Sustainability within the hair and beauty industry has always remained a bit of an omnipresent topic, mostly due to the fact that nasty chemicals from products can end up in our waterways and the industry produces a gargantuan amount of waste every year. After witnessing the issues with the industry firsthand, hairdresser Charlotte Archer decided that the best way to combat this was to open up her own salon, Bob Hair, with a specific focus on being as eco-friendly as possible. Here, Charlotte reflects on her journey with haircare and offers some advice for other hairdressers wanting to become greener.

Howdy! Please tell us a bit about yourself. I’m Charlotte Archer, and I started Bob Hair in 2017 because I was just a little bit disgruntled with the whole industry and its unaccountability for its waste and pollution. I have worked as a hairdresser for 23 years now, and some of salons I worked in were pseudo-sustainable – there was definitely a lot of greenwashing.

When did you start your hairdressing career? I started over two decades ago, but I took a five-year break to go travelling and figure out my goals for a bit. I ended up moving back to Melbourne because I knew I wanted to hop back into hairdressing but on my own terms.

What eco-friendly practices do you use at Bob Hair? We really try to be as waste-free as possible, and that includes sending the cut hair from our floors to the Great Barrier Reef to collect all the hair from salons and make ”booms” to help soak up oil spills. We also recycle all of our used foil, and it gets melted down and made into new products including “refoil”, which is the foil we use. Switching to refoil is a super easy way for salons to start being more sustainable. We also don’t use any products that have parabens, ammonia, sulphites or any level of animal cruelty involved, and we also make sure they’re healthy for human skin and hair. While we try to be as organic as possible, there’s literally no way to be 100 per cent organic whilst having something that has a shelf life and works on a professional level. It’s all about balance.

How did you regain a passion for hair after taking a five-year break? I love the creativity I can accomplish in hairdressing, and that’s ultimately what brought me back. I got out of hairdressing to travel the world and see what other things might interest me, and I came back because I missed it and I saw there was a need for more natural and sustainable salons. I also absolutely love the people I work with – my current team is just fantastic and I’m so passionate about Bob and everyone who works here.

You mention that Bob Hair is haircare without ‘all the crap’. What is ‘the crap’? The biggest thing is sulphates and nasty stuff that shouldn’t been anywhere near people’s skin. There’re also so many products that use microplastics which are awful for the planet and for humans.

Where did ‘Bob’ come from? I get this question a lot, actually! I was just throwing names around, and Bob – for some reason – just stuck. It started off as a joke but it does relate to hair, since it’s also the name of a great cut!

Do you think the hair industry has become greener since you first started? This is something I think about a lot. Even just from six years ago, the hairdressing industry has gone leaps and bounds. There’s still a lot of change to be made, but at least people are trying to do something about it now. The biggest issue is the lack of education available for working and training hairdressers on sustainable practices. We still really need to push for more eco-friendly methods, but at least there’s a conversation about it all now.

What do you wish more people knew about haircare and sustainability? It’s mostly about awareness, and I’m also very interested in women’s health since women use the most beauty products and they might not even know what ingredients they’re putting on their bodies. I implore people to remain as educated as possible about what products they’re using and how eco-friendly they are. I also wish that hairdressers were more focused on educating their clients about good and clean haircare that’s better for their hair, body and planet.

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