A mother-of-two who took the plunge to quit her office job and go full-time with her vegan beauty business says demand "has boomed".
Joanna Holmes, from Wymondham, has always been passionate about protecting the environment, animal welfare and natural skincare.
In February last year, the 45-year-old started her own home-based business Natural Touch Beauty and Massage Therapy, alongside her job as an administrator at the University of East Anglia.
But Ms Holmes said it was so successful that in August this year, she made the decision to focus solely on her passion.
She said: “While my kids were growing up, I started using Tropic Skincare and I became vegan as well.
“I became more interested in natural skin care and I wanted to find out more about it. I did a facial course and it snowballed from there.
“Although I'm in my 40s I found something I felt really passionate about, so I went on to do more and more courses.”
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Ms Holmes was forced to open and close her fledgling business several times – but this did not affect the demand for her natural treatments.
She added: “I think everyone is a lot more aware now that the beauty industry isn’t actually regulated, they can put some shocking ingredients in there. So, I wanted to use products which aren’t toxic and won’t cause harm.
“I'm trying to make everything as environmentally friendly as possible and none of my products are tested on animals or include any animal products.
“I have done all of the hard work and have checked everything so my clients can just relax.
“It’s like going to a vegan restaurant where you can go in and not worry about what to pick off the menu. You can just relax.”
Treatments include lash lift and tint, eyebrows, Swedish massage, Indian head massage, Thai foot massage, waxing and facials.
The mother-of-two said her dream would be to one day open her very own salon.
“I’m really happy that I made the jump and decided to go or it. It has been fantastic.
“I’m where I’m meant to be.”
For more information visit Natural Touch Beauty's website here, https://natural-touch-wymondham.co.uk/.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here