Whether you work in a salon or you’re a beauty consumer, sustainability is becoming increasingly important to you. You’re aware of the importance of conserving resources, recycling and reducing waste in order to preserve precious natural resources and reverse environmental damage. Luckily, in the realms of personal beauty and salon practices there are increasingly more strategies for protecting the planet. Here are six tips for salon pros and beauty customers.

IN THE SALON

Recycle Salon Waste

Hair clippings, used foil, empty bottles, excess hair color—the residue of a day in the salon can be substantial. If you do nothing else as a salon professional, make an effort to recycle. There are now resources such as SalonCycle and Green Circle for collecting and reusing hair clippings, foil, and excess hair color. New digital color management systems are fantastic solutions for eliminating color waste—they allow you to measure each color application to the milligram, so you don’t have to throw anything away. And because dirty aluminum foil is one of the hardest things to recycle, consider researching modern foil alternatives made of paper or cotton.

Reduce Energy

When those electric bills come in, there’s plenty of motivation to reduce energy consumption! Little things add up, such as replacing bulbs with LED lights, installing automated lights that turn off when no one is in the room, and putting your thermostats on timers. You may also want to rethink your laundry because big appliances are huge energy consumers. Consider bringing in lighter-weight towels that can be air dried rather than placed in the dryer, for example, and handwashing cups and glasses rather than using a dishwasher.

Repurpose/Reuse

Think twice before you throw anything away. Worn or stained towels, for instance, can be donated to animal shelters. If you’re updating your tech hardware, look into donating your old computers and tablets to shelters, senior centers, schools or libraries. Considering a salon remodel? Instead of tearing everything out, consider reupholstering your existing chairs and refinishing existing surfaces wherever possible. Look into sourcing vintage furniture that can be used as shelving, display tables and cupboards rather than buying new.

AT HOME

Be Aware of Packaging

Majority of beauty packaging—bottles, cartons, etc.—winds up in landfills. That’s why it’s important to consciously recycle all items that are eligible, and source products that reduce packaging waste.  Biolage Professional signature bottles, for example, are made of 100 percent post-consumer recycled plastic. This significantly reduces the amount of virgin resin used and saves more 30 tons of virgin plastic every year. To celebrate Earth Day, Biolage is offering a specially designed tote bag made of recycled bottles. For this project, Biolage has recycled nearly 1 million bottles and avoided using a total of 183,196 poly bags. Bonus? The bags are included with special edition Biolage Earth Day shampoo and conditioner duos featuring the vibrant artwork of Seattle-based designer and illustrator Jess Phoenix.

Purge Your Bathroom

Recycling probably happens automatically in your kitchen, but how about your bathroom? How many bottles, jars, etc. from beauty and cosmetic products do you toss in the trash? Set aside a few hours to go through old, partially used, and expired products in your bathroom, rinse them thoroughly and pop them in the recycle bin. Then replace your bathroom wastebasket with a dual-compartment receptable that will allow you to easily separate and recycle moving forward.

Revisit Your Beauty Habits

Swiping off makeup with disposable cotton pads or tissues and throwing away single-use sheet masks quickly adds up to a lot of waste. Consider switching to biodegradable or reusable options for removing your makeup and masking instead. Also, look at your tools. Are your cosmetic brushes or hairbrushes made from animal hair like squirrel or goat? Consider tools made from a sustainable material like bamboo instead, which is biodegradable.  Also, look at your blow dryer and styling irons. Older models may not run as efficiently as newer ones, using more electricity, so it might be time for an upgrade. And why not explore some heat-free styling options that will allow you to switch off those thermal tools entirely?

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