and teach myself a lot on COVID really did personally really into this.
So before, I have obviously had, seen people helping and I was very much involved in product development, which I love. And I've been part of like for a very long time, even for like other brands and With this, it kind of like involved to using completely different skillset. So yes, the creative side of it, being on set, I've worked with, designers, developing the hair for shows and for photo shoots and for, their different various Tompkins.
But so yes, it was definitely that side of it that was involved in activator, but there's also this whole new leadership side and, involving, monitoring teams and. Kind of like, I dunno, what's the word for it. Leading, leading people in a way, inspiring them at the same time.
So like, I'd never led teams before, apart from like 35 hairstyles, but I showed them physically a look and it was really like, it has been a journey switching from working for someone to working for yourself and. Know, really developing, sorry. I had to say that, sorry, I'm getting a little bit

Claudia von Boeselager: different, but it's different skillsets.

Helen Reavey: It really was a different skill set. So that was using my hands before. Obviously, my research was like creatively looking up, what's happening in fashion hair. Different looks like that. We're not, I'm like running an Excel sheets and running meetings. It's a different

Claudia von Boeselager: sets. Yeah, exactly.

Helen Reavey: Inside of my brain as well. You struggle with it for awhile, but I definitely signed up to every single newsletter. I really wanted to be the best at this. I wanted to be better than I've ever been at anything. There is a competitive side of me as well. That's when I went into hair, it was like, I wanted to be the best at that, in school, I wasn't the top grid.
I didn't have the top grades or anything like that. But when I find hairdressing or hair, I was like, honestly, I find my calling and I was like, I'm really was so good, but I loved it and I was passionate about it, but then developing a brand, it was like completely different. I had a different type of passion for it and it's like, whatever really wanted to be good at this as well.
So I really did everything that I could like listen to every podcast. Sorry, I'm reading up on, I also got a business coach, which was truly instrumental in, developing me as a person and skills as a leader. Hi, to work with people in a completely different way as well.

Claudia von Boeselager: That sounds so amazing. And, and how you put, you pushed yourself out of your comfort zone from studying business and finance, to going into hairdressing, to making it in the fashion world, which is so cutthroat as it is to actually going and building your own brand and reinventing yourself so well done. For all those amazing steps in your, in your journey.
How do act in acre products address the issues of scalp health. And did you have sort of an aha moment working in fashion where you realized it's actually all about the scalp health and it's not being addressed?

Helen Reavey: Yes, absolutely. And it was an aha moment because when you think of fashion week, it's like a month long.
And when it comes to the last show, everyone is like, Super sensitive. Their scalp is sensitive. They've had so much product put on their hair. And what we find was it's impossible to get the hair to perform on. This was due to like too much he'd been used. Like they might've product on the scalp.
Like you would do this on, someone's got like just lately taught it and they'd be like, ah, ah, and you're like, Oh, this is like, wow. Is really kind of like, Explain to me in a way that, okay, this part of buildup, the mind of product nobody's taking care of their scalp through this process, they're not using good policies and cheap hotel, like shampoo whether on the road as well.
And the hair was just like,

Claudia von Boeselager: And I think it was probably like the exponential showing after one month of intensive use, but probably someone else experiences over maybe a year or two years, but what starts happening with this sort of floppy hair? And they don't realize it, they tried different products, but nothing actually really helps.
So can you tell us then how you decided to dive into developing the products? I understand you've also conducted clinical studies. Can you talk a
bit about that?

Helen Reavey: So developing the products and really was, we wanted to create something clean. Number one that you know, was taking a more holistic approach to the scalp house with the various different oils.
And what we realized was that traditional heat method. And so traditionally hair products is made a heat process to ally or the pattern to water. And so what that was doing was it was basically burning off the efficacy of the oils and you were really a kind of taken away the nutrient level. So people are what traditional haircare brands had done in the past is actually add chemicals are not even chemicals, sorry, but like the nursing things, the self FSOs, then silicones the pirate bone to help the performance.
And so when we started on this journey, we actually had, I think of my 35 day hits things, working out with chemist of botanists and within the lab who developed the coprocessor methods. So taking like from the CBD world and the juice press world, it was like, well, how do we retain efficacy here?
How do we alive oil pass into water? And so it was a hyperbaric chamber with cold air and 1200 pounds of pressure. Wow. That allowed us to blend ingredients together. The, I am listen, the efficacy. So we know even from cooking, like, in burn olive oil, up to a certain, a temperature, a degree is the efficacy of the nutrients that are in the ingredients and in the policy seminar to the oils when you use them as well.
And. So, yeah, for us, it was like it had to be clean and had to perform well, it had to have this new process, but also be backed by science. So we've done Princeton studies to understand how they nutrients on the ingredients within the various products actually removed 95% of save them and build up on the hair and stuff.

