Human Hair Mops Up Gulf Oil Spill

Hair salons have been donating their clippings in order to help contain the damage from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Since the explosion on BP’s Deepwater Horizon rig on April 20, an estimated 5,000 barrels of oil a day have been pouring out, causing an ecological disaster of mammoth proportions.

While the politicians and oilmen tackle the financial implications, environmental groups are more concerned with containing the massive slick, emanating from a ruptured pipe nearly a mile below the surface. Coastal communities, particularly those that rely on the fishing and tourist industries, are watching the advance of the spill towards their shoreline with great trepidation.

One solution approved by the US Environmental Protection Agency, and used with some success in previous oil spills, is the creation of booms made from human hair to soak up the oil. The hair is stuffed into nylon stockings, which are tied together to create absorbent floating booms.

Strictly speaking, the oil is not actually absorbed by the hair, but clings to the large surface area of each strand. Fur can also be used, but human hair appears to be most effective. Salons across the world, including from the UK, have been taking part in the coordinated effort to donate hair to make these booms, which will be laid along the shoreline to soak up any oil that washes up.

Of course, not so long ago, shaving all your remaining hair off and donating it to the campaign might have seemed the only viable option for hair loss suffers. However, these days there is a very positive alternative to either going for the radical bald look or suffering gradually thinning hair, a receding hairline or patchy hair loss.

Our specialists at the Belgravia Centre are here to advise you about clinically proven hair loss treatment courses. To find out more, call 020 7730 6666 to book a free consultation with one of our trichologists, or send us a message with any enquiry you might have. If you can’t get to the London centre, you can complete the online diagnostic form for a home-use treatment course and a treatment advisor will be happy to help.