Urbanna Salon offers “Earth Hair”

If Linda Biel isn’t at her downtown salon, she’s probably crouched in the garage amidst bags of human hair, meticulously stuffing strands into cloth teabags - all in the name of recycling. Shortly after opening Urbanna Natural Salon and Spa in October 2009, Linda has refused to send any discarded hair to the landfill, preferring to hoard every lock until she can put them to environmentally responsible uses. When the Gulf Coast spill last year indicated that hair stuffed into pantyhose was surprisingly effective at absorbing oil, Linda sent as much of her supply as clean-up crews would take. But when the need there subsided, she sought out alternative (but equally beneficial) uses. Biel came across a site for SmartGrow, which sells human hair mats for use in gardens as mulch. Having been raised by a man who constructed solar panels and a mother who vigilantly composted, the concept fit within Linda’s ecological ideals. What SmartGrow has found, and University of Florida plant pathologist Aaron Palmateer backs up, is that hair mats can retain moisture, deter weeds, reduce soil erosion, and seem to cause an accumulation of plant-beneficial microbes. Palmateer does not believe that the hair acts as fertilizer, but it creates a more favorable environment for microorganisms. SmartGrow’s findings encouraged Linda to create “Earth Hair,” which is smaller than SmartGrow mats, but comparable. Each package includes 10 hair-stuffed tea bags, which sell alongside shampoos and anti-frizz serum for $5. The compostable teabags include many varieties of hair, including color-treated hair, which Biel says poses no harm because it appears in tiny quantities and the dye is safe for humans. The “Earth Hair” label instructs purchasers to bury bags under potted or garden plants, and states that doing so will improve nitrogen content, increase moisture retention and help build plant root structure. Biel accepts that her product may take some warming up to – “It’s a concept that most people probably haven’t heard of, so it’s something people will have to digest,” she says. Her phrasing is clever, since there certainly is some degree of queasiness. But customers never actually have to touch hair since Biel spends hours stuffing it into tea bags. The concept of human hair having a helpful role in soil is novel; even Spokane County Master Gardener Pat Munts, in 30 years of gardening, has never encountered the concept. Biel said Urbanna and Green Salon are the only local salons that recognize hair’s use in gardens – most places dump discarded hair in the trash. Calls to six area salons revealed than none, including Urbanna, have ever asked the city of Spokane whether hair could go in the “Clean Green” yard waste containers. Most said they assumed it would be rejected. Scott Windsor, acting director of Spokane’s Solid Waste Management, said the question of hair in yard waste has never come up, but after checking with colleagues he concluded, “I don’t see why not. It’s biodegradable.” Larry Condon, general manager of Barr-Tech, which transports, processes and composts the city’s Clean Green materials, confirmed that hair is OK for Clean Green containers. According to Barr-Tech, any discarded hair goes to a compost facility, where it’s broken down and converted using the “aerated static pile method of composting,” in which electric blowers force air through the compost material. The result - commercially viable compost for home gardeners and commercial farmers. After hearing that Barr-Tech does not just burn its yard waste, Biel’s enthusiasm grew. “That’s a wonderful alternative for other salons,” she said. “Putting it in the yard waste container will be just as easy as putting it in the trash, so there’s really no excuse for salons not to do it. This supports my belief that hair is good for the soil.”