It is no secret that we need to do more to take care of our planet. One way to start is by making small changes to our everyday habits. This includes being more mindful of the products we use, including our hair care products. Many people don’t realize that their beauty habits can harm the environment. In this blog post, we will discuss whether the hair is biodegradable and offer tips on making your beauty routine more eco-friendly!
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Is Hair Biodegradable?
Hair is a biodegradable material. This means that the hair will naturally break down into smaller fragments over time through contact with water, bacteria, and other natural elements of decay. Hair does not have to be thrown away in the trash once it has been cut off of your head or off of an animal’s body.
What is Hair made of?
Hair is a natural fiber that grows from the skin all over the human body. It is made of a protein called keratin, which also makes up our nails and skin tissues. The hair on your head is dead material; it does not have any roots or feeling capabilities. Similarly, animal fur is different than human hair because it is the hair of a living organism.
Human Hair Biodegradation Rate
Hair biodegrades at different speeds depending on where it is kept and what conditions it was exposed to before being disposed of. For example, hair buried underground or left underwater will not biodegrade until it has been removed from the earth or water; this is because hair that remains in the soil or water does not come into contact with air, which slows down the process of biodegradation. Hair on dry land will start to break down almost immediately after being cut off and discarded.
How Long Does Human Hair Take to Biodegrade?
According to research conducted by Scott Ruhren, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), human hair takes approximately five to 10 years to completely biodegrade. This research involved incubating 18-inch strands of hair under conditions similar to those found in a landfill. Results determined that 80 percent of the hair had disappeared after three months. After a year, 88 percent of the hair had biodegraded, and after 10 years, all of the keratin was broken down into particles small enough to pass through a sieve.
What Happens When Human Hair Decomposes?
When human hair breaks down in landfills or when it is flushed away in the sewage system or a body of water, it creates a substance that, in small amounts, is useful in fertilizing soil and plants. In larger quantities, however, decomposing hair can be harmful to underwater lifeforms because it acts as an anchor when soil particles attach themselves to the strand. The weight from this accumulation sinks aquatic organisms. Thus, leaving hair in the sink or shower drain or flushing it down the toilet contributes to this pollution source.
What Can Be Done With Human Hair?
Hair collected from haircuts and grooming can be reused for several applications: insulation, upholstery stuffing, bedding, fiberfill for pillows and stuffed toys, fake fur, and even disposable plates. Since World War II, human hair has been used for these purposes, when the U.S. government collected clippings from barbershops to send to soldiers serving overseas as a comforting gift from home. Hair collected during the war effort was melted down to make glue, but this material did not work well for the purpose. Later, hair was used to make socks and woven into cloth.
What Are Some Ways That Hair Can Be Disposed of?
To dispose of hair properly, collect the hair with a lint brush and place it in a plastic bag. Alternatively, clippings may be collected in a container with holes punched into the bottom, such as a mesh laundry bag. Place the container on top of a sheet of newspaper or paper towel and sweep the hair by running your hand over it; then fold up the paper and throw it out with household waste.
Of course, there is always another option: donate your hair to organizations like Locks of Love and Wigs for Kids, which use donated hair to make wigs for those suffering from medical conditions like cancer and alopecia.
Is Hair Decomposition Possible in Soil?
One often asked question is if the hair will decompose in the soil. Well, there are many factors to consider when answering this question. If the hair is placed into the soil as human or other mammal hair, it should not be a problem for it to decompose. However, if the hair used is synthetic, which most wigs and extensions are, it may not decompose as easily because synthetic hair is made from plastic and other materials that do not decompose as readily as human hair.
How quickly does hair decompose in soil? Many different factors need to be considered when looking at this question, such as: what type of hair, how long the hair is left in the soil, what type of soil it’s in, and if there are any other decaying materials in the soil. Human or mammal hair (animal fur) will decompose quickly when placed into good soil. This is because mammalian hair comprises protein that bacteria or fungi can break down compared to synthetic hair, made up of plastic and other materials that are not easily broken down. If the hair on a wig or an extension has any metal attached to it, this will also slow down or halt the decomposition process.
Is Human Hair Toxic to the Environment?
Human hair is typically collected from barbershops and salons during haircuts. This human hair is then sold to companies that add it to other products, such as clothing and insulation.
