Salon Gives New Meaning to “Oily Hair”

By: Sara Sultanik / NCC News

May 26, 2010



Liverpool N.Y.-- Bayberry Hairstylists in Liverpool was always used to cutting and styling hair. And what did they normally do when the cut hair hits the floor? They threw it out.

But once they heard about the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, they began to save the hair.

Hair Cleans Up Oil Spills

“I got up...on the internet and I came up with the Matter of Trust website,” said Karen Jordan, stylist at Bayberry Hairstylists, “I really wanted the spread the word to local salons.”

Jordan stated that she believed Bayberry Hairstylists was the first salon in the Syracuse region to start collecting the hair.

The program also collects used nylons. The hair is stuffed into the nylons to create what is called a “boom”. A “boom” is a nylon reinforced with hair and plastic mesh. These “booms” are designed to absorb the oil just as hair naturally absorbs oils.

The Matter of Trust program had become so popular that there is not just one warehouse to send the hair to. It changes every week for Bayberry Hairstylists.

Everyone’s On Board

All of the stylists and customers at Bayberry Hairstylists seemed to really enjoy the fact that the hair would be going to a good cause.

“Otherwise the hair would just be going in the garbage,” said Maureen Murphy, a stylist at the salon, “I think it’s great to clean up the environment.

And Murphy’s client Mary Comfort agreed with her hair dresser, “I was impressed they took the initiative...I feel like I’m doing a good deed as a citizen,” stated Comfort.

How it All Works

After the hair fell to the ground, a stylist swept up the hair and instead of putting it into a trash can, the salon employee would place the hair into a plastic bag.
The hair just needed to be free of any debris.

This past Wednesday, Karen Jordan shipped out ten pounds of hair to the cause. And salon employees said salons in America usually average one pound of hair per day.