Are you getting that Eco Anxiety panic attack when you think about the environment?

You are feeling like there is only so little YOU can do while there is SO MUCH to be done? Or you don’t even know where to start?

Well, let’s start by changing your Beauty Routine ! But how ??

Smiling Earth Gif

Eco-salons:

First, let's start with hair salons !

Eco salons have been around for a few years now. What is it?

As simple as it, these are salons that care about the environment and that make the conservation of our beautiful planet their number 1 priority. As you may or may not know, hair salons consume a lot of energy and the hair industry has a pretty heavy carbon footprint. This means that they consume a lot of resources and they produce a lot of waste, about 200000 tonnes of waste every year.  Just by the quantity of water used on a daily basis for shampoos, the foils to dying purposes, all the hair waste and the plastic used…

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Thank god, some organisms were created around the world to help reduce waste and recycle them properly.  Their purpose it to : “allow salons to repurpose and recover up to 95% of the resources that were once considered waste; materials such as hair, leftover hair color, foils, color tubes, aerosol cans, paper and plastics.”

So choosing the sustainable eco-salon solution helps the environment to recover and repurpose their beauty waste.

The Problem:

One of the main problem is that hair and all other waste are mixed and thrown out as people commonly think they cannot be recycled. So all these waste will be sent to burying sites and will take thousands of years to decompose, and will pollute even more our planet.

But guess what, the worst is that mixing hair with other waste will make it EVEN HARDER to decompose. Yet, this is not commonly known and unrecycled waste keeps increasing from one year to another.

The Solution:

So associations like Green Circle salons in North America or "Mon coiffeur s'engage" in France decided to help salons manage their waste.  They collect the hair, the hair color surplus, used foils, and plastic to recycle them and find new utilities to them.

Greencircle salons logo - green and purple

Foils and aluminum tubes are sent to a special decontamination center that neutralize chemical products and then recycle the aluminum.

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Hair is collected and as it has such high oil absorption properties it will be sent to oil leakage sites.

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the hair color waste is transformed in energy and clean water by incineration.

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Another important part of the Green Circle salons is e-du-ca-tion. They educate clients and hairdressers about sustainable solutions that exist and raise awareness about products and resources overconsumption.

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Green Circle salons goal is very ambitious. The company that was created in 2009 wants to North-american beauty industry to be 100% sustainable by 2030.

If you are convinced, you can find eco-salons close to your location on Green Circle Salons' website.

green circle salons map in Ottawa

How do you benefit?

Clients:

Customer who are environmentally conscious will seek for an environmentally-friendly salon. These clients will want to do the most they can to be sustainable and help the movement grow.

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Owner:

For salon owners, they will have some important financial benefits. This certification will bring new clients, will differentiate and will advertise their salon. Also, by being environmentally conscious they will reduce their costs by reducing their consumption of products.  Also, professionals will have have the benefit of being environmentally conscious.

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How to adapt your beauty routine at home?

You can also change the products you use at home, by looking at the ingredients. You will want to avoid any form of plastic such as microbeads and some dangerous chemicals like Formaldehyde.  This being said, it will be better for the environment BUT ALSO much healthier for your skin and hair !!

Here are some environmentally and socially conscious products you can use right now:

Your new go-to Products:

  • Joico has an "eco-mmitment" and wants to reduce the carbon footprint of 75%  their operations by 2030.

Joico banner - the art of healthy hair - 4 shampoo bottles

  • Little Green has just been PETA certified as Cruelty-Free and Vegan products !!

little green package - 3 products package

A small action goes a long way:

  • Shower: you can start by taking cold showers and less frequent showers. It will reduce your energy consumption and will reduce your electricity bill ! As well as being good for the environment, it is also good for your hair and skin health!
  • Bamboo toothbrush: using such brushes will help reduce your annual plastic consumption as they are biodegradable!
  • Give a second life to your plastic containers: you can use them as flower pots or use them as containers for other products you have. Buy in bulk and fill these already existing containers.

So let's save the planet one product and one haircut at the time!

xoxo

Bea ;)