Claudia von Boeselager: Oh, wow. And is this buildup from other products or is this natural buildup?

Helen Reavey: That happens mixture of both. So you have built up from like dead skin, a to environment. Like if you looked under a microscope, you'd see tiny particles of dust on your scalp as well. How us build up a, also like a cleanse or conditioner, not being washed off properly or used properly.
And that leaves like a refugee silicone builds up like a residue on the hair as well. It makes a plastic coating on the hair. And so, yeah, various different things like that. A but definitely dead skin been one that we don't even think of. And the oil and our staff actually, some are just skincare order removes or build up bounces a, the production of the oil as well.

Claudia von Boeselager: Oh, sounds fabulous. Can, can you walk me through the range of products you have and what issues they treat?

Helen Reavey: Yeah. Yes. We have another business partner to us, us, myself, my husband, and a Rachel who's head of marketing and brand. And so we always realized, we always knew that we wanted, a scalpel best hair, wellness line.
That was problem solution. So, instead of just having products as well, we wanted system. So we borrowed very much from a, the skincare. So like, You connect their three step system. So we launched with our three step system, the essentials, because we knew it was a new world that we were coming into here.
We really were pioneers in the scalp care space. So the language is very different. So people didn't fully understand it. And neither starting to really understand scalp care. And I important to this, but in the past events, when we wanted to borrow a lot from skincare that people understood well. And so we wanted to a launch with these systems instead of products.
So of the essential system, which is really your first step to scalp care on your scalp routine. And it is a detox of plans and conditions. So it's your scalpel. I let you put on your treatment, your pre-plans and your champagne, and then condition on recently with my, with an extension of this ranch.
Because people haven't been able to get to the salons, but we also wanted to trade from root to tip. And so we have our restorative ranch, which is a scalp where new, a hair mask and then an Apple STEM cell serum. So one pre glands and then one a post plan. And really it is a bite that's. We call it EG to scalp, not anti aging, but the stands are really incredible for slowing down the evening process with the scalp.
So that you get a much longer life cycle out of your hair. And the Apple STEM cells is incredible for salvage of the nation. So as the scalp ages, it loses the ability to hold moisture. And that's what leads to hair become a brittle much finer as we get older.

Claudia von Boeselager: It's so incredible because I really see sort of comparisons between, plants and the soil and your scalp and the hair.
And I find it so astounding that this hasn't been addressed before that we always have been talking about hair, hair, hair, but actually pretty much ignoring the importance of the scalp and treating them the base where the, the plants, if you will, the hair grows from so it's it's yeah. Fabulous that you guys
have.

Helen Reavey: And a punch is bed. What can you do for it? Like there's not a whole lot. So you have to always remember that you need to, this is preventative as well, so you need to train it at the beginning. So for all this, the hair grows because when hair grows and is dead protein, there's only so much we can do to fix it when we see it.
But really what you need to do is think of it from the beginning. And, obviously I avoid as much heat as possible, but it really is by training the Scouts. So when our hair grows as much healthier and stronger, And it

Claudia von Boeselager: stays longer than as well healthy. Is that the case and it doesn't fall out as much.
What would you recommend for people suffering from scalp issues or also people just interested in looking after their scalp health? You mentioned sort of the different steps and the specific treatment plans, but is there sort of a one size fits all or is it very dependent on what issues people have?
What do you recommend?

