Mom Beauty: Original Mineral's Jose Bryce Smith

The founder of Original Mineral talks.

Mom of two, CEO of a fast-growing company, and blonde bombshell are just a few ways to describe Jose Bryce Smith. As the founder of Original Mineral, Smith wanted to create a hair-care line that was organic but still glam. Bridging the gap between natural and luxury, Original Mineral contains no ammonia and is free of harsh chemicals. Founded in Australia with her husband Alan Buki for their Sydney hair salon, Original A, the brand has now expanded into the global market and can be seen in the Fashion Week presentations of Wes Gordon and Veronica Beard. Here at Elizabeth Street, we are totally enamored with how this stylish mom balances work and home life while creating a product that everyone in the family can use. Read on for our exclusive Q&A. —Barry Samaha

Elizabeth Street: How did the idea of Original Mineral begin?
Jose Bryce Smith: My husband Alan is a hairdresser—he had very bad contact dermatitis and he couldn’t use ammonia-based hair color. In the ’90s he was working in Soho, London, where he discovered ammonia-free color, and when we came back to Australia, we brought it with us, for our own salon, now Original A.

ES: Did you feel like there was something missing in the hair/beauty market?
JBS: Ammonia-free hair color was unheard of when we started. We wanted to take the concept and add our love of fashion. I have always loved natural and organic in food and cosmetics, and I didn’t see why a natural product couldn’t look glamorous and lovely in my bathroom. Our aim is to bridge the gap between natural and luxury.

ES: How do you balance working and being mom?
JBS: It’s a juggling act, I have to be on schedule and I don’t sleep much, I am going to sleep when I’m old. 

ES: Do you think there is a difference between how Australian women and   American women treat their hair?
JBS: American women tend to shampoo once, whereas Australians shampoo twice. I’m all about how long I can get my blow-dry to last, so I like my hair to be squeaky clean and that’s how Original Detox was born, which is my favorite shampoo.  Americans seem to be more adventurous with styling products than Australians and I agree—I never leave home without at least two products in my hair.

ES: What hair trends do you see for this upcoming spring/summer season? And do you think that they are practical for moms-on-the-go?
JBS: Ponytails are going to be big which is great for mums—just slight variations, low and wide, and braids are huge and a cool way to quickly tie your hair back. The low bun is also very chic. 

ES: What is the best hair advice you can give to other moms?
JBS: Most important thing is to pick a hairdresser that you can communicate with. They need to show you how to use your product at home to get the best out of your style. 

ES: What beauty and hair treatments do you get on a regular basis?
JBS: I color my hair every two weeks, as I’m a blond addict. I do regular treatments to keep it in great condition, and I blow dry twice a week.  I believe exfoliating is the key to good skin, so I use a Clarisonic and I am a fan of microdermabrasion and a good mani and pedi.

ES: How do you treat your children’s hair?
JBS: My daughter hates washing her hair so it’s usually once a week at best, so I use Original detox shampoo to clean, then I use Fine Intellect as she’s got fine hair, and then I finish with a conditioning treatment—Seven Day Miracle—to negotiate the knots. Sporadically throughout the week I use Know Knott, a conditioning detangler, which I tested on Jasmine before launching into the market, to get out her knots.

ES: What are your tips on how to treat children’s hair?
JBS: You don’t need to over-wash children’s hair. They don’t produce many natural oils, and you don’t want to over-stimulate the oil glands by washing every day. Use products that are light and don’t build up in the hair. O&M doesn’t have a children-specific shampoo because all of our shampoos are natural and gentle and suitable for the whole family.