Salon in the Spotlight: Honestly Ombré, Swindon
By Kat Hill | 21 April 2021 | Feature, Salon & Spas
With 22 April marking Earth Day – an annual event to demonstrate support for environmental protection – Scratch chatted to Jess Wallbridge, owner of vegan beauty and wellness salon, Honestly Ombré, in Swindon, Wiltshire…
“We want every visit to our salon to feel like Earth Day!” smile Jess. “We strive to shed light on the positive changes that can be made across the beauty industry that benefit the planet.
Jess Wallbridge
The salon team try to create as little waste as possible, using eco alternatives and reusables wherever they can. “The beauty industry produces more than 120 billion units of packaging globally per year, which is a huge figure,” laments Jess. “Only 9% of all plastic waste ever produced has been recycled, with approximately 12% of plastic waste being incinerated and the remaining whopping 79% ending up in landfill, dumps, or the natural environment.
“The time is now to make some positive changes, whether that is reducing the plastic packaging beauty products come in, or the microplastic ingredients that contribute to the increasing plastic pollution problem we face today.
“At Honestly Ombré we seek to use natural beauty products, free of toxic chemicals and avoid plastic, particularly single-use, wherever possible.”
“One essential criteria for all products is that they are both vegan and cruelty-free and when we say the company is underpinned by its ethics, we really mean it.”
Every aspect of salon life has been carefully considered. “Our massage beds are synthetic leather,” explains Jess. “We use biodegradable non-latex gloves, vegetable-based hand sanitisers, reusable masks, recycled toilet paper and bamboo cleaning cloths. We also use recyclable paper cups, paper bags and eco teabags.
“Our business cards are made from recycled t-shirts, our tote bags are made from salvaged and recycled plastic bottles. We use soy wax candles and even our nail tables are waxed with a vegetable wax rather than beeswax! We’re also ambassadors of the Animal Justice Project, to end animal cruelty and slavery.”
The salon has worked hard to also share its ethos with the wider community with a curated selection of retail products. “To help our clients make planet positive changes, we also sell bamboo toothbrushes, cutlery sets, cotton buds and cotton face pads. We also stock reusable shopping bags, shampoo bars, bath salts in glass jars, bars of soap rather than plastic bottles, soap bags, period cups and metal straws – just to name a few!
Some of the salon’s retail offering
“Last year we also launched our Thrift + Thrive clothing line, comprising of thrifted garments saved from landfill and vintage stores which we repurposed and embroidered with plant and planet friendly messages. Each new t-shirt requires over 2500 gallons of water, so this line promotes slow fashion and making long term sustainable choices.
“We try to minimise our waste, and are constantly researching and improving our methods to cut down on single use plastic and landfill.”
“If we can be doing something better for the planet, we try our best to incorporate those changes. Small changes add up to a big impact, and we have a salon motto ‘beware of the plastics’ to remind us of the mission we’re on.
“We aim to create an Earth positive reflective experience that stays with our clients long after leaving. No action is ever too small, and we believe in a greener future for the beauty industry. What we stand for is what we stand on.”