Helen Reavey: Absolutely. It really is. For preventative measures, it's a one size fits all. So he would say, is this for my hair type? Especially with our scalp detox. So one time I said, this doesn't matter. It doesn't matter what hair type you have. This is about your scalp. On how important it is to hydrate nourishment but very gently as well.
So if you're using our scalp detox, but then you're using like a TGL or a medicated shampoo, it's not really going to have the same effect. So going back to that microbiome and our scalper news is definitely more of an exfoliant. It's got South LA acid papaya seed extract, which are experience.
So really for someone with obvious scalp issues like a dandruff, it's really good. It's got antifungal properties and it will help them move that dead skin and bounce the oil. But our scalp detox is for everybody. And it's the one thing that I'm like, you, you need to have some form of scalp treatment in your haircare or your scalp care ritual.
Like we never think to moisturize ourselves, but we never go a day without washing or voice rising our views. So really thinking about that, when you're thinking about yourself, . Anyone that starts this journey with us. I've always been like, I never even thought about my scalp as being part of my heck.
Everything on high, different, their scalp starts to fail. Sometimes it's suffering winter from being typed and dry, but now they don't anymore. The hair just is like a lot of people. You mentioned that the hair is returned to its natural state. So they've removed all these like various different ingredients.
And also it makes you more conscious about what you're putting on your hair and the heat. And so over time they started to notice, well, actually, I've got a wave in my hair that I know
Claudia von Boeselager: discovering new hair and with heat, it's sort of any hairdryer you say is bad or any hair, iron things like that, or

Helen Reavey: it's really is about. Like over time. So the mind that you use it. So I still use a hairdryer sometimes, especially just to blow dry my roots. I'll just keep it on medium heat, but I'm not sitting there like hate on the hairbrush on the hair shaft, like for ours, like flatter. And sometimes I'll do a flat wave in my hair, but it's very rare.
I try to leave it. To dry naturally, as often as I can. So it's not like, he had to say to people don't ever use this or don't ever do that. We're here to fit into your lifestyle, not the other way, help you on that journey and advice, what you are going to use. Let's keep it at this temperature and use it less often.
The holdup for last time on the hair hundred. Definitely not that you can't do this, or you can't do that.
Claudia von Boeselager: Yeah, which helps people adopt the products, I think as well. And as soon as you've probably stopped them, it's hard to move

Helen Reavey: back to going to people when they think, Oh, if I don't do that this way, I'm going to get it wrong. But no, it's like any form of kind of like wellness, ritual, dip and whatever with situ it's definitely better than not doing it at all.

Claudia von Boeselager: And then as soon as you start noticing the effects, it becomes more addictive. And I wonder, is, are the products more focused towards women? But, or also men. And what about men who've been, sort of have a genetical history of folding, is it at all helpful for, for those types of situations as well?

Helen Reavey: So here's a fun clock that, and your hair does not actually tell what gender you are. So it doesn't become male or female. So it's definitely, different products for men and women. That's just a marketing thing. And you can use exactly the same products. Our products are definitely. We said I've heard to be gender neutral.
Just by, our consumer base it's definitely become more directed towards women, but then we've also realized that it's women buy from them as well. Sure or starting to like definitely focus a lot more on man coming up. We have a stemming collection coming out later in the year, which we will focus a lot on men, but we've done our 16 day transformation programs.
There have been a lot of men, a using the product and they're actually, we've realized they're so loyal. They're once they realize that something is working for them, they will never do. And a lot of them. Exactly and, men don't have the best haircare routines to begin with and that's, what's causing a lot of these scalp issues.
Obviously, Hey, hair loss can be hereditary, but we can prevent a lot of that because a lot of it's due to not fans in the scalp properly. So like that come out of the gym and there'd be only water on the hair and wouldn't even wash it. So things like that can definitely slow down that aging process by cleansing properly using gentle plans or a scalp treatment as well.
And because there's a lot of petroleum and styling products, That lies on the scalp stays on the hair where it is scalp detox, the oil, and it would help dissolve that product and remove that because that's, one of the causes of hair loss is because of petroleum is like on the hairline. It can cause acne different like a scalp issues can, become, are, can be the rate of that, a ban on the scalp and using those kinds of ingredients.

Claudia von Boeselager: Wow.
So you've you, you guys are really onto something and solving it. Can you also talk about your sustainability focus with Act+ Acre? Which I think is so fantastic that you've incorporated this as well and amongst other things. Yes.

