During this COVID-19 crisis, the names Antonello Pasci, his wife Daniella Musio and Ociau, their line of organic products, have become an “object of desire” to those who need to urgently and healthily dye their hair at home with organic and professional quality, or get necessary products to protect themselves from the virus such as masks, hand sanitizer, etc.
Ociau, Antonello and Daniela’s 100% organic and natural products. All photos taken by Bianca Pasci
After listening to the struggles of countless people, the couple began to personally prepare 100% organic custom dyes and all kinds of antiviral and protective products to send to different clients and countries around the world. We invite you in this article to learn more about the precious history and importance of using high-quality organic and natural products for your skin, hair, and health.
Antonello Pasci Salon: A Fully Organic Hair Boutique
Surrounded by an orchard of lush trees near a picturesque fountain is Antonello Pasci Salon, a small boutique, nestled in a beautiful and small Mediterranean-style building in the heart of Coral Gables, one of the most exclusive neighborhoods in Miami, Florida. As soon as you pass through the salon’s glass doors, you feel an almost Zen-like peace as carefully selected soft music plays in the background, minimalist and highly original decorations (made by Daniela Musio, the wife and soulmate of Antonello Pasci), catch your eye and an enveloping warmth, typical of the wonderful people of Sardinia, the dreamy Italian island where the couple comes from, welcomes you.
The key to the silent success of this unique place is its focus on using the highest quality products available, a love for good hair care, and promoting healthy hair rather than just its appearance. To do this the Pascis’ use herbs and plants from Sardinia and other countries to produce 100% organic and natural products.
Antonello Pasci and his wife Daniela Musio, owners of Antonello Pasci Salon. All photos taken by Bianca Pasci
In 1993, Antonello, traveled to Miami with Daniela, his then girlfriend, to open up the first salon for an Italian company he worked for. “My contract was supposed to be for two years, but we loved Miami so much that we chose to stay and not return to Italy,” he said. After deciding to stay, the couple got married, had two beautiful children – Bianca, 21, and Tommasso, 15 – and made their dreams come true by opening their own salon, which has been in business for 25 years in the same location.
Interestingly, however, the professional evolution of the Pascis’ and their passion for using only natural and organic products did not happen by chance or because of a fashionable trend, instead a very personal experience completely changed their professional destiny and set the course for what would be their new philosophy towards hair care: Antonello developed a strong allergy to one of the most widely used chemicals in hair dyes called “PPD” (Paraphenylenediamine).
“I couldn’t even smell permanent dyes, as they contain the most PPD, an extremely strong chemical polymer,” he told us. “The stronger the color of the tint, the more PPD it has. Although I did not touch the dye directly with my fingers, I was washing hair that had just been dyed with this chemical, which produced an allergy so unbearable and painful throughout my body that the time came when I could no longer work with the chemical,” he said.
Hair dyed with Ociau’s, natural and organic products. All photos taken by Bianca Pasci
To solve this serious problem, the couple fully devoted themselves to investigating how many natural and organic products were in the market so they could use those instead of products that contained PPD. “We always worked with the best, high-end brands that we trust,” Antonello recalled, “but it came to a point where we didn’t know what to do anymore.”
After doing a ton of in-depth research Antonello and Daniela found a company in California that produced products that didn’t have such large amounts of PPD, however there was still a strong amount of ammonia in their products. “There was no match for what we were looking for and this was as recent as 10 years ago,” Antonello said. “We started using the products we found from this company in California, but it was not enough.” As a result, Daniella decided to go back to school and specialized in making natural products and aromatherapy.
OCIAU: A Homemade Formula To Help Heal Hair And Keep It Healthy
After Daniela graduated, the couple began to work solely with 100% organic and natural products in the salon. “At first it was a little difficult for us. We lost some clients, but we ended up not only recovering them, but also gained many new ones,” Antonello commented.
“We made a turn, we focused on a new type of market and decided to start producing our own line of products named Ociau, a Sardinian word in Sardo that means nettle, which is a typical plant from Sardinia that has incredible healing properties.
“The word Ociau brings back many happy memories of our childhood on the island,” Antonello said. “We used to run through fields filled with nettle and remember getting pricked by the spikes on these plants all the time.” We decided to name our line of products Ociau because to us it means going back to our roots and to a simpler and more natural time.”
“All of our products are homemade,” he said. “We only make what we need for the week along with products our clients usually buy,” Pasci told us. Some large production companies have invited us to partner with them to mass produce Ociau products, but we realized that in order to produce such a large number of products, you end up having to corrupt the formula with cheaper ingredients such as harmful chemicals to lower the cost, so we decided to continue with our method of homemade and personalized manufacturing in small quantities to guarantee the purity and freshness of our products, he adds.
One of the many colors that can be created with the Ociau’s take home hair dye kits. All photos taken by Bianca Pasci
Little by little, the clients of the salon began to realize the effects of Ociau products on their hair and began to order them from the Pascis’ to use at home, leading to the creation of Ociau’s website: www.ociau.com. Now for sale online you can purchase Daniela and Antonello’s line of 100% organic products ranging from shampoos and conditioners, (lavender, rosemary, pine, lilac, nettle, basil, etc.), soy candles, skin and aromatherapy products, and more.
Fighting The Coronavirus
As a result of this critical pandemic, Daniela has decided to focus on developing essential products such as hand sanitizer made with 75% alcohol and essential herbs, protective masks, propolis for the immune system, antivirals, disinfectants, etc. In addition, the couple is also developing personalized dye kits that can be picked up at the salon or sent to any city in the world. “Each tint is different, because we make them personalized. We make them specifically according to the health and hair type of each client, using only organic products and natural colors rich in proteins and minerals. None of our products carry ammonia,” says Antonello.
Personalized dye kits can be picked up at the salon or sent to any city in the world. All photos taken by Bianca Pasci
“In this difficult time, we will continue to offer our clients the same amount of individualized attention, for as long as necessary during this pandemic. Our doors will continue to be open, but with strict protection measures in place,” he said.
The Antonello Pasci Salon will reopen its doors in Coral Gables shortly, with a series of measures and improvements to guarantee its customers protection: they will only tend to one person at a time, provide masks, hand sanitizer and individual containers to store personal belongings, and will completely disinfect the salon after each appointment. “Our salon, Ociau and our clients are our life, our passion. We will continue to take care of them as we always have,” concludes this charming Italian. ■
