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Dave Chameides

Hair–Is There Anything It Can’t Do?

posted by Dave Chameides Jun 2, 2009 11:00 am
filed under: True Beauty, Hair Care, Healthy Home, Reduce, Recycle & Reuse, Sustainable Dave, , ,
Hair–Is There Anything It Can’t Do?
17 comments

Last year, while saving my trash in my basement one of the early aspects I needed to tackle was my hair. Around the end of the first month, I went to get a haircut, and sitting in the chair reading my copy of Vanity Fair, it suddenly occurred to me that I needed to take my hair with me when I left.

Now this is not a situation that most people find themselves in every day and certainly not one I had considered. What to do with the hair was one thing, but how to get it without seeming like a total freak (perhaps it was a moot question at that point) was an entirely different scenario. There was the question of what to do with it (I ended up putting it in a reusable bag I carry with me), how to explain it to my barber whose native tongue is Korean (I didn’t do very well with that one), and finally what to do with it when I got home (my daughters and I put it outside for the birds). Ahh the problems of being a garbage hoarder.

Now I’m the first to admit that landfills are not filling up due to an overabundance of human hair. Even if they were (that’d be kind of wild wouldn’t it?), hair, which is essentially dead skin to begin with, will eventually break down and not cause much of a problem for the environment or the planet as a whole. Having said that however, perhaps there is a better end to our fallen follicles than leaving them to decay in some giant pit.

For starters, if you are heading for a trim today and feel like taking your fallen comrades with you, two simple ideas are to put them out for the birds, or feed them to your worms. Both are great uses for something that seems to have little life left in it.

Moving up the ladder, if you are reading this and happen to own a salon or barber shop, there are a few uses for bulk hair as well. First and foremost, there is Matter of Trust, an organization that takes used hair, weaves it into mats and uses them to soak up oil spills. I kid you not. Apparently human hair has the ability to soak up oil. How cool is that? Another option, although maybe not as noble, is to turn all that hair into a sweater and use the proceeds to buy yourself something nice.

Finally, let’s say you’ve got some nice long hair, you’re getting tired of it and thinking of going with a little lighter look. Well don’t throw that hair in the trash! Instead, why not check out Locks of Love or Wigs for Kids. Both organizations accept lengths of hair and turn them into wigs for kids who are suffering the effects of cancer. It’s a great way to pass on some good will, and a great learning lesson for your kids. Both of our kids have done this and as parents, we couldn’t have been happier.

So there you have it. Proof that there can be value in almost anything.

Human hair, who would have thought?

Dave

 

Dave Chameides is a filmmaker and environmental educator. His website and newsletter are designed to inspire thought and dialogue on environmental solutions and revolve around the idea that no one can do everything, but everyone can do something. “Give people the facts, and they’ll choose to do the right thing.”

More on Hair Care (79 articles available)
More from Dave Chameides (66 articles available)

17 comments

17 comments

add your comment »
17 comments add your comment
Hailey Wohlwend

i read one blog post saying that hair can be used as an alternative solar panel it only lasts a couple of months though

Salla S.

thanks...
Kabin
Konteyner

Suraj Prajapat

i totally accept your view ....
for more details please visit
http://www.commonfloor.com/green-living/?f=aa01

Diane C.

I love this! I just trimmed my hair and threw it in the trash, but I think I'm going to dig it out and put it out in the grass area. Thanks!

Jeanne Allie

We do a lot of home haircuts around here, and it all goes into the compost pile. The birds find it there if it's nesting season.

Michelle Salisbury

Who takes gray hair? I have very long hair & after last cut of 12" or more I tried to give it to locks of love.They told me NO GRAY HAIR!! And they were not very nice about it. They said people didn't want gray hair. I started graying at 15 and don't find it so terrible. So I am ready to chop off a bit again and I'd love to help a wig needing gray haired gal. I usually put the hair from brushes or trimmings in my garden. It is a good slug repellent as well as good compost material.

Carol H.

My good friend of thirty (30) years just cut off her hair that she had been growing for approx two (2) years and gave it to a society that makes wigs out of hair for people that are going through Cancer problems and her hair is very gray and that is kind of hair they are desperate to get. I wish I could do that but my hair just doesn't grow it never has but I am sure there are a lot of ladies out there who are gray and have long hair if they don't want it anymore just donate it and they will love it. Just make sure you haven't done anything to it like dye it or any chemicals aren't in it at all.

Adria M.

Thank you so much for mentioning Locks of Love and Wigs for Kids! I'm very pro these two organizations and it's hard to get people around here to listen. It seems to be just too embarrassing for them ask to take their hair with them.

Lauren C.

we have 3 dogs and a bagless vacuum. the vacuum picks up mostly dog hair, with some dirt mixed in. i just empty the vacuum directly into the compost bin. works for me! (and i don't have to worry about making a mess bagging the contents for the trash.)

Valeria G.

I have mid-thigh length hair that I plan to cut to chin length when it either stops growing or reaches the floor (it's been 9 years now from scalp to tip, which makes me a mutant, so it could get there). Since I decided to keep growing it, I've always planned to donate what was cut off to be made into wigs. My hairdresser supports me completely in this. It seems very wasteful to just throw it away!

I'm curious about the costs for shipping hair from salons to Matter of Trust, and if there are other similar organizations that would require less shipping. While I really like the idea of re-using even very short hairs, I don't like the idea of shipping it far away to do it.

Actually, now that I think about it, I should check with my local recycle depot to see if they're composting hair along with all of our discarded food waste since you say it's compostable (personal recycling's more of a way to reduce your property taxes here in Edmonton than a way to save the Earth - in the end it's all recycled anyways).

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