What happens to hair after it’s been cut?

Most of the hair waste in a lot of hair salons is usually disposed of in general waste.

To put a figure on this its about 99%, the other 1% can be donated to various charities for wigs and hair extensions.

You have probably seen companies like Little Princess Trust who provide real hair wigs, free of charge, to children and young people who have lost their own hair through cancer treatment. This is fantastic, but of course the donated hair needs to be a certain length to meet the criteria to donate.

There has recently been a rise in UK companies offering to dispose of salon waste (such as the 99% of hair which cant be donated for wigs) in more sustainable ways.

This has got us thinking…

At HEIR we aim to connect with and support the wider community by sharing skills and services with local individuals and business.

Can hair waste be used to benefit any other businesses or projects within the local area?

Looking at other companies, we came across various ways to usefully reuse hair waste, mainly as hair booms.

Hair booms are cuttings of any length or colour of hair which is tightly packed into cotton or nylon tubes which are then placed in water or on shores of beaches to stop the spread of oil, which saves wildlife and the natural landscape.

Clever eh?

This idea was from an American hairdresser called Phil McCroy back in the 80’s, so the idea of reusing or recycling hair for sustainable purposes isn’t brand new… its been around for a while.

During our investigations we also discovered that human hair is not only amazing for absorbing oil, it is also one of the highest nitrogen-containing organic material in nature.

This is because it is predominantly made up of nitrogen-containing proteins. Human hair also contains sulfur, carbon, and around 20 other elements which are essential for plants!

To give you an idea of comparison: cattle dung, which is often used by farmers for fertilising soil contains only 0.2-0.3% of nitrogen. Human hair contains 16%!

Lightbulb moment pending…

We initially thought that human hair would decompose very slowly, which is true in the atmosphere.

However when mixed with moisture and certain elements which are present in soil, human hair can decompose in just a couple of months, providing a protein rich plant nutrient for around 2/3 cropping seasons.

And to think of how much human hair goes into general waste!

This protein rich waste could be perfect for any businesses or individuals who grow plants or vegetables.

To make a small sustainable step, we have contacted various local farms who would like a weekly/monthly donation of human hair cuttings to add to into their compost, which we will deliver completely free of charge.

Do you have an allotment or home composter? Would you like to use human hair to to produce nutrients for your crops?

If you are in the salon and having a haircut, we will happily provide you with a bag of hair waste to take home.

Or alternatively if you have a larger farm or compost heap, we can easily arrange local delivery. Just get in touch via email and we will be happy to help!

With special thanks to Natalie at The Lytham Green Emporium for her ideas and input!

If you have any ideas how we can reuse or recycle hair waste to benefit the local community then please comment or get in touch!

Natalie, Natasha and The Team and HEIR x