Deborah Barrett - the hair fairy

Born and raised in the United States, Deborah Barrett dreamt of having a little yellow salon in Paradise - Jamaica.

After working in the health-care system for almost 20 years, she decided to go to beauty school. She considered herself blessed when she got employed in a high-end salon where she garnered a wealth of knowledge and experience afterwards.

At 41, she dreamt of going to work with the sea breeze hitting her face and in her lunch breaks, she could go for a stroll and get the sparkly white sand between her toes. She told her mother of the dream and was quickly told that she was no 'spring chicken' but if that's what she wanted to do, she should take the plunge - that she did. She worked at Sandals Resorts for seven years, went back to Los Angeles for a year, then returned and bought her little yellow salon.

The recession had a major impact on her business and so she had to close her shop. She moved to Negril Estate Resort and Spa where she is today.

 

The dreaded change

 

Everyone knows that with age comes responsibility and after raising children, your grandchildren and even some in the village, the focus should be on you.

As explained by the now 59-year-old Barrett, the body goes through several changes. Some are more tolerable than others, and all are a result of different things - medication, genetics, or hormones. She told Flair that with the silvery greys come loose strands that even become bald spots, and before you know it, you see older women sporting low-cut hairstyles accessorised with bold lips and statement earrings. She added that most women are afraid to admit it but it's nothing to be ashamed of.

It hit Deborah like a ton of bricks when she got in the car and her brother said, "Damn Debbie, you are going bald". "Man, it hit me hard," she sighed.

Having studied tricology, she immediately started to do research on natural products that could aid in hair growth. Her research led her to develop relationships with farmers from whom she got products with which she experimented .

She fell in love with the world of oils and herbs.

With her first experiment, she made a shampoo bar. After just a few weeks, she realised that she had started to recognise new growth and after using a little longer she had a new head of hair. Now with a variety of herbs and mixtures, she has products that will have your hair and skin looking radiant.

Barret hopes to help women of her age regain their confidence. She is currently organising workshops with hairdressers and beauticians to educate them about her products and general care for hair and skin.

Her products include:

Solid shampoo bars made from fresh turmeric, Moringa, Ginger, Aloe vera.

Facial bars Charcoal, honey, bee pollen, clay.

Facial scrub bars same as above, but loofa included.

Bath bars turmeric, Moringa, bee pollen, honey.

Bath scrub bars-same as above, but inclusive of loofa.

Hairgrowth scalp oil-coconut oil, rosemary, herbs, and essential oils.

Solid lotion bars-shea butter, cocoa butter.