Blog » Hair Colouring – An Overlooked Environmental Polluter

Have you ever wondered what happens to chemicals in hair products once they are washed out of your hair in the salon? Our awareness about the health impacts of products has grown and so has our desire to live in harmony with the natural environment. We increasingly demand ‘greener’ products ranging from food without dangerous additives - reflected in the current discussion about the effect of food colouring on children - to cosmetics & beauty products without chemicals - like the controversial preservative Paraben which one scientific study linked to breast cancer – to name just a two issues.

But what about the environmental impact of products? What happens to products once we are finished with them such as hair dyes and other treatments?

I recently read in a women’s magazine that approximately 70% of women and up to 30% of men in Australia dye their hair regularly. I was struck by this figure and started to pay more attention to our ‘hair habits’. I then did a bit of amateur research and found that hair salons and others using these products take great customer care but the chemicals were just washed down the drain. Manufacturers of hair colour deliver their products with handling instructions which include minimising the waste of products through mixing the right amount each time. But in the end it is left to the responsible use of each individual hair dresser. According to anecdotal information by industry insiders, there is quite a bit of unnecessary wastage of product going on, probably just like in any other industry. And regulations by councils also seem to be focussed on customer care but not on the by-products going down the drain.

I was surprised and somewhat shocked about the state of affairs. Auto mechanic workshops have to meet strict conditions including filtering the various fluids before they enter our waterways so why not hair salons? Just imagine the amount of chemicals going straight down the common drain that otherwise could be reused as grey water? At a time when water is becoming a scarcer and valued resource I think this issue is worth further investigation.

And to illustrate the scope of the problem here are some numbers: Apparently, in 2008 there were 23,875 hairdressing and beauty salons in Australia employing 73,238 people enjoying revenue growth of 3.2% during a bad year (2008) and turning over a total industry gross product of $1,900 Million, yes, that’s right 1 billion and 900 million. And, when times get tough we tend to hold on to small luxuries like lipsticks and hairdressing and beauty treatments to make us feel good hence, the industry keeps growing even during an economic downturn.

There are several things we can do to affect change:

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