Back to Check It Out

Jason Harsin returns to Tacoma

Former rocker launches Hearts & Stars hair and body care line

JASON HARSIN: From Katie's Dimples to beautifying Katie's hair. Courtesy photo

Email Article Print Article Share on Facebook Share on Reddit Share on StumbleUpon

Jason Harsin has been busy making handbills and flyers, throwing parties and touring the circuit. While this all perfectly natural to the former DIY rocker, this time it isn't about promoting his music, it's about promoting his yummy-smelling, all natural hair and body care products.

Former band member of Tacoma's Swelter, Katie's Dimples and others, Harsin just released his Hawaii-based hair and body care collection, Hearts and Stars, and will be back in Tacoma Saturday, Dec. 1 for a product line launch party at Poison Apple

Harsin, who lived in Tacoma during the crucial punk rock years of 1991-98, now spends his time surfing and styling hair in Hawaii. Over the phone, Harsin reminisces about his time in Tacoma.

"I lived in this punk rock house on North Yakima with 12 other dudes. It was 75 bucks to rent the whole basement. There were SO many all-ages shows, it was a really really good time to be in music. It was going off."

While Harsin still dabbles in music a bit - he and his wife have a new wave ukulele cover band called Poi Division - his true love is hair.

"Shampoo gets me excited," says Harsin whose DIY approach to hair care was seeded in his mind more than 10 years ago after working for a celebrity stylist and realizing that most products were "garbage." After a break for graphic designing, Harsin came back to his vision of a botanical based hair care line.

"It took a year to develop the ingredients," he says after tons of research, including giving samples to clients with a variety of hair types, settled on a combination of hemp oil, hair keratin, eucalyptus, tea tree and sage.

Harsin knew his products would make people smell awesome and feel sexy. He didn't expect people's dandruff to disappear. Harsin attributes the discovery to the PH balanced nutrients in his ingredients, bringing balance to nutrient-stripped hair. He explains when people use paraben-based shampoos and conditioners, the flakes people develop often aren't from their scalp, but a collection of wax build-ups from the paraben. Apparently another no-no ingredient in commercial products is cancer-causing sulfates, which of course, Harsin doesn't use.

"People are getting more educated about hair," he says. You can't pull the wool over their eyes.

"I want to take care of peoples hair," he continues, "and if it doesn't come from a place that is genuine - it doesn't make sense."

POISON APPLE, HEARTS & STARS LAUNCH PARTY, SATURDAY, DEC. 1, 5-8 P.M., FREE ADMISSION, 907 PACIFIC AVE., TACOMA, 253.304.1874

LINK: Hearts & Stars product line

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Weekly Volcano’s Afternoon Delight newsletter features breaking news, stories, calendar picks and more sent directly to your inbox Monday-Friday. It’s completely free to subscribers, but costs $10,000 if you don't like it. You will like it. It's sweet and sour and makes you pucker and swoon. Sign up here:

Read next close

Liquid

Dear Drink: Campari

comments powered by Disqus