Eco-Conscious Twists on Beauty Tools for Beauty Professionals

By Hannah Craik | Salonvironment

With industry revolutions comes new innovations. With environmental conscious decisions making an impact, it’s no surprise that the beauty industry is coming up with some new and interesting ways that beauty tools can be produced with their lifecycle in mind (“lifecycle” meaning how it’s made, used, and disposed of + how sustainable that really is). 

BioBowls (Gooddye Young)

There are so many options that come to mind when we think about color bowls for chemical hair services. Some stylists use glass bowls, some use plastic, some use metal, and so on.

However, Gooddye Young has come up with compostable bowls! You are able to use it x amount of times before you are able to compost it, meaning it will biodegrade over time in the right conditions.

Why could it be a better option?

Plastic bowls are the usual choice and make the most sense, but they are not usually (and most likely can’t be) recycled because of the type of plastic they are made out of. They do last a long time, but the end of their lifecycle (after we’re done using them) is something that needs to be more responsible.

Glass bowls are great because they don’t absorb color and are easy to clean, but they are a logistical nightmare. They are heavy and can break easily. However, glass is easily recyclable and can be recycled time and time again.

Metal bowls are light and unbreakable, however they have the reputation of altering the hair chemicals themselves.

Having a compostable bowl as an option is great because it has the good qualities of a plastic bowl (lightweight, hard to break) but has a better disposal ending than regular plastic.

How do you dispose of it?

Because it is made out of PLA + wheat fiber, you have to dispose of it by a commercial composter that accepts this material. The reason why is because PLA needs a different process in order to fully degrade the items, so backyard composting is usually not an effective method. You can find a composting business in your state with this list from Litterless to see who could compost this item for you!

Straw Clips (Simply Organic)

Hair clips are a basic necessity in the industry. However they can break easily and break often, especially low quality clips. Clips are (of course) needed, but because they break easily, they create a lot of waste. Clips are not recyclable by nature because they

1. Are usually made with plastic that isn’t recyclable
2. Are too small to be recycled properly anyway
3. Have metal in them for clamping, so they are considered a “mixed material” and can’t be recycled that way either

But Simply Organic has created hair clips created from recycled crop (specifically straw) waste!

Why could it be a better option?

Not only are they made from a recycled material, the material itself has a cleaner way of degrading. Plastics can leach out harmful chemicals when they degrade and that’s not likely the case if the materials are made from plants.

How do you dispose of it?

If/when the clip eventually breaks, remove the metal from the clip and soak the remaining pieces in water. It’ll help soften the material. You can commercially or personally compost the item. You can find a composting business in your state with this list from Litterless to see who could compost this item for you!

Hair Twigs (Larisa Love)

Going beyond clips and their value to our industry, there’s another creative option to use instead of clips – hair sticks.

The first person I saw doing this was Larisa Love and I thought the idea behind it was very thought out for using it behind the chair, but it didn’t start with her. The history behind hair sticks stems back to as early as 500 BC. 

Why could it be a better option?

Hair sticks aren’t as easily breakable as clips are. Since they would last longer, the idea is that there would be less waste created.

Though they can’t be used for every hair length or style, substituting for this style of sectioning would (at least) reduce the amount of waste created from broken clips.

You can find other options for hairsticks on websites like Etsy if you’re looking for different looks or made out of different materials.

How do you dispose of it?

It depends on the product itself and what it is made out of. Usually any sort of untreated wood/bamboo type products are ok for composting. Other than that, they most likely should be thrown in the trash.

PCR Combs (ReCOMB)

Not all combs are created equal. They can be made from all different materials such as horn, wood, metal, cellulose acetate, and plastic. Combs were not made to be recycled, they are usually made out of #6 plastic PS (classified as polystyrene) or #7 plastic (classified as other, which means it could be a mixture of anything). Both of those have low recycling accessibility. If you’re looking for plastic combs that have an option for proper disposal – ReCOMB can provide those.

They recycle plastic from salons to create new combs. Usually post-consumer recycled (PCR) material is a mixture of different plastics, making them unrecyclable after. But ReCOMB makes sure all the recycled plastics are the same so these combs can be recycled again!

Why could it be a better option?

If you’re a fan of plastic combs, you might as well buy a comb that can be efficiently recycled as opposed to knowingly buying a tool that will be definitely landfilled. 

How do you dispose of it?

The combs are made of either #2 HDPE plastic, #4 LDPE plastic, or #5 PP plastic, as long as your recycling facility accepts any of these plastics, you’re good to throw them in your recycling bin.

Paper Not Foil (PNF)

There are lots of different methods and tools when it comes to color. Especially for separation! Foil, meche sheets, saran wrap, cotton, I could go on. 

Paper Not Foil is very different in its approach to creating a new method of coloring hair. They are a company working towards a circular economy.

Why could it be a better option?

So many reasons! PNF is made from recycled construction waste and can be disposed of in a variety of different ways. Because they are made from recycled material, they do not need to take more of the planet’s resources and don’t use as much energy to create their products. Plus, they can be washed and reused. Saving material and money.

How do you dispose of it?

Since it is “paper” it can be recycled, commercially composted, or thrown away in a landfill (it’ll degrade with the right UV settings). 

Rebundle (Rebundle)

The hair extension market is a huge market. Extension hair can be used from real human hair or different synthetic plastic material. Human hair can be (unfortunately) taken and sold unethically. Synthetic plastic hair can be harmful after long term use because of the material itself. 

Rebundle is the first “hair” extension made from plants. Yes, you heard that right, and now on its way to get the process/material patented! 

Why could it be a better option?

Since they are plant-based, they are much more comfortable and less irritable on the scalp. Public health wise – they are a dream. 

How do you dispose of it?

The best part about anything plant-based – it will decompose. You’re able to compost them commercially (at least), it is unknown if it can be composted at home.
Original link: https://www.salonvironment.com/blog-articles/ecoconscioustwistsontools