How to be eco-friendly and safe in salon during coronavirus

If there is one thing we can all agree on, it’s the positive impact the last few months have had on the planet and the quality of the air we breathe as we all stayed inside for the majority of the time. For many of us, there were high hopes that this would be the moment when society addressed the global warming crisis head on and helped to shape a more sustainable future. Then we started to think about heading back to work - and PPE - and there was a bit of a U-turn. It's a difficult line to walk right now with adhering to the PPE requirements for the pandemic while trying to remain an eco-friendly hair salon. Dan Benson, owner of Mint Hair & Spa, is passionate about making his Twickenham salon as eco-friendly as possible. He has been shocked by how difficult it has been to maintain this ethos while putting back-to-work safety measures in place. “I knew I didn’t want to introduce disposable options, because it goes against everything we have worked to achieve at Mint,” says Dan. “It has been a real challenge for us, as so much PPE is plastic, but we have done the best we can, and our eco-aware clients will appreciate that.” Here Dan shares his top tips for keeping your salon kind to the environment during the pandemic.

Eco-friendly hair salon tips

1) Where possible choose to re-use We’ve sourced organic cotton, reusable masks, that are washed each night. We have also chosen reusable aprons that are sprayed down between each guest. 2) Choose eco-friendly alternatives Not all anti-bac is created equal. Lots of studies have found that the potent chemicals can survive sewage treatments and are often detected in rivers and streams. To avoid this, we’ve chosen totally biodegradable plant-based anti bac. It’s effective, conscience-free and it smells better too! 3) Be biodegradable Like many salons, we’ve been using Enki disposable towels for several years, but we have taken it a step further by introducing guest gowns that are made from non-genetically modified maize. They are single use and 100% biodegradable. 4) Re-think your refreshments We’ve chosen to stop serving teas, coffees and biscuits temporarily. Now, more than ever, clients are visiting you for a quality hair service and the luxuries are less important, so we’d rather make that sacrifice than resort to disposable cups. Likewise, we’ve been really disappointed to hear of salons introducing bottled water. If there was ever a time to bring in a new policy to encourage clients to bring in their refillable bottles, this is it. Come on guys, let’s not set back the good progress we have made on single-use plastics! 5) Don’t let recycling habits slip. Naturally, some people are a little nervous about handling rubbish at the moment, but if you are following the safety guidelines there is no reason why you shouldn’t recycle safely. We use a company called First Mile who sort and analyse our waste and make recommendations. It has dramatically increased the amount we recycle and the way we think about things we use in the salon.