Terry Scott’s Hair Fashion, the salon based at La Lucia Mall has become KZN’s first ‘green’ hair salon.
Speaking at the launch of the salon and the eco-friendly O’Right brand in South Africa, Sales and Marketing Manager, Lisa Lockhart, said that the term green washing would now take on a whole new meaning in South Africa.
Whereas, once upon a time, it was known as dishonestly claiming to either act in an environmentally friendly way or to sell an environmentally friendly product, it now means using a truly green product to improve the health of your hair without damaging the environment or contributing to climate change,” she said.
O’Right has created a wide range of haircare products that are healthy for users as well as the communities and environment which are critical to everyone’s well-being. All products in the range are natural, eco-friendly and pure.
All ingredients meet the needs of a professional salon and discerning customers and are certified organic. Unlike its compatriot haircare products, O’Right uses eco-friendly, recycled packaging and prints its labels using soy ink.
Although shampoos have, up until now, seldom been criticised for their harsh impact on the environment, more and more research is showing that the very substances that have been created to clean, nourish and improve your hair can have the complete opposite effect on both your health and that of the environment.
Many shampoos contain very harmful chemicals that may smell and look wonderful but actually expose users to alarming health risks. Some ingredients and additives – including parabens, synthetic fragrances, phthalates and chemicals such as sodium laureth sulfate – can give rise to a host of health complications, including skin and hair irritations, damaged hair follicles or even cancer.
Once washed down the drain, shampoos and conditioners impact negatively on South Africa’s already highly polluted water supply. Ultimately working their way into rivers and then the ocean, researchers have shown that chemicals from these beauty care products, when ingested, can alter the genetic make-up and hormone levels of aquatic animals, preventing them from reproducing and potentially leading to extinction.
Even more damaging is the packaging. Plastic bottles that are either only partially or are completely unrecyclable are either dumped in landfills or find their way into the ocean. Here, they can either kill the marine creatures that eat them or add to the massive islands of waste plastic that are floating on the world’s oceans.
In 2018, the O’Right brand took sustainability to a new level with shampoo bottles and pumps made entirely from renewable plastic materials. This not only reduced the use of new plastic but also carbon emissions along the entire supply chain.
O’Right products are manufactured in Asia’s first GMP certified green cosmetics plant using clean solar and wind energy as well as sophisticated water recycling systems. O’Right is also one of very few Taiwanese manufacturers to engage in green research and development, eco-friendly design and green processing.
Lockhart said that O’Right was the brainchild of founder and chairman of the global company, Steven Ko. As an allergy sufferer, he made it his mission to create products that improved health and relied on natural ingredients. After his parents passed away as a result of kidney disease and cancer in 2002, Ko renewed his commitment to reducing exposure to heavy metals and chemical substances via hair care products.
“With the “It’s O’right” as the mission statement and the letter “O” as a symbol of the beautiful earth, we decided to do things that are good and “all right” for the earth. Every small step counts in bringing about a big change! We are deeply aware that an enterprise must do something for the health and well-being of humans, society and the environment. With the concept of natural, pure and eco-friendly, we hope our products will become green seeds sown around the world and in South Africa, in particular. With these green hopes, we believe we will together make the future more sustainable and beautiful,” Ko has said.
Within the next couple of weeks, the O’Right South Africa website will be up and running and orders can be placed through this. Or visit the oright_SA facebook page @ https://web.facebook.com/Oright.SouthAfrica!
“We are excited to be starting our Together Greener Carbon Zero Journey and look forward to empowering both salons and customers to not only give their hair and bodies the excellent care that they deserve but also to ensure that this can be done without sacrificing the well-being of our earth on which we depend,” said Lockhart.
Currently, O’ Right products are only available from Terry Scott Hair Fashion and online.
Both enquiries and orders can be addressed to Lisa Lockhart @ oright.sa@outlook.com or on 063 516 6963.
