Category: Environment, Philanthropy, Diversity, Humanity
Gilded Hair
Joanne Gilder
Unit 18, Holme Grange Craft Village, Heathlands Road
Wokingham RG403AW UK
01183276073
Gildedhair@outlook.com
Story
WHAT’S MY STORY?
It all began a long long time ago.
When I, a creative young minded Joanne, fell in love with a Girls World hair head I was given for my 5th Christmas.
As I grew older, my creativeness grew stronger and by the time I was 14,
I was cutting hair on my doorstep for all the boys in town, styling up the 90’s undercut and owning it.
Now when I think back…. OH MY, Wowser … And now I am not surprised that all the parents of my friends were so disappointed in their child’s new hair cuts (probably not my best work). The joy of experimenting and a new found creative freedom inspired a love for making people happy.
Throughout my life friends have always supported me in my career along with my passion for wildlife even with me continually driving them insane with my knowledge of our planet and the impact of the actions we were taking and how they were going to affect our future.
Sadly and I hate to say it, turns out I was right !
Now we are all grown up with our own children, I have helped many of them simplify the overwhelming environmental benefits, changes and own questions, helping them reduce single use plastic within their homes and businesses.
My passion for hair and the environment was shown from a young age and I am now so very proud of the salon I own, an empathetic environmental hair powerhouse, that believes every human, animal and living thing are all equal and we should do all we can to help what this great world has to offer us and never take it for granted.
GILDED HAIR
MISSION STATEMENT
GILDED HAIR recognises that it has a responsibility to the environment beyond legal and regulatory requirements. We are committed to reducing our environmental impact and continually improving our environmental performance as an integral part of our business strategy and operating methods, with regular review points. We will encourage customers, suppliers and other stakeholders to do the same.After a life times worth of working in the hair industry, the waste it produces is astronomical and has forever driven me nuts!
THE CHOICES JO HAS MADE:
The only chance I knew I ever had of making change was owning my own salon and proving it could be done.
Small beneficial changes were key, I first made steps in taking all my plastic bottles and foil each and every week to our local recycling plant and this is where GILDEDHAIR really started to make changes.
Then boom KEVIN MURPHY hair products landed at my door….
This was an absolute game changer for me, a brand that cared for the world around it, cared about each stylist and primarily delivered in performance as a product!
Never before had I come across a brand that delivered from all angles and then when Color.Me was launched OH MY DAYS!!
With the technology of molecular colour guarantee and empowering development in science for the greater good of hair integrity, this forever the brand for me.
A true breath of fresh air and defo the brand for me and my salon to work alongside, upholding all the values I ever wanted my business to be.
A huge movement then occurred locally, a collaboration of environmentally friendly local small businesses came together and forever more GH have only bought cleaning products through our local environmental refill supplier Mayas Refills. Along side changing hair towels to ‘Scrummi’ towels – a more environmental and sustainable choice, using brands such as ‘who gives a crap’ and ‘cheeky panda’ for planet friendly loo roll, paper towels, tissues, etc and using compostable bin liners for any waste (of which we have very little as the majority of our waste is recycled!).
One of my biggest hurdles to over come was water waste, the amount of water we use in washing out a colour bowl is 2 litres per bowl and water simply running down the drain let alone washing, rinsing and removing colour from hair and then I was introduced to ECO HEADS what a revaluation reducing water usage by up to 65% whilst still keeping power at the basin ensuring the perfect rinse..
However this then got my brain got thinking….
What about the water we rinse away after washing, rinsing and chemical services?
The impact of chemicals travelling out into our water ways is huge!
How can I prevent this?
What can I do?
Reducing water is fab however I am/we are still polluting our oceans regardless!
And with a bag full of passion I found GLECO TRAPS, a simple devise that fits under the u bend of a sink commercial and household alike, this collects solids in a bottle via a valve allows water through however not larger solids and then simply you empty once is full.
I would like to think that the water that enters GILDEDHAIR, leaves cleaner that it could of or even cleaner than it entered.
When COVID hit and PPE became necessary I found all biodegradable/compostable options using REEL face shields/visors, fully recyclable face masks from Green Salon Collective and Scrummi bio capes as gowns for our clients.
From the very beginning Gildedhair was built using old and making new. Every shelf, desk, side board along with accessories were once something amazing yet battered and worn, my husband brought them back to life recreating another story.
I have driven Gildedhair with nothing but love, a love for the planet and a love for humans and I constantly up hold this by ensuring a great work life balance for all my team. Each and every stylist works 4 days one week 6 the next, giving each stylist two weekends off a month to enjoy life.
