Rahua is saving the rainforest one hair product at a time

These days, when launching a new beauty brand, we often choose one or two non-profit partners for donations. But for Rahua, the whole reason the brand was created was to give back, especially to the rainforest. “As environmentalists, Fabian and I share a great love for Mother Nature,” says Anna, her CEO of Rahua, who co-founded the brand with her husband Fabian Rigin. Ayers says. “When I visited Fabian’s hometown about 18 years ago, I decided that the best way to respect this land and its indigenous cultures and traditions was to save the rainforest through the power of beauty. When I met these women and saw their long, beautiful hair, I knew that harnessing the rainforest’s powerful Rahua oil was key to our sustainability efforts. After learning that it can only come from pristine forests and is made in an ancestral way, I knew this was the answer to protecting our rainforests.”

Riggin was a hair stylist in New York when he first met Ayers. Originally from Ecuador, he comes from a long line of hair professionals. “My mom and dad were hairdressers, so growing up I thought everyone was a hairdresser,” Riggin laughs, sharing that he got his first haircut when he was five. My parents were very knowledgeable about traditions, such as using avocado in their hair treatments and inventing their own treatments using local ingredients.” Know Where Everything Sources From This has given Lliguin a special appreciation for the rainforest.

Ayers studied fashion and design at the Savannah College of Art and Design and moved to New York City to work in the fashion industry as a designer and trend forecaster. She met Riggin at a hair salon and later found out about his work in the Amazon rainforest. “A few years before we founded our brand Rahua and Amazon Beauty Inc., I worked closely with Fabian to set up his hair studio on the Upper East Side, where he asked me to cut my hair. What clients want and behind the scenes I’ve learned a lot, the kind of products they need,” says Ayers. “In 2008, we combined our knowledge and experience with our mission to protect the Amazon rainforest and he created the Rahua brand.”

Rahua (pronounced “rawa”) is an Inca word that comes from the word “volcanic fire” and is also the name of a beautiful Inca princess. The word was adopted as the name of the ancient indigenous ritual process of obtaining Rahua oil in the Amazon rainforest: “This brand was founded on the discovery of the amazing benefits that Rahua her oil has on the hair.” ‘He said Ayers. “The powerful rhua oil has been used for centuries by members of the Quechua and Shuar tribes to nourish their hair and skin. Still produced by the tribe through sustainable rituals, raffa nuts nourish the hair, promote healthy follicles and scalp, and improve hair color by pushing color pigmentation deep into the hair shaft. It is known to have natural strengthening and strengthening benefits that keep the skin fresh.

10% of Rahua’s revenue benefits the Amazon rainforest. “Many drugs come from the rainforest, so after discovering how effective the ingredients were, I wanted to use them on my hairline,” Riggin says. We get a lot of clues by mimicking what we do in the lab.This is science.”

Rahua oil is still produced in the same Amazonian rituals, handcrafted and sustainably produced for centuries by the Quechua and Shuar tribes in a way that has remained unchanged for centuries. Before the launch of Rahua, only a small group of elders in the local community continued it. We help grow food,” says Ayers. “We are creating workshops deep in the rainforest where lahua-making experts share and teach the younger generation of the Amazon about the importance of rituals and how to make rhua oil.” Their lands, cultures and histories are protected, giving them permanent ownership and protection of their rainforests.

Prior to founding Rahua, Ayers and Lliguin founded the non-profit Ecoagents, an initiative dedicated to the Amazon rainforest and the importance of preserving its biodiversity, land, wildlife, trees, and our oxygen. raised awareness. To date, we have protected and preserved over 150,000 acres of rainforest. These forests absorb 5 tons of carbon dioxide per acre per year, totaling 750,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year, making Rahua a beyond carbon neutral company.

In addition, Rahua’s Enchanted Island Collection was created to protect the Galapagos Islands’ endemic species through the Pink Flamingo Project, established in 2017. Clearing our beaches of thousands of plastic bottles and debris that were destroying the habitat and nesting grounds of flamingos, penguins, marine iguanas and seabirds,” says Ayers.

Rahua’s packaging is recyclable and reusable and offers refill options for shampoo and conditioner. “Because our products are so concentrated, you need very little to get results, and conventional hair care he formulas last much longer,” he says Ayers. “Our plant-based formula keeps toxic ingredients out of our waterways and prevents contamination.”

Plant-based products take a big place in the beauty world, but that wasn’t the case when Rahua started. In fact, according to Ayers, the biggest challenge in launching Lahua was convincing the public and the industry that only chemicals can cleanse, style, and beautify hair. “We set out to blaze new trails and bring people closer to nature through plant-powered beauty,” she says. We were creating exciting products, but behind the scenes beauty products were mostly made with toxic ingredients, polluting the world and endangering human lives. We challenged, for example, when we introduced palo santo as a key component of the first nature conservation system, we discovered one of the first nature conservation systems using only plants, and then using the same principle, More and more natural protection systems have been created.It is very important to know that one day we will no longer have to use dangerous chemicals as before and all cosmetics will be preserved only by the power of nature. I find it rewarding.”

Their dedication to the forces of nature in beauty is stronger than ever, as Rahua’s recent launches prove. They approached the development of new scalp and skin toners as if they were skin care products. “So many people have scalp problems and skin imbalances, but that’s not what everyone is talking about.” I wanted to create a Scalp & Skin Toner to bring about.” Designed to work on both the scalp and skin, it balances the microbiome and allows healthy hair to thrive.

Then there’s the new Colorful Gloss Oil Mist and Colorful Hair Mask, designed to complement Colorful Shampoo and Conditioner, to preserve all hair colors, including natural, vibrant and bright. “We wanted to create a salon-quality, non-toxic gloss that promotes lustrous, vibrant hair color,” he says. “The new formula uses our signature Rahua, Mollete and Sacha Inchi oils with Blue Tansy Flower Oil and Lilac Clay to achieve these results without chemicals or salon visits.” It’s also optimized for strength to prevent breakage and brittleness associated with chemical hair color treatments and services.”

More products will be launched in 2023. This means healthier hair and a healthier planet thanks to our commitment to rainforest conservation. “My dream is that one day all cosmetics will be plant-based and people will prefer plants over petroleum,” Riggin says.