When it comes to environmental impact, all eyes are on the beauty industry; from cosmetic packaging and ingredients to salon/spa waste, water and energy consumption. There’s a lot to consider in regards to environmental impact if you own your own salon or spa but you have to start somewhere. Here are 5 easy tips (or mindsets) for how to incorporate a more ‘green’ approach to your salon/spa or retail design, décor and furniture choices.

 

1. Use as much natural light as possible!

Utilize windows and allow natural sunlight into the space. It provides a more natural illumination that your stylists need to do their work, especially hair color, while at the same time will help reduce your electricity usage. The increase in natural Vitamin D will also aid in keeping your team and clients happy. On a similar note, rather than traditional ON/OFF lighting, go with dimmers that can be adjusted throughout the day as the natural light changes. And if you haven’t yet made the switch to LED lighting everywhere in the space, it’s one of the fastest short-term changes that can have the longest lasting results.

 

2. Add more ‘green.’

In this sense, being literal is a great way to ‘go green.’ First-grade science taught us that plants work to filter carbon dioxide out of the environment and produce oxygen. Placing a few plants around your salon is a great way to help balance and purify the air as well as replenish moisture lost from hair dryers and heating/cooling systems. Your staff and clients will notice the difference.

3. Stay local.

 

Purchasing items such as furniture for your salon/spa from overseas can definitely be less expensive but that doesn’t mean that there’s no ‘cost’. There are clear negative environmental impacts to having products shipped from distant places, most importantly the additional carbon emissions from the transportation needed to move everything long distances. When you choose local North American businesses and products, you successfully reduce your carbon footprint by limiting the travel associated with getting your purchase to you. It’s a detail that not many people consider but definitely worth noting.

4. Invest in your space!

Make quality and durability your #1 priority when it comes to bringing anything into your salon/spa space. Sure, cheaper things are, well, cheaper. If you’re stuck between purchasing something that is well-made for $300 versus something of the ‘build-it-yourself’ variety for $275, that $25 that you saved initially will quickly come back to haunt you, when you have to replace it, and the landfill, when you have to throw away the broken one. Also, when purchasing stations, chairs, etc. consider what materials they’re made of. Pieces made from quality materials such as metals and woods are known for being environmentally friendly as they can be easily recycled and/or repurposed at the end of their lifecycle.

5. Use your energy wisely.

It takes a lot of energy to run a salon/spa but there are easy ways to be more mindful and minimalistic in your energy consumption. You can limit your water usage by adding a flow limiter to your wash/shampoo basins, only do full loads of laundry, and use energy efficient washers and dryers. It may seem obvious, but we rarely even consider that there are more energy efficient hair tools and appliances on the market these days that you can use as well. Investing a little time by doing research before you purchase can mean big energy savings!

If you have any salon or spa ‘green’ tips of your own, email us at enews@novvoetopa.com!