Good Hair Days: How To Turn Heads And Change Habits With Hairhouse
What’s better than a great hair day? Knowing that your choice of haircare products puts doing good front and centre. If shopping according to your values is important to you, the concept of ‘conscious choice’ is probably on your radar – making decisions (and purchases!) with awareness and intention. That sounds good to us, and as it turns out, the team at Hairhouse is on board, too.
Not only do they offer an incredible range of high-quality vegan, cruelty-free, paraben-free, Australian-made and naturally derived products to shop from – they’re also part of the groundbreaking Sustainable Salons concept, an Australian social enterprise that supports over 1,500 hair salons, barbershops, beauty salons, dermal clinics and pet-grooming salons in Australia and New Zealand, helping them rescue and recycle salon and hair waste to reduce their impact on the planet and give back to their local communities.
Since joining this initiative in 2018, participating Hairhouse x Sustainable Salon stores have diverted up to 95% of the resources used during a visit from landfill, and you can even drop your empty haircare bottles off for collection, recycling and repurposing. It’s tres(ses) chic, sustainably! We spoke to Astin, Salon Artistic and Education Manager, to find out more about Hairhouse’s commitment to turning heads and changing habits for the better.
Why is it important to be part of initiatives focused on more sustainable ways of caring for our hair?
We love making people feel good about their hair, but we also want to feel good about how we’re doing it. So much waste can come out of a single appointment, and we just thought, let’s do better. Since partnering with Sustainable Salons, we’re able to recycle most of what’s used during Salon visits. It’s changed the way we work.
Why did Hairhouse decide to join up with Sustainable Salons? Was it a difficult journey becoming certified?
We joined Sustainable Salons because we knew we could be doing more. We’re already big on Conscious Haircare Products, but we wanted to make sure what happens in-store matches that. Getting certified was more straightforward than we expected. The steps were clear, the support was there, and everything from setup tools to team training was included. Now, it’s second nature in our Salons that are part of the program. It’s helped us work in a way that feels more mindful and responsible. We were surprised at how many things human hair can be used for!
24,858kg = the weight of metals collected by Hairhouse Salons in 2024. Re-melting used aluminium saves up to 95% of the energy and 97% of the water needed to produce the primary product and is the most valuable material Sustainable Salons recycles. Used foils, cans and colour tubes can be sent back to the salon as brand spanking new, completely recycled products.
Can you tell us more about how the different recycled resources are reused/repurposed?
Hair clippings from our participating Sustainable Salons are collected to help clean up oil spills and soil treatments. Some of it even ends up in laboratories for research into sustainable tech like solar panels. And it’s not just hair – foils also get melted down and reused, plastic bottles turn into products like combs and plant pots, and paper waste becomes recycled paper. It’s honestly amazing! It feels good knowing we’re giving all that salon waste a new purpose.
Is there a ‘wow’ moment as part of the Sustainable Salons program that you’re really proud of?
We’re so proud to be part of the Ponytail Project! Since joining the Sustainable Salons network, we’ve helped collect over 280,000 ponytails that are sent to charitable institutions and wigmakers. They are then turned into wigs or used to help fund programs for people with medical hair loss. It’s incredible that a haircut in one of our participating salons can become part of something bigger.
285,222 = the number of ponytails collected from Hairhouse Sustainable Salons this year. Plaited ponytails 20cm or longer, human hair ponytails, 100% human hair extension ponytails and coloured and natural hair ponytails are all able to be sent to wigmakers and charitable organisations to be made into charitable wigs or to fund life-changing programs.
It can be daunting to know where to start when trying to make a difference – is Hairhouse proud of playing a part in helping their customers make a more Conscious Choice? What do your customers say about this?
Yes, and we love that we’re making it easier for people to choose products that are better for them and the environment. Swapping in a cruelty-free shampoo or dropping off an empty bottle for recycling might seem small, but it all adds up. We’re always happy to help someone find a product that works for their hair and supports their conscious haircare goals. Because we talk through these options during consultations, people leave feeling more confident about what they’re using and why. Our customers also say they feel proud walking out knowing they’ve done something positive without changing their whole routine. That kind of feedback keeps us going.
What are your favourite sustainable hair products and habits?
We love haircare that’s good for the hair and easy on the planet. That means cruelty-free haircare, vegan options, clean formulas and Australian-made haircare products. There’s so much more choice now, and we’ve got something for every hair type and routine. We also talk to our customers about habits that support more conscious haircare. Even small changes like air drying when they can and finishing their bottles before buying more can go a long way.
5,591kg = the amount of hair collected from Hairhouse salons to be repurposed into hair booms. This organic alternative to damaging synthetic booms, hair booms are effective for soaking up oil spills with a standard reusable boom absorbing up to 4L.
How would you recommend Peppermint readers get on board with more sustainable hair habits?
We always say to start with what you’ve got. Use up the haircare products already in your routine, then look at switching to more sustainable options, like refillable shampoo or styling sprays in recyclable packaging. If you’re not sure what to pick, just ask our team in-store. We’re always happy to chat.You can also check out our Store Locator to find your closest Hairhouse that recycles. Drop off your used bottles, and we’ll sort the recycling from there.