Helen Reavey: And do you know what this is? This is something that we are constantly trying to work on and that from packaging to supply chain to ingredient sourcing.
But at the beginning, like we can buy that, that we can. My prob two years ago when sustainability was really out of state and I felt like every brand was combinate, with different packaging solutions to be more sustainable. In the past that had been a luxury were Naya trains.
I guess if you're a new brands starting that's a half to have, it should be part of your ethos, part of your DNA. And for us. No one has ever gone back to the beginning challenge, the higher, the problem was actually me. And so with 390 degrees of pain, you also are using a lot of energy. So with the code process methods and we use 90% less energy.
So that was the starting point for us. We were like, well, how else can we do this other than packaging? Because it's very difficult for shampoo and haircut brands to have the last packaging, especially in the shower. It's extremely dangerous. But we are working on like an in-store installation where, you can refill these bottles, but we did come out this year with the refill patches, which are 60% less packet are less plastic.
We will offer like refill solutions whenever we come and we will offer glass and aluminum tubes, whenever we went outside to treatments outside of the shower but our packaging is made from PTG one, which is the highest grade of plastic and post-consumer plastic that can actually be recycled again.

Claudia von Boeselager: Oh, excellent. It's so nice to hear that, and see that more and more companies and products that you, that you guys really take this to your core and seriously, and look at the whole supply chain around it because you unfortunately hear a lot of, yeah, we focus on sustainability, but there might just be one small part of the supply chain.
It sounds like you guys have really thought, thought it through, which is great. What lies ahead for acting acre. Can you talk a bit about plans that you have and be it new products or other growth areas that you're focusing on?
Helen Reavey: Yes. So actually one of the biggest kind of like discoveries after COVID is definitely hair loss.
So I think hair loss being, connected to the scalp and so very much like our plan is. Still to remain hair wellness, scalp focus, but to offer other solutions for hair loss that don't involve medication or drugs that you know, can have different side effects. And people really do come to us when they probably tried everything else on the market, on his house, we worked on the night.
They want to try a more natural approach. They understand that that can really work and, have an amazing impact. And different, really just providing solutions from root to tip and being on that journey and listening to our consumer and what they really want from us as well.

Claudia von Boeselager: Very exciting.
I'd love to touch on something that you mentioned earlier. But I'd love to hear specifics, especially also for the listeners about the tools and strategies that you've learned and are using to overcome fears. If you will. That have enabled you to succeed as a trailblazing entrepreneur today, you mentioned a business coach, but is there any specifics, a specific book or technique what things did your business coach help you with to really.
Move from working in fashion to running this amazing company. Yeah,

Helen Reavey: absolutely. Definitely preparation. That's been one of the key takeaways for me. Preparing for it, any kind of meeting, not going into a, not understand what you're going to talk about. So it's like taking 10 minutes to prep for something beforehand.
And delegating, like, really like working with the team to understand their strengths, understand what your weaknesses are, so that, you can have someone come in where they're definitely stronger than you and delegate to that and different books that I've been reading on. Really enjoyed atomic habits.
So I think like habits that you form will definitely help a kind of like set you up for the day, but also like your evening. So I know that book is incredible. I read re it really made me understand like. Habits, addictions, different things like that. So, if they're good to chocolate or something like that, tell yourself, okay, I'm going to eat this chocolate, right.
Over set out load. But different things that make you hop into the day. So if it is a piece of chocolate and that makes you happy. But for, public speaking for me has been really difficult and something that I've had to overcome. And my business coach has really helped me with that on do trout as well,
 Not exactly, but, he really said, well, for me, it's like, you have to have something to look forward to at the end of speaking. So, and accompany dependent on weather. Or place or person. So it's something that you enjoy, even if it's just a coffee or if he's a chocolate, you have to visualize that end result.
And that really helps the,

Claudia von Boeselager: what do you visualize out of curiosity?

