With hair salon’s now re-opening for the second time since Covid-19, there has never been a better time to stand apart from the crowd and invest in some simple ways to make your hair salon more sustainable. As a hair professional, it is my aim to make our customers feel beautiful. But with rising environmental concerns it’s also our social responsibility to preserve the beauty of the world we are living in and becoming an eco-friendly hair salon is the first step to take.
So, what are some of the simple ways you can make your hair salon more sustainable? Renowned celebrity hairstylist Steph Stevenson advises 5 ways that you can make your hair salon more sustainable.
Our sense of responsibility and concern
The first step is acknowledging that we have a responsibility as both humans and business owners to create a future which is more sustainable. Our sense of responsibility and concern for our environment is paramount, with women often having a greater emotional empathy and attitude associated with environmental behaviours such as sustainability, it’s important to them and can influence their buying decisions – opting for brands and services that take sustainability seriously.
By recognising that your hair salon and the sector in general needs to make changes, you can super charge your own social conscious and do the necessary research. For example, I joined the Green Salon Collective, a brilliant initiative consisting of a start-up of industry experts, hairdressers and eco campaigners on a mission towards hairdressing sustainability, whose goal is to be able to collect as close to 100% of all salon waste as physically possible and to then find new uses for it that reward the salon, the environment and the community.
Recycle recycle recycle
One of the best and keyways to make your salon eco-friendlier is recycling. This may sound obvious at first, for example recycling used shampoo and conditioner bottles etc, but did you know that you can recycle all the hair that you cut too?
Recycled hair can be used for making hair mats that fit over drains to protect the water ways and also to make hair booms, which are used to absorb oil. Using our clients cut hair, hair booms were recently used in an ocean spill in Ireland last month that was successful.
When recycling it also helps to have different bins for your foils, hair colour tubes and PPE. Make sure your bins are all labelled, as this will help to limit landfill as much as possible and send to recycling.
Water eco heads
Water eco heads are a great addition and simple way to implement sustainability into your hair salon, as they save water and use less energy. By controlling the water pressure, they create a powerful stream cutting your rinse time in half and giving your valued clients that added massage during their shampoo which is essential for scalp health.
Re-using rinse water is also highly effective and one of the most common and efficient water-saving practices used in salons today.
Don’t confuse sustainability with organic
It can be easy for clients to confuse the term organic with sustainable, but there is a difference – sustainability goes a step ahead of organic. A sustainable product or practice is not just green or eco-friendly but also conscious about the future. In addition to being eco-friendly, sustainable products can be reused over a long period of time, eliminating the need to purchase new products frequently. Carrying a glass or steel bottle everywhere instead of purchasing a mineral water bottle is a classic example of sustainability.
Using bio-degradable packaging and products where possible and making purchasing decisions based around sustainability will also stand you in good stead. Eco-friendly bamboo brushes and hair dryers is another way to cut down on energy costs and puts you one step closer to your sustainable salon goal.
Involve your community
By keeping you community in the loop with what you’re doing and how you’re becoming more sustainable as a salon is a great way to build customer retention and increase profit long term. It’s important to your customers to know you’re addressing this issue and doing your bit for the community and overall industry. Its also a great vehicle to surge ahead of competitors who may not be currently implementing sustainable practices.
By implementing some or all of the above actions, you’ll be well on your way to creating a successful and sustainable hair salon. What’s stopping you?
About Steph Stevenson, celebrity hairstylist and founder of HNB Salon and Spa – https://www.hnbsalonspa.co.uk/
Steph Stevenson is a renowned celebrity hairstylist, who has worked across various TV shows, including Strictly Come Dancing and Dancing on Ice. Entrepreneur and founder of (HNB Salon and Spa), a super-spa and salon based in Sandbanks, Dorset, Steph employees over 40 personnel to offer everything from cosmetic dentistry, nutritional therapy and trichology to Steph’s renowned cut, colour and blow dry. The salon is also part of the Green Salon Collective which pioneer’s salon sustainability throughout the UK and Ireland.
With over 30 years in the hair industry, Steph also has a wealth of skills and knowledge in the retail and business sector to share. Steph was the Lead Educator in the UK and Europe for hair care brand Living Proof, co-owned by Jennifer Aniston at the time.
Steph was appointed to the Board of the NHBF (National Hair & Beauty Federation) in November 2018, which, with over 5000 members, is the largest trade body for the hair, beauty and barbering industries.
