A couple of years ago I was having a bad day at work. Every time I turned around the gender inequality and a complete disregard for the environment we live in and the people and animals we share the planet with was staring me in the face. So I started to save… I wanted to start a salon that not only cared for its guests, but its employees, the community, animals and the planet.
In April 2021 my dream become reality and is quickly starting to become everything I had imagined! I used reclaimed materials where I could afford them. Countertops are off cuts of kitchen counters, shelving made of thrown away MDF and reclaimed scaffolding, and signage from the floor of a local church.
The companies I chose to stock are very important to me. They are all cruelty free and either vegan or vegan friendly. I knew I wanted to carry Kevin Murphy. The performance couldn’t be beat and I love their commitment to being cruelty free, philanthropy and the environment. Organic Colour systems is another brand that caught my eye. I chose this colour line because they have all the same qualities as Kevin Murphy with the added benefit of recycled plastic colour bottles instead of aluminium tubes (I was concerned with the deforestation while mining the aluminium). I have also heard they are working on a plastics return which would be a huge step in the right direction! We use Paper Not Foils for the same aluminium reasons. Made from recycled construction material and being reusable and recyclable was a huge selling point! Our towels are Scummi disposable towels which are made from sustainably sourced wood fibres and compostable. I chose The Gel Bottle for their performance but also for their extensive ethical trade policy. Our coffee and teas we serve our guests are fair trade from an independent coffee roasters 7.5 miles away. The vegan biscuits we serve are baked by an independent baker in our village.
We are also members of Green Salon Collective. We recycle almost everything! We have a bin for hair, paper, plastic, metals, towels, glass, PPE, and nail files which all get sent to be recycled. I really loved Green Salon Collective’s commitment to the environment and their chosen charities. Their circular approach to waste management is truly inspiring. All of our cardboard gets reused or delivered to our local recycling centre. We also have an in salon compost bin. The compost is used in our plants and if we ever have a surplus, I plan to donate it to the local group, Hoylake In Bloom (whom we sponsor), which turns unused spaces in the village into gardens. We all use reusable supplied where possible and have repurposed our old backwash and developer bottles a flower pots. I am proud to report in our three months of business we have only sent one small bag of rubbish to landfill.
All of our staff has shone such commitment since we opened. From trying new tools or techniques to try to be more sustainable to sitting through guest service training to help them not only do more thorough consultations but to also be more inclusive and empathetic.
Our prices are gender neutral. Inclusivity is important to me. We don’t need to know what your pronouns are or if you require a wheelchair. We can happily take care of everyone at the same price.
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