Helen Reavey: I do visualize either a piece of chocolate or, and I love coffee. Is it one thing that I, I did give up for a while, but it's something that I really need in my day. And something to look forward to as well, different podcasts that I've listened to as well, understanding people at this level and the other much bigger level, as well as they might have decisions that you have to make in one day.
And so reducing that to like simple things like your wardrobe, making, your wardrobe, just one color or two colors. So you really don't like I buy multiple pairs of the same shade of the same on the same. T-shirt. And, and like, they have like, obviously different lipids that I like to wear for different occasions, but for my day, and, setting yourself up for success, everything charged at nights.
I have one of those. I love this thing. Actually. It's a box that has like an extension cord inside of all your chords are in that and you can travel around with it. It is fascinating that you know of ever fine because now I charge everything in one room at night. My phone's nowhere near me which it's like, and you can obviously go off course the times, but it's just reminding yourself and making promises for yourself and keeping them that's another thing.
So if I decide that I'm going to work out today, keeping that promise, I have to do that because the end of the day, you feel like you've succeeded. If you've kept up, promise to yourself.

Claudia von Boeselager: Yeah. That's goes with, you've touched on so many interesting points there. So it's working the willpower muscle, I guess.
Right? So it's the more you actually stick to those promises, as you, as you're calling them, the more strength you have and actually making decisions and taking decisions and another topic you, you touched on that I really like is the Concept of decision fatigue, which I didn't actually know was a proper term until I came across it.
And I'm Dave Asprey's book. Game-changers where one of the people that he speaks with has says you have like a quantity or certainly, allocation of decisions you can make in one day and to set yourself up for success, you actually take the important decisions in the morning. And then, as soon as you've done those three or however many, they are, then everything else is we'll see a new automate as much as possible.
Be it wardrobe be at the days that you actually make phone calls or do conference calls. So that, that thinking. And a waste of energy, if you will can actually be automated and you set yourself up to focus the energy on things where you really create value. So, really interesting topics that you mentioned that as well, when you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?
Are there any particular questions you ask yourself?

Helen Reavey: Hmm. You know what I think it's. And I don't do it all the time. I think, it's the one thing I do need to get better at is, when I do feel overwhelmed, then I get a little bit like unsure by what I'm meant to be doing. And so it really is for me taking that moment to either, either even go and watch just something silly on TV.
Like a Netflix show, like a cooking show or something like that. That just completely takes my mind off. Doesn't involve any concentration, but, well, obviously breathwork is like the most important thing today, but sometimes you just don't feel like that or go to a stretch or something, but definitely removing yourself from your phone and your laptop, just to like, bring yourself like to earth, be there and not be worried about it because as well as sometimes you're.
I don't like to be reactive, it's I like to sit and think about something. If I'm overwhelmed by a door, I'm on chair, the answer, because I do feel like if I relax and calm down myself and my body, the answer will come to me as opposed to just reacting to it straight away. I try not to react if I'm upset by something or, unsure.
Or just as you say, I feel overwhelmed and just take that moment to really think about it. And not say yes to everything.

Claudia von Boeselager: Exactly. I think that's part of the key is freeing up the space to have time to think as well. It sounds from what, you're your answer just there that you've really honed in on such an amazing skill to, not react off the bat, but actually to recenter refocus.
Is that something you've always had or something you've trained in?

Helen Reavey: Yes.
I think that's actually cam. Before Act+Acre it really, because when you're, transitioning from like the solemn word to the fashion world, you really do have to react so fast on certain email or you miss a job and we have to say yes to everything, but then maybe all of a sudden you have three jobs and you're like, Oh, hi, I don't know which one to react to.
And you know which one, and you really just had to go away and understand that, It's going to come, it's going to be okay. And having an agent really does help with that. But then again, you could have three jobs in one day and you're trying to figure out what's the best for me. W you're, you're relying on them to make that decision for, or you, but really you need to make that decision for yourself.
So I do remember, like, you get an email come in and I would say to Noah, I'm not going to answer that until the morning. I'm never the answer. It's just going to come in. It's just trusting that you're attracting. It really is true. You'd wake up the next morning, the agent, but I don't worry that job moved to another day, so you're fine to do this.
And I'm just like, thankfully, I just waited for that. That's not always the case, but I find in most cases that's the right answer.

