Hairstylist Tami Blakely has opened a new salon in Sonoita to serve local customers looking for organic, holistic hair care.
Purely Sonoita Organic is the first “clean salon” in the area, said Blakely in a recent interview. With over 33 years’ experience in the salon profession, she has recently taken a new approach to haircare, foregoing plastic containers and using only sustainable, organic products made with natural, healthy ingredients.
“In my years in this profession I have seen a lot of toxicity in the industry, and eventually it takes its toll on the stylist’s body,” she explained. “Modern, popular hair care is slowly growing more aware of the disadvantages of using harsh chemicals.”
Blakely uses products imported from Bologna, Italy, where organic extracts and essential oils are grown free of pesticides, insecticides, herbicides, and synthetic fertilizers.
It’s all part of “doing beauty better,” she said. “The holistic approach to beauty goes far beyond what we can see in the mirror – it’s recognizing and caring for our mental, spiritual and physical attributes equally so as to remain in balance and radiate true beauty from within. I believe that eventually the knowledge of organic haircare being necessary for the health and wellness of the stylist, client and planet will be widely accepted.”
Blakely is a sixth-generation Arizonan who moved to Sonoita in 2021 to return to her rural roots and the lifestyle she values. In addition to Purely Sonoita Organic, Blakely continues to own and operate Tami and Co Studio Salon in Scottsdale, which she has run for 13 years. She doesn’t see much of a difference in what her clientele is looking for, regardless of where her business is located.
“I have had salons in Prescott and Scottsdale with clients from corporate America to small ranching families,” she said. “But the one thing that’s been constant is the desire to have quality services and products in a nurturing, professional salon environment. The organic approach is just another layer into that quality-minded thinking. So much has changed over the years, but this remains the same.”
In recent years Blakely has experienced significant autoimmune problems, while her son has recovered from a debilitating accident. She says these experiences deepened her spiritual growth and her interest in the importance of leading a healthy, organic life and caring for the environment. This approach to life has in turn been deepened by her work with horses.
“I always say the horse is the closest we can get to God on this earth!” she laughed. Blakely, who owns 14 horses and 8 dogs, is a firm believer in Equine Facilitated Learning (EFL). “In EFL we utilize different exercises or experiences with the horse that allow us to be ‘in’ this world in a whole different way,” she said.
“The horse makes conscious that which is not conscious. We become very honest and congruent with ourselves and others, leaving only room for healing and authentic living. This intuitive nature has been long forgotten but the horse remembers and gladly shares if we know how to ask,” she said. “My life’s purpose is to share in all of this beauty that makes us so complete from the inside out. Oh, and I can do hair too!”
Purely Sonoita Organic is located at 3266 Hwy 82 Suite 2 in Sonoita. Appointments only, usually Monday, Wednesday, and every other Saturday. Contact Tami Blakely at 480-229-7124 or Purelysonoitaaz@gmail.com