Recycling Hair in the UK

is a common condition that affects up to 1 in 2 men and 1 in 3 women at some stage in their lives. While the condition is usually an unwelcome one, if you decide to go for the bald or short hairstyle, and pay a visit to your hairdresser that involves leaving behind a lot of clippings, then you may be interested to know about the various ways you can recycle your locks.

Hair Donations
If you have hair over 10 inches long then you can donate it to the Little Princesses Trust (www.littleprincesses.org.uk). This is a non-profit organisation which raises money and provides hair to make high quality wigs for children who are suffering from cancer or other illnesses which cause hair loss. While the NHS will provide synthetic wigs which are sometimes adequate, Little Princesses will help give children wigs that are the most comfortable and realistic looking to help them deal with the trauma of hair loss.

Matter of Trust is a not-for-profit recycling orgnanistion based in the USA. They convert hair (humna and animal) into hairmats which can then be used to soak up oil from spillages or used as a natural fertilizer.

Composting
In the UK, most of the councils have websites with guidance on how to recycle hair. They recommend putting in home or business composting bins. It takes a while to break down but hair is full of nitrogen which helps activate the process.

Placing the hair in a wormery can speed up the process. This is what Scottish hairdresser and keen gardener, Sarah Franklin, 49, decided to do. As reported in the Daily Express in 2007, Franklin set up a wormery in the basement of her hair salon. With support from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and the donation of a wormery from Aberdeenshire local council, Franklin and one her clients, Melanie Jones, have started their own recycling centre. Jones is a local eco-schools co-ordinator and has got the children involved by asking them to donate their fruit left-overs.

Hair can also be spread around the garden or on flower beds and will scare of unwanted visitors such as snails and rabbits while the protein and calcium in the hair will feed the plants.

If you place unwanted hair on bushes and tree branches, it can be used by birds to help build their nests.

Manufacturing Products
A nation of quirky inventors we may be, but such ideas could help reduce our carbon footprint. In 2006 former hairdresser and London South Bank University student, Ronald Thompson, made a chair out of barbershop waste cuttings. Thompson believes that hair can be used in place of many materials such as medium-density fibreboard, fibreglass, polymers and aluminium because it is versatile, waterproof, non-corrosive, and fire-resistant. It can also make certain products strong and durable.

If you are suffering from any type of hair loss or hair thinning, please call the Belgravia Centre on 020 7730 6666 or message the clinic to arrange a consultation. If you are unable to come into London, please complete the online diagnostic form and a treatment advisor will make contact with you.

More Information:
Hair Loss Awareness Month
Hair Loss Treatments and Products - Everything You Need to Know

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The Body Baldness Trend
Recyling Hair To Protect Marine Life