Managing a business, mentoring rising professionals, and caring for her own clients would make for a full calendar for Ami Christianson, but she still finds the best part of her day is when she can step in and help a bride prepare for her wedding day.

“That’s my favorite part. I enjoy the joy of working with a client. That is my happy place,” Christianson said.

With four decades in the hair-styling and beauty industry, she continues to evolve and find new ways to help her clients as they celebrate life’s milestones.

The Wisconsin native moved to the area to follow a corporate job, but it wasn’t long before she decided to follow her passion. She opened One Salon in Geneva in 2005, and in 2008 she moved to St. Charles.

Christianson is deeply committed to using clean beauty products, making it a priority for the health of her staff and her clients.

“This is something very near and dear to my heart,” Christianson said. “We want to keep the hair healthy for our client and for me and my team that are exposed to the products.”

Whether it’s using international products from countries with higher standards for ingredients or seeking out special product lines, such as her work as an educator and product tester for K18 Hair, Christianson strives to be a leader in the clean beauty movement.

Expanding to include bridal services for hair and makeup has been an area of tremendous growth for Christianson and her team. During the height of the wedding season, her team will tend to multiple bridal parties in a single day, she said. Her team averages more than 150 bookings a year for weddings.

Christianson said she loves how today’s bride is more savvy about products and embraces her team’s clean beauty offerings, including a five-ingredient mineral-based foundation.

“It’s beautiful and so natural looking,” she added.

Her team’s love for weddings has brought them to events big and small, celebrating weddings with one bride, two brides, and she even cared for a bride in her 80s.

“Love is love,” Christianson said. “It’s joyful to be a part of that day.”