The beauty industry has come a long way in the past few years when it comes to learning how to be more sustainably aware as a whole and NOW we are taking these lessons into the salon to create more eco-friendly salon studio’s. Here are 5 actionable ways that you can create a more eco-friendly salon studio and less toxic environment for you and your clients.
Remove as many toxic products as you can by using ammonia-free color and products that have a low Pete score. Use chemical-free cleaning products to clean your salon. Many product lines are getting on board with this mission and SO many high quality salon brands are out there to choose from.
Don’t just look at your color and product lines though. What are you cleaning the salon with? What are you scenting it with? Do you pay attention to your laundry routine?
There are so many hidden places that toxins live in the salon environment. Don’t let this over whelm you. I made the switch slowly. As I ran out of my laundry detergent, I replaced it with a safer, cleaner alternative. Same with my tissues and glass cleaner. Your actionable list will be different than mine but think about every little thing you use. Look at it and maybe look it up online to see if it is a clean product or not. 
Add air purifying objects into your salon to help remove unwanted toxins from the air for your safety and the safety of your clients.
No better air purifier than a few plants! I have probably gone overboard in my salon with plants but it is a passion of mine and my clients seem to love it!
If you are particularly concerned about a certain chemical being airborne in your salon I would do a search for plants that purify that specifically. For instance, Formaldahyde should definitely be on your list as it is practically in everything we touch…to some degree. When you look up that on the good ole google this is what pops up….
- Boston Fern. The graceful Boston fern is a close relative of sword fern and looks similar. …
- Peace Lily. The air-purifying properties of peace lily coupled with its striking white bracts and dark green foliage make it a great houseplant.
- Kimberley Queen Fern.
- Dracaena.
- English Ivy.
- Weeping Fig.
- Lady Palm.
- Chrysanthemum.
So, there ya go!
Another favorite of mine is to try diffusing essential oils to help purify the air as well as add aromatherapy for you and your clients.
If pollen is high in your area try diffusing an allergy blend and you won’t have to worry about so much sneezing! My favorite diffuser is this one here from Doterra and I also LOVE their essenital oils!
Join and participate in Recycling programs! Let’s face it. Our salons are full of waste that we can’t stop from creating! We need 10 different styling products in individual packages to use on our various clients. We go through at least a tub maybe two of color on each color client. We use paper towels, we cut off peoples hair and throw it away, we use little piece of foil to keep hair seperate in color techniques…the list could go on forever!
Luckily there ARE ways we can do our part!
First of all, we can choose to serve our clients filtered water instead of individual water bottles, we can use towels instead of paper towels when possible, we can be sure to only wash full loads of laundry! Also, commit to only using and selling products that use recycled materials is a great way to do little changes! There is another great program that just popped up a few years ago too that makes salons taking care of the environment a breeze. Green circle salons is an incredible program that was created for small spaces! They are set to come and pick up your garbage and put it in the proper places. For more info on Green Circle Salons visit their website and mention inmysalon.com when inquiring!
Take classes online…duh. This seems like a no-brainer to me! Everything around us is available online now so why not our salon classes as well. Not to mention while you are at home taking classes on your computer you are saving trees from all the paper that would have been used for printouts. When you take a class online instead of getting a printout you will lose you get a digital copy you can refer to anytime you need too and you’ll know right where it’s at! Let’s be honest, some of us just love the printout…guess what? When you get a digital copy you can always go ahead and print it yourself. 😉
Choose to only use Cruelty-Free products and color in your salon! When a product is considered 100% cruelty-free it will always have a stamp on it proving that it has the proper certification proving it is cruelty-free. It is something the company will be proud of. Like when a product or food package is vegan it will always have the big universally known V! Choosing to only support cruelty-free companies puts pressure on competing brands to follow suit. Animal testing is inhumane and only done when a product line is so toxic it needs to prove that it’s not TOO toxic by providing proof of it on animals.
BONUS IDEA:
Participate in environmentally aware activities in your community! As hair stylists we become someone our clients look up to for advice on their hair. We are the ones they depend on to take care of it. When our clients hear that we are participating in local activities that are good for the environment it not only makes them aware of the possibilities of doing it them selves but you have the opportunity to invite them. You could even post an open invite on your social media as an open invite to this public activity and then post about your experience after. You could end up meeting a couple potential new clients in the process.
These ideas are so easy there is at least one of them that you can incorporate into your salon TODAY! Not only about how to live more sustainably but also some ideas that may get you some new clients.
Did you know that an eco-friendly salon is actually a NICHE!
You can market your salon on a local facebook page for sustainable living. You could meet someone at a meet up as talked about in the last example. When you make a decision to do something selfless for the good of the planet we are living on, good things come back to you!
If you are needing help when it comes to learning how to speak to your ideal client or even if you aren’t sure who your ideal client is and creating goals for your business and actively working towards them, you should definitely check out my 5 Day Workshop, Attracting your Ideal Salon Clients and Mastering Momentum! I know this 5-day workshop will not only be used once but over and over as you and your business continue to evolve and uplevel!
Before you go, please do me a favor and share this article with a friend that needs to learn more about about how they can create a more eco-friendly salon studio!!
Remember, not stopping is how you WIN!!
Cheers,