Claudia von Boeselager: There, this is an area that I'm fascinated in and would love to learn more as this intuition and building that intuitive sense. I think children are so attuned to that.
And I think through our educational system, we lose that connection and touch, but people who are really able to tune in and just have that, knowing that, I'm going to sleep on it tonight and let's see what happens tomorrow. And, lo and behold, while it gets pushed back and everything works out.
So. That's fantastic. And it's so fascinating. Exactly. You're good. Yep.

Helen Reavey: As an adult, I think you become more aware of, and there's a reason and your body does tell the true story. And I think we're really understanding that there's science to back a lot of this by, attraction and, really listen to your body because you do know the answer and really about that visualization, it's like, being able to sit there and face on visualize what it's meant to be on the track.

Claudia von Boeselager: Yeah, exactly. And I've interviewed some other speakers as well to talk about the visualization, or I had a life coach as well, talking about, focus on the end results, like, and this, having that clarity and you don't need to know the process. You don't need to know how it's just know which direction that you want to, to focus in.
And that's quite powerful as well.

Helen Reavey: But also enjoying the process as well. I'm currently teaching myself that because. A lot of the time, I'm wishing to the end results instead of enjoying the process. And then you're constantly living in that kind of like stressful moment where you're like, Oh, it'll get easier when I get to this stage or get easier when it gets to that stage where I reminded myself, you used to enjoy parts of this year, so, well, when you're feeling stressed or whatever, it's like, take a moment, go enjoy what do you love about this?
Okay. Hone in on those moments and stuff. Oh, wishing to the end of the week, because that's, you can't live your whole life and not one would die there. And I

Claudia von Boeselager: think these are learnings that we develop over time, and it's so beautiful to get to a stage where you're able to. And I'm definitely still on this journey, but I sometimes speak to people who have really fully understood the, sort of the power of now and just being in the present.
And just this inner calmness that you have as well instead of the monkey mind, but often takes over Helen, what are bad recommendations you hear in your profession?

Helen Reavey: What do you mean by that?

Claudia von Boeselager: So bad recommendations. If you are somewhere, let's say either with another hairdresser or someone giving advice about hair or scalp, and you're just almost cringed saying, this is on the wrong path.

Helen Reavey: Totally. I remember like a lot of people would have recommend this as don't walk your hair. Just let your natural oils come through. And that is the biggest myth ever. And that's also the billion dollar question because they were like, how often should I wash my hair? But definitely a more often than you think the damage is really done.
If you're using like lots of products in your hair or using a lot of heat on your hair, but the damage isn't done by washing your hair obviously, don't need to wash your hair twice a day or. Whatever, but this leaving it and using these kind of like turn one, like cleansing conditioners, I don't believe that they work.
They're not re you really do need to remove that, that skin or that dirt, but in a gentle way. And this is like the complete opposite of the office is like too gentle and it's not follicle damage. It can lead to build up on the hair. I am definitely that's on them. The over use of dry shampoo.
Like I hear tear in them.

Claudia von Boeselager: Oh, wow. Didn't know that that was a thing, but

Helen Reavey: for like four days in a row and they're like, yeah, this is, this is okay. But it's not

Claudia von Boeselager: okay. Interesting. How has a failure or apparent failure set you up for later success? Do you have a favorite failure?

Helen Reavey: Ooh, that's an interesting one.
I mean, my, my dad has always had a business on. He always said to us, do not have your own business. This is so like, I, I honestly never thought I'd have my own business because of that. But one thing my dad just always pushed on no matter what was happening to his business on. Growing up in Northern Ireland actually was pretty tough.
And it might not be, a parent that's done something wrong, but I always, I'm so thankful for my upbringing. And even though from, if you were to look at it from the outside, you might not think it was, that grade or whatever, but Definitely like my parents have given me the tools to fight for things and to really push on being ambitious.
I think that's probably the one thing I've really learned from them. So I don't think there's anything bad or anything that feels off because I don't ever see it as a theater. I'll see it as a learning on something that I can kind of like bring to my life in some way, I suppose. But yeah.

Claudia von Boeselager: Yeah. Oh, that's perfect.
What has been your most exciting purchase in the last six months? So you talked about your pillow, but it sounds like you've had this longer than six months. So anything where you can share specifics or brand or model and where you, where you can find it.

