So you want to try a new look—haircut, color, style—for 2022? Good for you. How about a new way of getting that look—one that’s good for the earth? We stopped into Artistex Salon & Spa (artistexsalon.com). Odete Dasilva launched her business in 1999 and, twenty years later, moved to 260 Post Road East to stretch out in a 4,000-square-foot space—large enough to include a hair salon, a barbershop, a luxury beauty and wellness spa and a private VIP room. It’s also eco-conscious. For example, she doesn’t use metal foils for highlighting and responsibly disposes of salon waste. “Unrecyclable metal foil contributes 196 tons of landfill waste per year, just from salons in North America,” she says. “Salons in North America create over 877 pounds a minute of unrecyclable waste.” Beauty may be personal, but its impact is global.
How is your salon eco?
“We recycle all of our metal, cardboard and plastic. Also, we repurpose our chemicals, hair clippings and PPE through Green Circle Salons [greencirclesalons.com], a company dedicated to repurposing salon and spa waste. They do amazing work to repurpose, like using hair clippings to create booms that clean our earth’s fresh and saltwater supplies. The booms are placed into the water and, with the concentration of hair, able to absorb oil spills and other wastes naturally—without chemicals that hurt our plant and wildlife.”
Do your clients ask for environmentally friendly options?
“Yes, all of the time! We offer choices. For example, we use Goldwell hair color as a traditional hair color choice known for its very low ammonia content. In addition, we offer an all-natural ammonia-free hair color, and we even have a chemical-free hair color, which is green and nontoxic but also has no ammonia or peroxide—and the shine on this product, especially for blondes, is amazing. We also use and retail organic and/or all-natural products, such as Oribe Haircare, which is concentrated to reduce the amount of plastic needed to bottle it. And we have the most amazing organic spray-tanning product, Emma and Zoya 10 Free nontoxic and vegan nail products and polish, and all-natural and organic skincare, massage and haircare products. With every company we do business, we first consider how responsible it is and if it has green-conscious options. Our product refill station is the greatest benefit to being environmentally friendly, clients can bring their own bottle or purchase one from us to refill with their chosen shampoo and conditioner.”
How has Covid changed business?
“It’s obvious clients look for Covid safety and we have gained many new clients based on how Covid safe we still are. This is in line with clients wanting to become more green conscious and having a healthier mindset. It is unavoidable to need items such as plastics or disposables, especially since Covid-type viruses have elevated the sanitation concerns, but we use as many biodegradable solutions as possible or, at the very least, recyclable. To clean, we use Microban and Rejuvenate—both are eco-friendly, hospital-grade disinfectants.”
3 ECO-FRIENDLY HABITS
FOILS
One example is we do not use metal foil to do our color or highlighting services. It can’t be recycled after chemical use. We use alternatives that are biodegradable and/or a recyclable solution, such as thermal foils.
PRODUCTS
Our product refill bar is a cost-effective way to purchase shampoo or conditioner while reducing the use of plastic bottles. We’re moving in this direction with product choices for skincare and haircare.
REDUCE
We didn’t use of real pumpkins in our window display this past fall because we learned they end up in landfills, releasing methane, a harmful greenhouse gas.