A HAIR SALON in the city centre has been named as one of five finalists across the country for an industry award for green business practices.

Muse Hairdressing, on Winchester Street, received the news on Friday, June 16 that it is the only business in Wiltshire to be shortlisted for the Sustainability Hero category of Creative HEAD’s Most Wanted Awards.

Lois Mant, 39, has been a hairdresser for more than 20 years and opened the salon in October 2020, nine days before the first covid lockdown.

She has taken sustainable business practices seriously since Muse’s beginning and said she is very pleased to see the business’ efforts recognised.

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Lois said: “It’s one of the biggest award ceremonies within the hairdressing industry.

“We entered it last year but didn’t get shortlisted, so it’s the first time we’ve made it through to the finals.”

Maintaining environmentally conscious business practices hasn’t been easy. Muse Hairdressing is the first business Lois has ever run.

In addition to learning how to handle the routine and logistics of day-to-day business, she added for herself the extra burden of ensuring everything was sustainable.

Salisbury Journal: Muse Hairdressing's active hair recycling is just one of the efforts that have made it one of five finalists for a national sustainability award.Muse Hairdressing's active hair recycling is just one of the efforts that have made it one of five finalists for a national sustainability award. (Image: Muse Hairdressing)

Lois said: “We literally do everything that we possibly can to be sustainable, but since we last entered, we’ve become carbon neutral, so anything that we can’t control then we offset, like the team’s travel to work and then just our real attention to detail.

"We use the recycling companies that recycle hair and things, which is amazing, but we also make sure all of our coffee is locally sourced, the team’s pensions are in an ethical fund, our banking is ethical, our electric, our phones, every little detail that we can do is sustainable.

“There’s obviously a huge dedication to- one, doing the research to find out all of the information and make sure you doing the best, and the cost that comes with it as well.”

The overall winner among the five finalists will be announced at Most Wanted’s award ceremony at the Tate Modern in London on Monday, September 4.