TREKTALKS - With Sustainable Melbourne Salon, Bob

TrekTalks is a series of Blog interviews where I will be diving into topics such as health, wellness, minimalism, nature, sustainability, plant based living, salty life, vanlife, travel, mindfulness & much more. I will be talking one on one with like minded businesses, events, fellow travelers & organizations to deliver their insight into these subjects.

In today’s interview we will be talking to Melbourne sustainable hair salon, Bob. Where we will be discussing advice on how to become more friendly towards our environment with our hair care, their inspiration behind creating their unique salon & much more.

We had been travelling in our coaster for almost 1 1/2 years, with no salon trips in sight. That is allot of days living our salty life with minimal hair care, right? By the time we had hit the buzzing city of Melbourne, my hair was ready for some much needed TLC. I had also notice my growth of length had dramatically changed since switching to a plant based diet a couple of years ago. So as well as care, a decent trim was in need this time around. I was determined to find a business that was aligned with my values. I wanted to visit a salon that truly took care of not just their clients but the planet as well. Then along came Bob. Bob was a salon which clearly prided themselves with their sustainable practices, along side their sunning hairdressing skills as well. So what did I look for when searching for a more eco friendly & sustainable salon? Below are a handful of ways Bob implemented their ethics throughout their business & is a great starting point if you are wanting to research your next eco friendly & sustainable salon visit.

BE MINDFUL OF WHETHER THE SALONS OFFERS;

Animal cruelty free products

Natural Products

Eco friendly rest room products

Vegan client snacks ( if you are lucky enough )

Recycled cardboard use

Recycled hair foils

Recycled hair trimmings

Enthusiastic, passionate, friendly, knowledgeable & helpful staff

Recycled colour tubes

Transparent methods that support the businesses sustainable claim

These are all fantastic ways to begin searching for your new eco & sustainable hair salon. One of the biggest pieces of advice I can recommend is to make sure the staff are informative of their practices. Often when you are new to this area of research, it can be confusing at times which areas you may need to focus on when hunting for your salon. The staff should be their for you 100% of the way, informing you of their practices & mission in an easy to digest conversation. With Bob, on top of their amazing hairdressing skills, this was an area which very much stood out for myself & my experience. So lets hear from this lovely team at Bob & dive into our first TrekTalk discussing all things sustainability whilst rocking those locks.

Q - WHAT INSPIRED YOU ( OWNER/OWNERS ) TO CREATE BOB? Bob was born off the back of a frustration with an industry that is largely wasteful and laden with chemicals. Hairdresser’s are often just resigned to the fact they have to deal with irritations from being around these chemicals daily and there is so much waste that traditionally goes along with the industry, too. We knew there had to be a more sustainable way to work in this industry, both from an environmental perspective and also a long term perspective for us.

Q - HOW DO YOU APPROACH CUSTOMERS THAT ARE NEW TO THE SUSTAINABLE MOVEMENT? We like to encourage people to use what is already in their cupboard before making new purchases, and then making more thoughtful choices in future. We also love to direct clients to other likeminded business’s with a sustainable ethos so they can consider how they can mindfully approach all areas of their life, not just their hair. At Bob we are always having the important conversations about the way our world is heading and constantly trying to improve our own sustainability, as well as sharing our knowledge with our clients.

Q - WHAT AREAS DOES BOB FOCUS ON TO CREATE A SUSTAINABLE SALON? At Bob we are really mindful of the way we colour hair -having a less is more approach and simply being aware of the longevity of a style based on the clients’ lifestyle. On a larger scale, we are apart of Sustainable Salons who provide salons with special recycling bins and collect them bi-weekly. Because of their amazing system we are able to divert all foil, colour tubes, paper, glass, chemicals and even hair clippings from landfill to be repurposed or properly recycled. On top of that we compost all our coffee grinds, tealeaves and food scraps which means we don’t need a waste bin at all.

Q - WHAT ARE SOME FUN AT HOME SUSTAINABLE HAIR TIPS? A really simple one is, wash your hair less! Not only is it better for the environment but it’s better for your scalp and it’s saves time too!

Q - HOW DO YOU WANT YOUR CLIENTS TO FEEL AFTER THEIR EXPERIENCE AT BOB? Relaxed, listened to, beautiful and like they can be comfortable knowing we have both their health, and the planets’ in mind.

Amanda, Bob Melbourne

It was so wonderful to hear from the team at Bob & discuss their perspective on sustainability in the salon. Hopefully, you have been able to take away a few nuggets of gold or perhaps feel a little more confident shifting towards a new salon choice.

What a beautiful way to start our very first TrekTalk, I look forward to connecting with more trekkers to bring you these informative series. Until next time, enjoy the ride.

PEACE X Kirsty, Brent & Alfie