Helen Reavey: Ooh, they definitely that toolbox that I talked about.
Yeah. Flyers and face. I don't know the brand, but I will send it to you afterwards.

Claudia von Boeselager: Yeah. We can put it in the show notes.

Helen Reavey: I can put it in the show notes and I bought my first pair of vans, which I absolutely love. So I know that sounds silly, but yeah. They're just so easy to wear. I love, I love them.
But definitely the thing that's a kind of like wire to get like as being the best thing I've bought this year.

Claudia von Boeselager: So we'll have to put those in the show notes. Send me, send me that.
Well, that's probably part of the success and happiness is that rely on that material things. So you've found part of the secret of happiness. I think,

Helen Reavey: Productive is the key to my happiness. Huh.

Claudia von Boeselager: So you found it. Do you have a favorite quote or piece of advice received? That was a real game changer for you.

Helen Reavey: Let me see. So.
For me, it's something actually that I tell a lot of people and I definitely picked it up from someone. I don't know how they are in the past, but it's definitely like, it's never too late. It's obviously never too late. I moved to New York and started a whole new career when I turned 30. And a lot of people fear that and I'm always like, no, you can never fear.
That's why, like, someone's definitely told me that in the past. And it really is. Something that stuck with me. And, I don't have any fear when it comes to starting something. Like we started acting weaker and when I was 36 or something, so, much later and again, to a lot of people and people in their twenties just find it so easy to do things.
I've always liked stuffed up and just always give it a chance. I'll give it a go and have no regrets.

Claudia von Boeselager: I think that's fantastic. And I think most people. Forget it don't realize. I think Henry Ford was 48 years old when he started forwards. So, and that was back then where 48 was different than 48 now.
And of course this podcast is called the longevity and lifestyle show. So it's about living well longer. So being in your thirties is obviously very youngster. For people who would like to better understand scalp health, what resources, maybe books or online resources would you recommend starting with
for scalp health?

Helen Reavey: And there actually isn't a lot, but you do have the Institute of trichology, which gives you a lot of information on scalp health. But I even look a lot to nutrition understanding like even the foods that you need to eat for healthy hair growth there is. Like different smoothies for like vitamins say, and they're, vital supplements that you need for health care and you'll find them in supplements, but obviously it's nice to introduce it to your daily routine.
And basically like all your fruits and vegetables, they're going to have some form of like vitamin K vitamin C, vitamin D, even sunshine, just, getting that. But

Claudia von Boeselager: easily said in mexico.
Helen Reavey: No, exactly. When I started to like really understand hair loss, the big. The key kind of like vitamin or nutrients that we're missing from our body is vitamin C that are, help provide the amino acids and proteins to build the hair.
And then a iron, which is something that a lot of us are very low in, whether it is one of the nutrients that is key to keeping the hair healthy and hair growth. Okay.

Claudia von Boeselager: Where can people learn more about what you and act an acre up to and find your products? I will link of course, all these to the, in the show notes.

Helen Reavey: So we are available through our own website. So it's actandacre.com you'd put them in the notes on our Instagram as well. And we have various a retailers in the UK because we haven't launched in the UK just yet. But we plan to later this year, We're on Net-a-Porter there free people, urban Outfitters revolve.
I think, they all delivered to that area. But dad,

Claudia von Boeselager: perfect. Do you have a final ask or recommendation for my listeners? Any parting thoughts or message?

Helen Reavey: Definitely incorporate it. Doesn't have to be acting anchor, but some form of scalp treatment, whether it's an oil treatment or a serum into your hair care routine, and really think of it the same way as you take care of your skin, you want to a. Kind of like manage your expectations of how your hair is going to Lyrica for Ventas and they take care of it. Cause we hold a lot of stress, in our jaw line connected to our scalp and, understand that stress can lead to hair loss and just taking that moment for yourself.

Claudia von Boeselager: Wonderful.
This has been a pleasure, Helen. Thank you so much for your time. Really enjoyed speaking today.
Thank you for coming on this.

Helen Reavey: I could speak to you all day long.

Claudia von Boeselager: Me too. Thanks so much, Helen.

Helen Reavey: Thank you.