ICYMI, in the past few days, hairstylists have been commenting up a storm on posts from the Melbourne, Australia-based SalonVie which document them building a giant Christmas tree with used salon foils. One of their videos, embedded below, has gone very viral with more than a million views and hundreds of comments.
Apart from the near universal recognition that foils add up, much of the commentary is focused on the assumed negative environmental impact of foils covered in chemicals being exposed to the elements. SalonVie’s team assured us “they all got rinsed in the basin as we took them out of the hair and then stored.”
Given the commotion, we reached out to the Green Beauty Community, the nonprofit organization dedicated to making sustainable beauty the new standard. Daniel Johnson, the org’s Founder and Executive Director, shared, “I love the creativity and festive spirit. It’s a great opportunity to make salon waste visible and get people thinking about where all that foil goes.” He added, “I wouldn’t judge its environmental impact from a video alone. What matters is how the material is handled and whether it’s properly recycled afterward.”
Johnson noted, “used color foils can retain product residue, so for anyone inspired by the idea, I’d suggest using clean foil offcuts that haven’t touched color or lightener. Keep the display secure and sheltered, and plan ahead with a recycler that accepts salon foil. The best outcome is a festive display that also encourages better everyday habits around salon waste.”
He left us with, “One extra safety point, outside the quote: the Consumer Product Safety Commission advises against electric string lights on metallic trees. A separate spotlight is a safer option.”
What’s your take on the tree? Trash? Treasure? Somewhere in between?
