I'm Guilty of Buying Cheap Plastic Hair Extensions
Will we ever make our beauty, hair and skin care routines earth-friendly?
Dear Human Of Planet Earth,
This week, I had a make-up artist come round. That’s worthy of mention because the last time I wore make-up I was a guest at a wedding. And that was over a year ago.
The reason? I’d booked a photo shoot and wanted a ‘different look’ that didn’t involve dyeing my impressive whitening crowning glory.
I went to one of Croydon’s green leafy spaces for my photo shoot. I wanted to be photographed out there with nature.
The irony of wearing synthetic braids wasn’t lost on me.
It really got me thinking though. I’ve made so many decisions this year to reduce the amount of plastic packaging coming into my life. To reduce the guilt of unavoidable plastic, I’ve been taking a 30L bag stuffed with ‘soft plastic packaging’ down to Tesco’s collection point about once a month.
Did I negate my efforts by deciding to plait black and blue (plastic) braids into my hair? They aren’t recyclable. Or maybe, with the right efforts they can be, according to Hype Hair. Let’s just say they’re not routinely recycled yet.
We don’t call braids plastic. That would be rude, right?
When we think of braids, we think of beauty. We call hair extensions, ‘hair extensions’. We don’t call them ‘plastic.’ We choose from textures, colours and hundreds of styles, then pay good money to have our hair braided.
Yet I’m referring to my braids as ‘plastic’ because though they served me well this week, I want to remind myself that no matter how established they are in modern consumer life, they were one of the ways I thoughtlessly added to plastic consumption, plastic pollution and plastic waste.
Easy for me to say though. I can easily do without braids. But some women find them really useful - a practical approach to hair care and beauty.
The good news for braid lovers is that sustainable alternatives are coming soon!
Rebundle is bringing plant-based braids to market and creating a network for re-cycling synthetic braids. The reviews are encouraging.
So will I be braiding with bio-degradable ‘hair’ next time? Maybe. But only if it’s really bio-degradable. A lot of ‘plant-based plastics’ only de-compose well under specific conditions. I’d need to know more.
But wait! Their website says Rebundle’s braids are bio-degradable, even compostable at home.
Thanks readers! If I wasn’t writing to you, I’d never have learned about Rebundle!
So, as you worked out, I hardly wear make-up. And when next, if ever, I need to buy any, I’m going to do my research and buy only earth-friendly products.
Once met a guy whose life philosophy included, ‘Take only what you need’ from the earth. And soap and deodorant weren’t things he believed he needed. The thing is, he didn’t smell bad.
Makes you think: do we really need soap and deodorant, or have we just trained ourselves and our bodies to need them?
If I ever go soap or deodorant-free successfully I’ll let you know.
Meanwhile, here’s a piece I stumbled on from Heated:
Stay beautiful humans!
With Love,
Your Friendly Neighbourhood Radical,
Croydon,
London,
That patch of earth known today as the United Kingdom
Lat +51.51 Long, -0.118
PS you can follow Rebundle on Instagram here. With enough UK followers, maybe they’ll expand across the Pond so UK synthetic braids can have a second life as tables and chairs, and UK hairdressers can do more plant-based compostable braiding.