Eco-friendly Salon Practices: My Commitment to a Sustainable Queenstown

Reducing waste and working sustainably is at the heart of what I do. In an industry that creates so much waste, it broke my heart to see foil after foil and plastic bottle after plastic bottle go into landfill.

Once I found out that the average NZ salon uses 2 km of foil every month (that’s enough to wrap around the earth once every year!), I knew I needed to find a foil alternative.

I started using Paper Not Foil six years ago; and I haven’t looked back! Paper Not Foil is a New Zealand-born alternative to aluminum foil. Made from ground-down industrial waste, Paper Not Foil is a reusable, degradable, and waste-free product. This was a big box ticked on my quest to become more eco-friendly!

Recycling all salon waste here in Queenstown was proving difficult. Many of the programs wouldn’t accept the used foil or tint tubes; and don’t get me started on the plastics!

That’s when I joined Sustainable Salons; an organisation that diverts 95% of salon waste from landfill. All waste is repurposed – including hair cuttings which are made into hair booms that help clean up oil spills along coastlines. Another tick!

Other areas I strive as a stylist to be more environmentally friendly include:

• Using a colour brand (Lakme) with high levels of commitment to sustainability; read more here

• Line drying salon towels and gowns during the warmer months

• Using eco-friendly cleaning products for the salon

• Collecting the water that runs from the tap while waiting for it to warm up, and use it to water plants or for cleaning purposes

• Any aluminium foil I do use comes from a recycled source, and is then repurposed by Sustainable Salons

When you choose me as your stylist, not only can you say your hair has helped clean up an oil spill, but you can guarantee I am constantly making efforts to reduce my waste and adopt eco-friendly habits. Queenstown is a beautiful corner of the earth, and I am committed to keeping it that way.