Some components of human hair are not safe for the environment. For example, chemicals may be added to die or treat the hair to make it unsafe for the environment. Unfortunately, it isn’t easy to know if a product contains human hair without laboratory tests. It would be very time-consuming and expensive to have products tested every time.
The fiber used in clothing has an environmental impact that depends on its source, how it was made, where it was manufactured, etc. Human hair is a type of protein fiber and comes from the same source as wool.
What type of hair is harmful to the environment?
Greasy, icky hair is terrible for the environment. Hair that has been over-washed and over-processed with chemicals releases a ton of ickies into our rivers, lakes, and oceans.
According to Greenpeace, washing one’s hairless can make a huge difference in water conservation: “If every American reduced their hair wash by just one day a week, we could save over one billion gallons of water per week.”
In addition, hair that hasn’t been bleached and dyed is great for the planet. According to The Daily Mail, hair dye can contain up to “94 different chemicals made up of a witch’s brew of toxins, including neurotoxins and carcinogens linked to causing a range of health disorders from bladder cancer to infertility.”
The Daily Mail also reports that bleach “contains potentially toxic ingredients such as ammonia, hydrogen peroxide, sodium hydroxide, and thioglycolic acid,” which can burn the scalp and “cause asthma attacks and breathing problems” as well as lead to hair damage and the releasing of carcinogenic toxins.
Garments Made of Human Hair Waste
Hair waste is a major pollutant in both water and on land. The percentage of this waste can be reduced substantially if the hair fibers are recycled into useful products, which would otherwise have to be incinerated or sent off to landfills. These hair wastes are trimmings, clippings, hair cuttings, hair shavings, and hair dust. Hair from beauty salons usually makes up the majority of these wastes. In 2005, approximately 70 million pounds of hair was cut from U.S consumers, which translates to 50 million pounds of trimmings a year, according to a study by the American Apparel and Footwear Association.
Hair waste can be used to create various useful products, including cloth and stuffing. Hair fibers are well known for their durability and strength, even after washing and exposure to sunlight. This makes them ideal for durable clothing items such as activewear, coats, and blankets. As hair is made from keratin, it can be easily colored and is less likely to be the pill.
Is hair recyclable?
Yes, hair is recyclable! It can be used to make a variety of things. The hair is first sterilized and swept up to remove any large impurities. This makes it easier for people to work with the raw material. Hair has many applications. Naturally, the most common use of recycled hair is wigs or extensions. Hair can also make things like brushes, brooms, mops, paintbrushes, and fishing lures.
Hair is also useful in creating compost for gardens because it biodegrades quickly. This is because hair is made up of 95% protein. Hair waste can’t typically be recycled into other items without breaking down into its weaker proteins. This is because hair’s natural properties tend to make it much stronger than other products made using hair.
Is Human Hair Suitable for Gardening?
- People give their used hair to friends, barbers, and beauticians, but what can you do with the hair you find in your comb or brush? You can throw it away or bury it, but there are better ways to use human hair for gardening.
- The best way to use human hair in your garden is mulch. Hair is good at holding moisture in the soil, so it will keep your plants hydrated better than other mulches like leaves or grass clippings. A layer of hair about 2 inches deep will help hold the water and discourage weeds from taking root.
- Human hair can also be added to compost to boost its nitrogen. Hair is about 80% keratin, an organic protein found in many plants.[3] Many soils lack the needed nitrogen to grow healthy, vibrant plants. Hair can help your garden out when gardens are producing most of their yield during this time of year.
- However, the hair you find in your brush isn’t the best for this purpose. Hair long or dark hair will compost properly because it has more lignin, which is needed to break down organic materials into soil nutrients.
- Decorating flower beds with human hair is an attractive way to recycle them. The nice thing about using hair as a mulch is that it will blend into the garden’s natural color. You can also create an artistic bed that looks like a small black sheep came through and rolled around in the flowers.
- A final use for human hair is to repel rodents. Mice, moles, and rabbits dislike the smell of human hair, so you can plant some around their holes or caves to make them think a person is living nearby.
Bottom Line
So, is hair biodegradable? Sort of. Human hair takes a little longer to decompose than some other materials, but it will eventually break down and return to the earth. In the meantime, there are plenty of ways to make your beauty habits more eco-friendly. We hope this article has inspired you to try a few new (and more sustainable) methods the next time you need a haircut or styling!
