As there continues to be a growing number of people and life in general inhabiting this planet, it only makes sense to make sure that we are doing our own part in keeping our mother earth “clean”, happy, and beautiful.
The beauty and cosmetic industry as a whole over the years has sadly seemed to not have these morals in mind so much. There seems to be more incentive in the progression of “convenient” technology and performance of synthetic products than ever before in modern practices, which is keeping us in even further reach of being harmonious with nature/source.
There is a balance for everything in this life: We must give as much as we take; sustainability. But being regenerative in a way that is causing no harm is truly key.
Thankfully, green-minded companies like Organic Colour Systems, My Hairprint, Green Circle Salons, Beauty Counter and Crunchi – to name a few in my radar – are shining bright to change this. Companies like these are proudly doing their best at sourcing sustainably and/or organically, reducing or neutralizing their carbon footprints, and diverting waste from landfills and waterways. It’s a no-brainer in this industry to look up to these guys! In my opinion, if we are going to indubitably have the cosmetic market, we better do it right and do it responsibly – don’t you agree?
Although half of these “green beauty” companies above were newly founded in the states, the other half and many, many more seem to have emerged outside of the U.S. for quite some years prior – with Europe in the lead. With the U.S. being a younger society and culture than Europe, why haven’t we been using their wise learnings for our own? Are we possibly that ignorant that we haven’t even paid much attention to information(especially the cosmetic safety & regulations in this case) of our country’s forerunners and global neighbors? And on top of not taking note from our predecessors, neither are we from our younger countries as well who seem to also get it . . .
In my opinion, it seems as though a lot of the time we like to remain out of the loop when dealing with the health and wellness of not only ourselves and our environment, but with the many other cultures and safety regulations outside of our bubble of a country as well – and seeing the repetitive tragedies on the news definitely doesn’t count!
To me, this is a call to take action and improve this situation then,
and it all starts with ourselves.
Out with the Old, In with the New
To start with myself, I had to take action to do what I could to improve my current position, starting with my personal life and then with my career. I definitely can’t say it’s ever going to be an easy road to break old ties and form new habits, but it’s definitely a road you will find is worth every moment taking.
I decided to jump; instantly abandoning those habits and materials that were not truly doing good for my well-being or our environmental sustainability in my eyes, and learning along the way how to always keep improving. It’s an on-going process; you (or I) can’t become fully healthy, aware, and sustainable over night!
Due to the lack of awareness and education of potentially harmful and toxic beauty salons, Sustain the Mane Salon was then created to break the mold with alternative, healthy and sustainable beauty practices that we truly hope you always continue at home. This doesn’t mean being tied to a brand; this means being intentional with every purchase or product that you put on and in your body.
We aim to set the right examples through:
- choosing eco-friendly companies that use biodegradable packing peanuts and recycled materials
- recycling all product packaging, color bottles, foils from hair coloring techniques, and even our eco-friendly refreshments packaging
- re-using items that can be sanitized instead of one-time use throw-aways; everything from our balayage meche strips for hair coloring techniques and shower caps for treatments, to our beverage cups we serve organic refreshments in and even our second hand furniture and decor
- composting everything from some of our waxing materials, our food and paper scraps from snacks, to the natural hair clippings from your haircut
- choosing an amazing (and hard to find) sensitive skin plant-based hard wax for ultimate comfort and to avoid the use of unnecessary materials: wax strips & more petroleum-based products
- sticking with clean ingredients and sustainable farming practices for our products, colourants, treatments, and even cleaning products
- making things in-house, such as our waxing cleansers, cleaning products, and our other soon to come hand-crafted items
- growing things in-house, such as our plants to keep the air clean and those that grow organic herbs
- running this site as a referral database for your educational needs; to spread this sustainable and regenerative awareness.
We also focus on creating as little waste as possible, especially toxic waste! For those very few items that may come into the salon that don’t fit into the reuse or recycle category, we do have a small trash which takes quite some time to fill; as it should.
It’s never too late to start making the small changes! And remember:
Change comes from having the knowledge, and the right tools to help you take the action!
*Our Health Advisor and Coach, Matthew Zastrow, thrives on teaching additional sustainable healthy living tips to swap even good habits for great ones. Check him out here.
Sustain the Mane 