Creating a Wellness Sanctuary

By Louise May

Enough Studio was founded in 2018 by Lisa Nguyen to champion a low-tox and sustainably focused hair and wellbeing experience.

After years of exposure to harsh chemicals and fumes, Lisa set out to create a wellness sanctuary in Hyde Park, South Australia, to focus on delivering a holistic approach to all thing’s hair, and an experience that is safe for both you and the environment. Whilst Enough Studio functions primarily as a hair salon, they also focus on physical and mental wellbeing. Nurturing mind, body, and spirit.

Lisa and her team focus on you, all of you, inside and out. By curating the best in natural, organic, chemically reduced, low tox and sustainable salon and hair products; Enough Studio is committed to helping you begin, continue, and evolve your self-care journey in and beyond the studio.

Hair Biz Editor Louise May chats with Lisa about her journey in the industry and her newly launched Haircare Brand, George.

Tell us about yourself, where did you grow up? How did you get started in hair industry?

I received a private school education and come from a strict Asian background, but I became a hairdresser anyway! I had always been fascinated with beauty from a young age, and I was lucky to begin my career in an amazing salon that a friend of mine was working at. I have had really supportive and talented stylists to learn from who helped shape the hair stylist I am today! I’m grateful that it has become something I enjoy and worked hard to be good at. I feel like this line of work chose me!

What drew you to the industry in the first place?

Beyond the creativity of styling is the ability to create and foster relationships and meet new and inspiring individuals.

Tell us about your business and what makes it unique.

ENOUGH was created to foster and nurture a community of like-minded individuals and businesses. I didn’t want to start another salon in Adelaide - there are literally hundreds in Hyde Park and Unley alone. The intention was always to create a studio space that was minimalist and multi-functional - to fulfill its primary function as a working eco-ethical, chemically reduced salon by day, and a space for community, education, mindfulness, and movement in the times between.

At ENOUGH, we believe that by eliminating harsh chemicals from the salon environment, we can help support the health and wellbeing of our clients and educate them on ways to incorporate self-care and healthy living into their daily life. We all know that a haircut is more than just about how we look; but can also affect how we feel. We’re committed to delivering attentive and conscious hair services in a supportive environment, and we try to see one client at a time to create a true retreat experience so our clients can rest their bodies and mind when they are with us.

Additionally, in 2022 we’ve launched the next pillar of this vision, ‘Enough Wellness’ and integrative wellness sanctuary located on level 1 of our studio. Our vision is that Enough Wellness creates a space for our community to nurture wellness and access up-to-date holistic health education and services.

Was business ownership always a priority for you?

Yes, I’ve poured my heart and soul into my job and knew that I wanted to one day invest this time and energy into something personal and nurture and watch it grow. This burning desire to have the freedom to build my business vision became apparent, especially after I came close to leaving the industry due to my dermatitis from using conventional hairdressing products. It made me more aware of the world around me and my health in all physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects. I wanted to create a space where you can come to be just that.

What inspired you to create your own range of haircare?

From running Enough Studio and talking with my clients, I developed a thorough understanding of what clients want from their haircare routine and what is lacking within the haircare market. Many products out there look clean and pure at first glance, but upon closer inspection, they are filled with nasty ingredients. George started off with a question - how clean can a formula be and not compromise on the performance and results, and my curiosity made me want to go deeper. I also wanted to support more sustainable brands, but even though the market is so crowded, there were only some that did both well.

What is unique about the George Haircare brand and who is it for?

George strips things back to basics. You don’t need hundreds of different hair products clogging up your vanity or lengthy routines taking over your life. Just clean and hardworking ingredients that are kind to your hair. George is for anyone craving no-fuss, multitasking formulas that allow you do to do more with less. We are for all hair types, and we’re here to make haircare fun again. We don’t stop at taking care of your hair, we care for the planet too, we’ve sourced our packaging from market leaders in the ecofriendly space and continue to look for ways that we can do better. We are proud partners of 1% For the Planet, donating 1% of our annual sales to a crop of thoroughly vetted and extremely worthy environmental charities.

What do you consider your own top 3 pillars of success to be?

Develop a growth mindset - get comfortable being uncomfortable. Work hard - Always keep running and be on the move, stay focussed. Believe in yourself - overcoming self-doubt gives you the confidence to keep working towards your goals.

What’s given your business strength over the years?

Community. Enough would not have gotten to where we are on our own. Our health and wellness community has helped us grow our network by spreading love, being our support system through challenging times, educating us with their knowledge and wisdom. And we are so grateful for our beautiful connections with our community, our cheerleaders, and our friends through trust and shared values.

What has been your greatest lesson or piece of advice along your business journey?

Surround yourself with the dreamers and the doers, the believers, and the thinkers but most of all surround yourself with those who see greatness within you.