This article is a summary only of the podcast conversation “What Makes a Beauty Salon Sustainable? (Ep 5)”. Listen here to the full episode on Spotify podcasts or Apple podcasts, and go here for the relevant links mentioned in the podcast, or read on to enjoy the photos and summary of how Slow Skin Co. has established a beauty salon that prioritises people’s health and the planet with each treatment.

What Makes a Beauty Salon Sustainable?

Walking in for a waxing treatment, tinting or facial at a sustainable beauty salon has all the benefits of going to a normal beauty salon. But by far the greatest benefit is knowing that a beauty salon who cares about your skin and body also cares deeply about our planet.

Emma Summerhayes is a local Newcastle business owner from Slow Skin Co. She is serious about looking after your body by using natural skincare, choosing local products and embedding sustainable business practices into her services.

Shift Toward Sustainable Beauty

After working in the beauty industry for over a decade, Emma has put much thought into her business operations, carefully considering her ethics, values and the full cycle of products.

Emma noticed the significant amount of waste generated and the chemicals used in treatments. She leaned strongly toward her values, as something didn’t sit right with her anymore, prompting her to start reducing waste. This has become a central focus of her business model.

Conscious Choices for a Sustainable Beauty Salon

Emma’s first step in reducing salon waste was switching from disposables to sustainably effective alternatives. Cotton tips, for example, required trial and error to find the best option. Concerned about litter pollution, she first trialled silicone alternatives, but they weren’t effective for treatments. She settled upon wooden ones, but the deeper question of whether wood or bamboo was better remained, preferring to use a compostable product that aligned with her values.

Choosing which types of products used in the salon is a mindful decision aimed at reducing unnecessary chemical exposure. Plant-based products are preferred for their better synergy with the skin.

The salon owner explains “if you’re using a more natural based product, we are reducing our toxic load on our body. We’ve got a huge toxic load without us even realising it”.

A sustainable beauty salon isn’t just about the products used, but also about the services provided and the values of the owner. Emma purposefully chose not to do nail treatments due to the toxicity of the products and the intense process involved.

Emma carefully considers where items come from and how they’re disposed of, making sustainability a priority from start to finish.

Commitment to Wholistic & Natural Beauty

Choosing more natural products helps reduce chemical exposure for Emma, her clients, and the environment. Additionally, the overall lifespan of the products—from ingredients and manufacturing to disposal—guides her selections.

The beauty salon owner chooses sugar waxing for strip wax treatments due to its water solubility. It’s gentler on sensitive skin and more effective for the body. In contrast, mainstream waxing is a synthetic product that hardens after use and needs to be thrown in the bin.

By using soluble sugar wax with paper strips, Emma can send the waste to Sustainable Salons for recycling. Supporting a social enterprise like Sustainable Salons not only strengthens the sustainability loop but also ensures that the funds raised contribute to OzHarvest meal provisions, supported employment opportunities, and research projects.

All products for sale in the salon have been tried and tested by Emma, who only stocks products she believes in. She knows that if an alternative product doesn’t work well, people aren’t going to make the switch and will continue using mainstream products that contribute to our toxic load.

Emma is genuinely aware that no single product is the antidote to solve every issue; instead, she approaches beauty and treatments from a wholistic perspective. She recognises that when something feels off in our bodies, factors like gut health and stress may also be involved. When necessary, she refers clients on to other suitable health practitioners.

Navigating the Challenges

Starting a sustainable beauty salon comes with its challenges, particularly in managing the volume of products and items used in the business. The complexities of beauty products present another hurdle; for example, a product might be effective for anti-aging but could also increase sun sensitivity. Additionally, there’s a lack of regulations in Australia regarding beauty products. Not all ingredients need to be listed, or the ingredients may be hidden within terms, such as “fragrance”, making it difficult to ensure complete transparency.

Emma has learned how quickly toxins are absorbed into the skin, and as a beauty salon owner, she faces continual exposure to them. To minimise the buildup of toxins from repeated product use, her services require a careful balancing act to ensure the utmost health and safety for clients while reducing ongoing toxic exposure.

Tips for Starting a Sustainable Beauty Salon

Emma’s learnings and recommendations on creating a more sustainable beauty salon can easily apply to other businesses and your home. Here are her tips to help you get started and reduce the overwhelm:

Start with One Thing

Choose the smallest or easiest changes first so you can feel confident about each win before moving on to the next. This may begin in your home alongside your business.

Find your Happy Balance

Do the best you can with what you have and what you know at the time. This might mean letting go of the idea that you need to do everything perfectly, but knowing you’ve tried your best based on your knowledge and experience. Don’t be too hard on yourself.

Niche Into Services You Love

Emma focuses on facials and waxing, choosing to exclude nail treatments due to the toxicity of the products and the intensity of the process.

Celebrate your Successes

Focus on taking action to do what you love and keep it going.

Connect with like-minded Businesses

Surround yourself with people who share similar values to boost encouragement and positivity.

Be an Ingredient Reader

Don’t rely on green washing and marketing hype. Take the time to understand the ingredients. A quick check with the Chemical Maze app can help. Completing the Low Tox Life Course deepened her understanding of the cumulative impact of toxins on both our environment and ourselves. Avoid petroleum-based and synthetically made products as much as possible.

Your Skin Changes Over Time

Don’t stick to one skincare brand throughout your life, as your skincare needs will change. Reach out to your local beauty salon for information on suitable products and treatments.

Join the Sustainability Journey

The values of sustainability and waste reduction have been paramount in establishing Emma’s niche beauty salon in Newcastle. She wants you to feel reassured, knowing that she’s made thoughtful choices for you, making your treatment experience easier. Emma invites you to be part of the evolving sustainability journey as well.

The ReNewy Living Podcast was recorded on Awabakal country. I wish to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land and waters in the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie region of New South Wales.

I hope you’re feeling more confident about doing better for our people and planet by taking a start where you live approach to living sustainably. If this episode has spurred you into action, please feel free to share it with your friends. It would mean the world to me!

Listen into the stories and voices of this story here at Spotify podcasts and here at Apple Podcasts… And you can also sign up to my regular emails here… I look forward to sharing more stories with you next time.

What Makes a Beauty Salon Sustainable?

Links from the Podcast episode (S1 Ep5)

Slow Skin Co. – head to instagram with links to the beauty salon bookings
Sustainable Salons – a social enterprise that’s diverting up to 95% of salon materials from landfill, and re-purposing it to help the planet and people, while enabling local businesses to thrive.
OzHarvest – Australia’s leading food rescue organisation.
Chemical Maze app – an easy at-your-fingertips app. Available on Apple and android
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