Hair Salon Turns Back-to-School Special into Environmental Cause

Aug. 5, 2009 - PRLog -- (RALEIGH, NC) – Lather Hair Salon in North Raleigh has found a way to combine a back-to-school special promotion with a good cause. From Monday, August 10, through Saturday, August 29 , the salon will offer a 20 percent discount on all hair cuts in recognition of the annual imperative to get back to the books – in style. And for the duration of the back-to-school special, all of the hair that hits the salon floor will be swept into special boxes for donation to Matter of Trust, Inc., the organization that sponsors the “Hair For Oil Spills Program” that makes oil-absorbent mats out of human hair to help soak up oil spills around the globe.

“Nearly every salon offers some type of back-to-school special. But we wanted ours to be more than just a business promotion,” said Jessica Williams, owner and senior stylist at Lather Hair Salon. “We wanted to do something that would make a difference, and Matter of Trust gives us the perfect opportunity. The more hair we cut during our promotion, the more we can donate, so we’re hoping lots of environmentally concerned folks in need of a hair cut will come to Lather to help us fill those boxes.”

Williams also appreciates the fact that a fellow salon owner started Matter of Trust’s “Hair For Oil Spills Program. Phil McCrory, a hair stylist from Alabama, came up with the idea while he was watching CNN coverage of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill. He noticed how the affected otters’ fur seemed to soak up the oil, and he wondered how much human hair would absorb. After some experimenting with the hair swept up from his salon’s floor, he created the first “hairmat.”

In 2000 McCrory launched the Hair For Oil Spills Program, which became a part of Matter of Trust, Inc., which links ideas and actions for using natural and manmade surplus materials for eco-educational programs and causes. Matter of Trust pays to send the collected hair to non-woven needle-punch factories that make hairmats for emergency oil spills.

“The hair that lands on Lather’s floor – at a 20 percent savings to our customers -- could help save the life of an injured animal,” Williams said. “How can you not feel great about that?”

This is the first of many environmental and community efforts Williams intends to support through Lather Hair Salon, she said. For more information on the salon, visit www.latherhairnc.com. For more information on Matter of Trust, visit www.matteroftrust.org.

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About Lather Hair Salon: Lather Hair Salon is a full-service, upscale salon specializing in make-overs and wedding styling. Lather stylists also maintain “Hair Academy 101,” an on-going blog on hair care, styling, products, and techniques.

Lather Hair Salon is located at 8521 Cantilever Way, Suite 109, just off North Glenwood Avenue/Highway 70 West near Carmax. For more information visit www.latherhairsalonnc.com or call 919-792-0715.

Lather Hair Salon is also available on Facebook and through Citysearch.