Discover our exclusive interviews with some of the fantastic vegan salons featured on our ‘Vegan Salon Map Of The UK‘! Here we chat to: Rachael of Gronn Hairdressing, Bolton; Lizzie of The Kind Living Salon, North Somerset; Uplift Organic Hair in Stockport; and Harriet’s Organic Hairdressing in Stroud to find out how their salons cater to vegans and how they got started on their cruelty free salon journey!
Q&A with @gronnhairdressing
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How does your salon cater to vegans?
Every single service and product in the salon is vegan, it doesn’t make it through the door otherwise and we don’t stop there! From cleaning products, refreshments, to our energy company to our insurance broker and cards and candles we stock in our luxury apothecary and gift shop are vegan. Everything at Grönn is fully vegan, even the salon owner!
Tell us more about your salon, how it began, what it stands for etc?
It was important to me even before becoming vegan myself that my ideal salon would be inclusive for everyone. I also wanted it to be kind with its impact on the planet, using only the best sustainable and gentlest of products. Grönn stands for all of the values I hold dear with a wonderfully big heart for its surrounding community also it’s a safe and tranquil space for all of us.
It all came from humble beginnings, I gave up my home, personally penniless and with a loan of 3k from my parents I began to build my dream. Everything was preloved or recycled to keep costs to a minimum, you have to be pretty creative when you have very little money that’s for sure! The salon has grown organically just by word of mouth over the last 3 years and money made has been reinvested back into the salon to help it continue to grow. As a result, I’m proud to say we have some of the most innovative and sustainable products and materials to work within the industry.
Why is it important to you to cater towards veganism in 2019?
It’s been important to me since our beginning in 2015 but this year, in particular, has seen a huge increase in people’s ethical consumer choices both in what they want to eat to using in their everyday beauty regime and the impact of where they spend their money. Veganism is rapidly becoming mainstream, it’s not a trend but a way of life for more and more people and it would be crazy to not want to cater or be a part of that. I truly feel salons that don’t cater will get left behind.
Q&A with@thekindlivingsalon
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How does your salon cater to vegans?
All of my services and treatments are 100% vegan, cruelty-free, natural and organic. Most products are 90%+ organic ingredients and eco-conscious with practical systems and solutions to help the planet and the animals.
Tell us more about your salon, how it began, what it stands for etc?
Back in 2014, I couldn’t access a beauty salon that offered not only cruelty-free but organic and eco-conscious products. I was chemically and emotionally overloaded and as a Beauty Therapist with over 15 years of experience, I had to do something about this. I also wanted to make kindness at the heart if all I did. The Kind Living Salons’mission is to make it accessible for all to experience ethical luxury.
The beauty industry is not known for its compassion and concern of the animals that are used for product testing – thankfully things are beginning to change but here in my town I wanted to be the start of providing and showing that you can still have all of the essential and relaxing beauty treatments from a Salon with transparent and ethical practices too. I could help change how my sector did things.
Why is it important to you to cater towards veganism in 2019?
Q&A with @UpliftOrganicHair
How does your salon cater to vegans?
Our salon caters for vegans as everything in our salon is vegan friendly. From the milk in our teas and coffees to the powder we use to wash our towels.
Tell us more about your salon, how it began, what it stands for etc?
Bronte and Jade are salon owners. We are sisters and Uplift is a family business. It began as Bronte was travelling Australia and worked in a vegan, natural salon over there, then returned home wanting to find work in a similar salon that shared her morals and ethics. She couldn’t find a salon so decided to find a colour brand which she agreed with and set up as mobile. Once the demand was there, we moved quickly and got a salon. We have created an Organic, vegan hair and beauty haven. Jade trained at P Louise makeup academy and is now a fully vegan makeup artist and soon to be offering a brow service too. We want to prove that we can create up to date looks using natural, ethical and vegan products.
Why is it important you cater towards veganism in 2019?
We feel it is more important now more than ever to be as sustainable as possible. The world is in a state and we feel we everyone has a responsibility to do their best. We are a salon of animal lovers, which is why none of our products are tested on them.
Also our other main focus is Organic and natural. There are some colour brands which are vegan but are loaded with toxic chemicals. We use Organic Colour Systems which are 95% naturally derived and over 60% Organic. Free from ammonia, parabens, sulphates and no GMO ingredients. All packaging is recyclable and products are 100% biodegradable which means they can all be safely washed down the sink.
We have just ordered some paper not foil, just another way of reducing waste.
Last year we was green salon finalists for salon business awards.
@Harriet’sOrganicHairdressers
How does your salon cater to vegans?
At Harriet’s we not only cater for vegans, but for all who are concerned for animal welfare. We put health at the forefront of our ethos. The health of all animals and the planet and the health of client’s hair and for the health of their bodies. We only use products that are not only cruelty free and vegan, but also do not contain ingredients which can be harmful to the planet, hair and health. Our products do not contain ammonia, SLS, parabens, silicones or resorcinol. They contain the maximum amount of organic plant-based ingredients and the minimum amount of harmful chemicals as possible.
We care about our client’s experience and serve a variety of drinks. Tea served with soya milk or organic cow’s milk sourced locally on a small farm where animal welfare is paramount.
Tell us more about your salon, how it began, what it stands for etc?
Harriet opened her salon 5 years ago with a desire to challenge the accepted norms of the hairdressing industry. She envisaged an alternative to hair care that would care for the health of clients but also all people, animals and the planet. Harriet started out in a very small space with very little initial capital and has gradually built up over the last 5 years, moving into slightly larger premises and growing ‘organically’ if you will! There are now 6 stylists working in the quirky salon in Stroud. The blinding light and sterile chrome décor of many salons has been replaced with an upcycled, vintage and well-worn interior specifically designed to make clients literally feel ‘at home’, and to cut down on the intimidation factor that can so often be part of the experience of getting one’s hair done.
At Harriet’s, we are so conscious about our impact on the environment, we are constantly seeking to improve how we work. We use Scrummy eco towels; single use towels which are made from wood pulp that is a by-product of another industry. They will break down in the compost within 7 weeks, so this means that no plastic micro fibres are washed into the oceans. It also means we have cut down on the amount of water and power we use laundering the thousand towels we use each month, almost cutting out the use of the washing machine and tumble dryer completely. We recycle everything and we offer refills on the products we sell helping people to reduce their plastic consumption.
The next things we are working towards in order to reduce the environmental impact of our working practices is to switch to Paper Not Foil, a brand we have only just discovered which replaces foils with a biodegradable and reusable (up to 3 times), highlighting meche. This will prevent thousands of meters of foil being thrown into landfill. Shampoo bars are another innovation we’d like to introduce, giving clients the option to move away from plastic bottles altogether.
Why is it important to you to cater towards veganism in 2019?
Obviously, veganism is becoming an ever more popular choice for many of our clients and the population in general. It makes sense to use vegan products as there can be no objection from anyone for doing so and it means clients concerned about animal welfare or the use of animal products can always rest assured that our products meet their needs. It goes without saying that there is absolutely no need for animal testing of products within the cosmetics industry and there is no need to over-complicate the formulas of cosmetics with ingredients derived from insects or sharks for example. I think most people, vegan or otherwise would accept that cosmetics need only be plant and mineral based. Harriet’s philosophy is all about inclusivity and catering to the needs of as many people as possible and using only vegan products enhances that inclusivity. It is imperative now more than ever in 2019 to be aware of our impact on our world around us. We should now more than ever be aware of what we choose to use to wash our hair with and make that choice in the best possible interests of our future planet.
