How to Make Your Sustainable Salon Happen ASAP
10 Tips to Get You There 

Sustainability isn’t just a trend; ya’ll–it’s a whole mood (and, like one that we anticipate you’ll have the rest of your life).

Look, we’re not here to give you a lecture on why sustainability in the salon and adopting eco-friendly practices is such a big damn deal.

Odds are, you already know why it’s important, and you’re here to figure out how the heck you can kickstart this sustainability party in your own salon.

Good news, eco-friendly friends, you’re in the right place for going green advice. Check out our top ten tips for swapping out current salon practices for a more sustainable, eco-friendly setting.

Top Tips for Creating a More Sustainable Salon

Some of these will be super easy to implement; some might take a little time and effort.

Our advice?

Start small and make little choices that add up–once you see how tiny things can make a big difference, we’re willing to bet you’ll be all aboard for the bigger shifts.

Line Dry Your Laundry

We’re kickin’ off this list with a super easy one. Yep, it’s that simple–line dry some of your salon’s laundry. Line drying is a must for conserving energy, protecting the environment, and saving fossil fuels.

What will you give up by opting for line drying instead of using a dryer?

We’ll be honest–a little convenience. You’ll definitely need to plan ahead and make sure you have enough dry laundry for every client at the salon for an entire day or two.

And, of course, you’ll need an indoor plan B if the weather doesn’t cooperate–but even if you only dry your laundry in a dryer during bad weather spells, you’re making a substantial impact on energy conservation by opting to line dry every other time.

Pick Sustainable & Refillable Products

Think about the products you use on your clients or the ones you stock the back bar with.

Are they sustainable? Are they refillable? Do you toss those products as soon as they’re out?

Are they just a bunch of plastic that’ll cause problems when they’re gone? Consider opting for refillable products that don’t junk up the trash system like one-use plastics do.

Recycle All Day, Every Day  

We all know this tip, but it’s one we should all follow. Implement a recycling rule in your salon and make sure you enforce it (this goes for customers, too!).

Not sure how to get everyone on board? Try a little education and information session to explain why it’s so important.

Then, debrief everyone on your new recycling system and how to use it properly.

Our advice? Set up some helpful signs, so new clients don’t feel awkward asking where or how to recycle something if they’re not used to tossing trash this way. 

Go Digital for Everything

If you’re still using flyers, receipts, and paper in general in your salon, genuinely ask yourself why.

That’s not sarcasm; we genuinely mean it­–if you can answer that why with an indisputable reason, keep your paper–if you can’t genuinely come up with one, it’s probably time to go paperless.

Trust us; it’s actually a solid move into a more tech-savvy generation. Your clients will appreciate it, and we bet you will, too. (You can even cut costs by going all-digital, BTW).

Figure Out Your Carbon Footprint–Then Offset It

Yes, we know what we’re asking you–to do the math.

And it’s painful, but we promise, once you do it, you’ll be glad you did. Try to calculate your salon’s carbon footprint so you can have a better understanding of what it looks like.

Better yet, link up with a firm or pro who can calculate this for you. Once you’ve got, it figured out, work with your entire salon to come up with creative and impactful ways to offset it. 

Avoid Fast-Fashion Décor & Opt for Eco-Friendly Items

Want to add a little pizazz to your salon?

A potted plant doesn’t just look good and add a whole vibe to the space; it also produces oxygen and balances carbon dioxide emissions.

Really trying to be that full-service salon that provides their clients with fun beverages while they wait?

Do it–just serve those bevies in washable glasses instead of single-use plastic or paper cups.

Whatever you want to add to your space should be eco-friendly, not set you back.   

Build Sustainable Partnerships with Your Suppliers

We’re not telling you to up and burn all the bridges you’ve worked hard to build–because we get it, great suppliers don’t grow on trees.

We are encouraging you to start a dialogue with your suppliers and see where they can meet you in the middle on sustainable practices.

If you can’t see eye-to-eye on sustainability with your current suppliers, it might be time to shop around–but we’re willing to bet most of them are open to the conversation and ready to make a few changes.

Educate Your Clients & Employees

One of the best things you can do to make an impactful difference is to start by educating your clients.

You don’t have to change the entire world to change the entire world­–sometimes, you just need to change the way two, three, or five people think about sustainability to make the biggest difference.

Set up sustainable chats, Q&A sessions, and educational seminars to help your employees and your clients understand the changes you’re making and why you’re making them.

It does make it easier for them to get on board in your salon, but it also might help them make actionable changes at home, too.

Make the Small Swaps

When we say small, we mean small. Take a look at your business as a whole and look at the tiny details. Could you swap out your toilet paper for a more eco-friendly option?

Could you quit using paper towels and opt for washable, reusable rags? Could you replace those energy-hog bulbs with more sustainable alternatives? The small stuff might be tiny, but these swaps can make big differences for the environment.

Research Product Ingredients

Typically, product research has more to do with how successful the product is. And it should still be this–but with a few added criteria.

Try to figure out everything that’s in the products you love. Figure out where they come from. Are they sustainable? Are they ethically gathered? Are the people who source the ingredients treated fairly?

Sustainability is about far more than just tossing the plastic cup in a recycling bin–it’s about a holistic look at where the products you use come from, who’s creating them, and how they impact the world.

We hope you don’t just love reading this blog, we hope you love implementing some of these changes in your own salon or spa. Have some of your own sustainability tips you want to share with the class?

Drop a comment in the reply section below–we want to hear it all.

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