Karine Jackson, Covent Garden IS LONDON’S first certified Sustainable Salon
Ever wondered how eco your hair salon is? Or maybe how eco your hair routine at home is? With the rise in environmental awareness, the University of Southampton discovered haircare and salons to be highly energy intensive (surprise, surprise) so they decided to launch the sustainable salon certification….(insert applause here)…
If you pop along to Karine Jackson salon in Covent Gardenyou’ll get a truly eco experience as it’s now officially the first hairdressers in London with this sustainability certificate. That means Karine and her team have not only made significant changes to reduce water and energy consumption and waste in the salon but advise customers how to do the same at home.
Karine, former London Hairdresser of the Year, has been a life-long advocate of green living and was one of the first salons in the capital to offer organic hair colouring (Organic Colour Systems), which uses fewer chemicals than conventional hair dye, and vegan hairdressing services, which I’ve reviewed several times and highly recommend (- not only for the dairy-free biscuit an almond latte, but for the team’s amazing cut and natural-colour skills).
…someone who washes their hair every day, rinses, repeats and blow dries uses 500kg of carbon dioxide a year. Washing hair every two days and rinsing only once, the carbon footprint goes down by 2000% to just 25kg of carbon dioxide.
Just check out the stats above – this is a single person’s carbon footprint so you can imagine how much energy a salon gets through each day, week and year. So giving a hairdressers a green makeover is not only an environmental win but the energy saving would save the business a ton of money too – a win for all. Karine is hoping this new eco initiative will encourage other salons to get on board too.
To find your nearest certified sustainable salon visit the salon locator: ecohairandbeauty.com
If you follow me on Instagram (@yanarbeauty) you’ll see I’m partial to the odd floral bloom or pretty plant so I couldn’t resist the new GROW London fair when I read about it in the paper. Described as the garden fair for contemporary gardens, GROW London seemed perfectly pitched for modern, urban living.
So I quickly organised a ticket (with the help of the lovely crew at Camron PR) and grabbed my green fingered editor friend Pat McNulty (who knows how to make a small city garden look like a country cottage oasis) and went off to get green-eyed on a lovely (and thankfully, hangover-free) Sunday morning.
GROW London is showcased on the same site and organised by the same founder of the Affordable Art Fair in London’s Hampstead Heath, which cleverly makes double use of the structure. It’s also conveniently close in the calendar to Chelsea Flower Show.
I’ve never been to Chelsea but Pat says it’s big and can be difficult to navigate. In comparison, GROW is compact in size, but still spacious, with around 60 stands ranging from florals to swoon over, to outdoor furniture and accessories for the wish list and everything in between to create your own dream garden. It’s just the right size to hop between stands, remember favourite flowers, take second looks and contemplate which foxglove was the one (we did a lot of foxglove-comparisons).
The succulents definitely stole the show though – The Urban Botanist was perfectly situated at the front of the fair to catch everyone’s eye as they entered.
The herbs at John Cullen Gardens (not forgetting the guy who was so passionate about their plants I think he definitely should be on TV) captured our hearts and I’ve now got my sights set on growing African Blue Basil so I can shred it into salads and admire its good looks while I sit under a Sunbeam Jackie parasol.
These Sunbeam Jackie garden parasols were right up my street, made from vintage and reclaimed fabrics, I spotted and bookmarked them in my mind in a flash. Just look at how beautiful they are! (below).
Succulents and inspiration at GROW London
You can’t go wrong with succulent displays – GROW London, Hampstead HeathSunbeam Jackie Sun Parasols at Grow London Fair – on my wishlist!
The John Cullen Gardens herbs stole our heart at GROW London FairBlooming herbs at John Cullen Gardens, GROW London Fair
Riverford is a family run business (which is what appealed to me the most) and the fruit, veg, meat and dairy comes from their own farms as well as regional UK farms to support the local and farming community. I picked the medium veg box, which comes with free delivery and there’s no commitment to order every week, just as and when you need, which is perfect for me. Looking forward to it!
Sensational foxgloves at GROW London
In between all nurseries, plant companies and garden designers vying for our attention, the show also had its own amazingly dressed displays. If that wasn’t enough, there were also expert talks, workshops, children’s areas, a cake-filled cafeteria and a wine-stop. Plus being situated in Hampstead Health, it’s easy to make a gorgeous day of it.
Stunning displays at GROW LondonAttention to detail – fantastic floral displays at GROW London
As well as lots of cool-looking older people (it’s north London after all), it was also refreshing to see lots of younger people and young couples. Gardens and gardening used to be an interest people grew into in their late 30s and 40s, but in a similar way that younger people are part of a revived trend for home crafts and cooking, there definitely seems to be fresh interest in plants and gardening – particularly in an urban setting – from people much younger.
So it’s great that GROW London can be part of making gardening cool again and appeal to people who want to be inspired wherever they live, or whatever their age. Coupled with the fact that more and more people live in flats with limited outdoor and indoor space that they’re desperate to transform.
Wow-plants at GROW LondonSpotty Dotty plant at GROW LondonA great day out. Thanks GROW London!
After lots of brilliant chats with cool garden geeks, endless inspiration and hours of eye candy, we left feeling totally inspired, refreshed and eager to get planting. All I need now is a garden!
Failing that, I’ll just keep adding to my ever-expanding indoor garden collection. Either way, see you at next year’s GROW London. x