Wages are of extreme importance to all and rightly so (we all have to live right), I give 15% on each product sold and a substantial hourly rate along with pensions and holidays. In return I get a very happy, passionate, positive team never drained or burdened by the forever demanding job that we do each and everyday..
My teams mental health is always of extreme importance to me and together we all enjoy yoga, natural healing therapy on a regular basis along with supportive cognitive therapy sessions to help us all stay in control and support each other and ourselves.
I believe in dedication and dedication to the cause, for my cause to truly work we must never assume, never think what someone else is thinking, be honest to your self, ask questions and learn. This helps us all grow and be honest, truthful humans with empathy, consideration and understanding, along with opening our minds to the bigger more powerful picture and embrace the world we live in.
I look at myself as a part of my stylists life journey.
A platform for them to bounce off of, a mentor through life’s crazy cycle, an educator in hair and most of all a path to grow and empower their own beings to take on the rest of their lives with confidence, a smile and ride every rollercoaster life throws at them with dignity.
I wish to continue the positive changes I have made in the hair industry by working closely with my team, working towards defining consultations that help clients understand their needs wants and desires. Sharing realistic expectations, the science behind their hair, along with taylor made sessions for clients sharing tricks and tips using their own tools helping them master their own hair styles.
I am proud to share that Gildedhair is a 100% single use plastic free hair salon. I source all cleaning products through Maya’s Refillable’s that shares my passion for CIRCULAR ECONOMY, we first met when we were introduced via our local plastic free group Plastic Free Crowthorne whom we both work along side with our community .
GILDEDHAIR has been awarded SURFERS AGAINST SEWAGE PLASTIC FREE CHAMPIONS STATUS WITHIN THE UK.
Along with being part of the refill project, supported by City to Sea, Gildedhair is part of a nationwide app where anyone can come past and ask for a water refill for free..
My salon Gildedhair has teamed up with GREEN SALON COLLECTIVES and been awarded accreditation for recycling all of our plastics, hair, metals, PPE, chemicals and towels which in turn lowers our own salon waste and helps to produce cleaner energy.
Without a doubt waste should always be reduced at source where possible and I always ensure this by only allowing my stylists to mix up 25 grams of colour at a time in sugar cane colour bowls of course (as it takes 2 litres of water to wash off a colour bowl).
11 years ago my childhood friend got diagnosed with BRACA 1 GENE, she had to have double mastectomy and hysterectomy, devastating but the big question was how do we turn this into a positive?
THE HIEDI’S HEART PILLOW PROJECT was born: Through a huge amount of research and passion, four friends made a pillow in the shape of a heart that would bring comfort to anyone having chest invasive drains, reducing pain inflammation and predominantly a pillow from a stranger sharing love in their darkest hour.
11 years on the project is still going strong and now supply our local hospital breast care ward anyone that has breast surgery awakes to a love heart on their bed donated by us. The greatest thing about these pillows is that they are truly made with love as, all materials are donated (one king size duvet cover makes 15 pillows) the only thing the pillows cost is time and love.
Each month I deliver around 50 pillows and every time I drop off pillows to the ward, the nurses always share how much patient’s would love to know whom we are, to say thank you for the love and kindness shared when they least expected it.
Not for one second is it about what we do, all about whom we do it for.
4 friends, a choice and the difference we can make!
I spend time in schools with my 12 year old son, sharing with children plastic free choices and helping organise environmental workshops and my self and my two boys regularly organise litter picks around local areas, parks, ponds and towns, making for a cleaner planet and removing litter of harms way for wildlife.
As a mother of two boys, a wife to the most amazing patient man on the planet let me share with you, I couldn’t and wouldn’t be the woman I am without them by my side.
Our good life is grown in our own garden, dedication to the seed and the fruits of our labour is something so special.
I HAVE MADE CHOICES WITHIN MY PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL LIFE TO PRESENT WITHOUT COMPROMISE THE ABILITY OF FUTURE GENERATIONS TO MEET THEIR OWN NEEDS, NO MATTER WHAT AND WHOM YOU ARE. THE LOVE I SHARE FOR MY WORK, INDUSTRY, STYLISTS AND ENVIRONMENT, IS NOTHING IN COMPARISON TO THE KNOWLEDGE I HAVE LEARNT THAT I WISH TO SHARE WITH FUTURE GENERATIONS IN HOPE THAT OUR PREVIOUS FOPARS TO OUR PLANET WILL NOT BE REPEATED.
Timing
My life isn’t finished yet and there is so much more living to be done.
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84.92.64.206 | 19/08/2021