SALONT is at the cutting edge of sustainable hairdressing

The Southend based salon is headed by salon owner Tom Stock are doing great things when it comes to sustainable hairdressing.

Located on Sutton Road, the team recycle all of the cut hair in the salon to be created hair mats to be used in areas where there are oil spills to soak up the oil. The foils are also all collected up and recycled to be melted down for aluminium and used to fund free haircuts for homeless people.

“Our aim is to be a zero waste salon. It is a dream that is a long way to go but we have started our first steps,” said Tom.

The salon is part of the Green Salon Collective which promotes solutions for salon waste. SalonT has recycled a whopping 60kg of recycled materials so far!

“We don’t push our sustainable credentials enough. It is a selling point because, given the choice, people want to go to a salon which is sustainable.” They also stock vegan products including Neal & Wolf products.

Tom opened the salon seven years ago and he has created a passionate and creative team. “I decided to set up the business after being qualified for six years. I hadn’t run a business before, but my motivation was to create a happy close salon where customers were put first and could feel relaxed,” said Tom.

“I had worked in salons previously that had a toxic atmosphere and that then impacted the customers. For me, it is all about the customer experience and making it a place people want to hang out.”

Finding the perfect team took time and this meant that Tom had to hold the fort on his own for two years.

"Zoe came on board after two years, and as soon as I met her I knew she got what I was trying to do. Now we also have Ellie who fits in with her creativity and positivity,” said Tom. “The salon is big enough to give the team and the customers room to feel relaxed, and the vibe is friendly and happy. Just how I hoped it would be.” For more information on SalonT visit www.salont. co.uk, on Instagram @salonthair, or search SalonT on Facebook.