Salons can have a difficult time maintaining their indoor quality of air due to harsh chemicals that are routinely applied to the hair, nails and body. The first step to assessing the air quality in your salon should be to identify the products that can negatively impact your customers and yourself. “For the customer, a visit to the salon may be just an occasional treat or a weekly routine, however, exposure to these chemicals can accumulate over time and result in a variety of health issues ranging from headaches to birth defects and even cancer. If good air quality is a requirement for customers then this is even more true for employees who are exposed on a daily basis, (source).” The danger of not being aware of the ingredients in certain products can cause a serious health issue over time but taking the right precautionary measures and purifying the air of your salon can greatly reduce your risk. One of the easiest and also beautiful ways to cleanse the air of your salon is naturally through plants. Plants are nature’s air purifiers and do an amazing job at detoxing polluted air. Plants pump out oxygen while grabbing onto dirty air; there is literally no downside to plant power. Here is a table of 4 of the most common air pollutants in salons, where they are found and how they could negatively affect your health.

 

5 Most Common Salon Air Toxins

INGREDIENT	FOUND IN	FACTS
Formaldehyde	Permanent Straightening Treatments, Keratin Treatments, Nail Polish, Nail Polish Hardeners	Known Human Carcinogen
Ammonia	Hair Color, Perm Systems, Window Cleaners, Floor Waxes	Corrosive, damages cells upon breathing, swallowing or skin contact, Respiratory Irritant
Benzene	Hair Colors, Plastics, Pesticides, Detergents, Synthetic Fibers	Known Human Carcinogen, especially Leukemia
Trichloroethylene	Hair Extensions Glue, Lace Wig Glue	Long term exposure causes liver, kidney and skin damage

Source: https://www.simplyorganicbeauty.com/air-purifying-plants-for-salons/

1. Peace Lily- Removes formaldehyde, ammonia, and benzene while also being easy to care for and a beautiful addition to any salon.
2. Aloe Vera- Removes formaldehyde, and benzene and is an extremely soothing plant from the succulent family. Great for internal health along with quickly healing burns.
3. English Ivy- These gorgeous vines make a beautiful focal point for a salon. They also remove mold, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene and benzene. 
4. Spider Plant- “The National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA), which tested the abilities of three common houseplants to remove formaldehyde from the air, found in preliminary tests that spider plants were the champs, removing 95 percent of the toxic substance from a sealed Plexiglas chamber in 24 hours, (source).”

By putting oxygen-producing plants in your salon they also help to balance out the carbon dioxide emitted during the production of the physical items around us, like the cell phone in your bag. Davines also suggests recycling the Essential Haircare conditioner containers into the perfect vases for herbal plants. Being health conscious is a large part of our mission to create health salon spaces; we want customers and stylists alike to feel safe and healthy.

 

CLICK HERE TO GET MORE!