Lush launches Brighton hair salon featuring herbal hair dyes, recycling salon waste and championing diversity

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Fresh, handmade cosmetics company, Lush, is celebrating the grand opening of its new HairLab by gifting Brightonians free goodie bags!

The first of its kind in the country, Lush’s Brighton HairLab at 79 Trafalgar Street will feature no chemical hair dyes, recycle 100% of its salon waste and champion diversity, with texture-specialist hair artists, quiet hours and specialist workshops.

Opening at 10am on Saturday 2nd December, the first 50 people in line at the Lush HairLab will receive a botanical-themed goody bag, tying in with the salon’s dedication to using only natural, herbal hair dyes and its Botanical Washroom – described as a ‘spa for your hair and scalp’. 

The Botanical Washroom

The Botanical Washroom is a hair washing station with a difference – clients will be surrounded by lush greenery and fragrant botanicals while their hair and scalp are treated with a choice of hard or soft water, Lush’s award-winning hair care products and herbal infusions for a revitalising and soothing experience.

Brighton was found to have the fourth hardest water in the country (UK Hard Water Index, Harvey Water Softeners, 2020) – by removing minerals, soft water changes the texture of hair, making it soft and shiny. Alternatively, hard water deposits minerals onto the hair, creating volume and body.

Salon waste

It is predicted that rubbish produced by the hairdressing sector in the UK could fill 50 football stadiums every year. Most of it – including aluminium foil, dye tubes and the majority of cut hair – is binned, even though foil can be recycled an infinite number of times.

Rather than sending it to landfill, waste from the Lush HairLab will be composted, recycled, recovered or used to generate energy for the national grid via the Green Salon Collective. Rather than using wasteful and damaging chemical hair dyes, the new salon concept will use 100% natural herbal hair dyes – henna.

Herbal hair colouring

Available in shades varying from strawberry blonde to deep, coffee brown, henna is harvested from plants and has been used by humans as a herbal hair colourant for thousands of years.

Henna coats the hair in a protective, translucent layer that boosts body and shine – so much so that some people use henna primarily as a treatment for hair health, with the sheer glossy colour being a bonus.

Lush’s henna is vegan, self-preserving and 100% natural. By sourcing the best Iranian henna and fair trade, organic cocoa butter from Sierra Leone, where farmers are helping to restore the Gola rainforest, it’s not only good for the client’s hair, but also for the planet.
Lush co-founder and trichologist Mark Constantine and researcher and co-author Milly Ahlquist delve into the often shady world of synthetic hair dye and its alternatives in their ‘hair dye bible’ True Colours: Hair Colouring for the Curious and the Cautious (£27).

Championing individuality and hair specialists

With a commitment to a more sustainable and inclusive approach to hairdressing and barbering, the salon invites clients to embrace their individuality and leave feeling their best selves.

At the core of the HairLab’s philosophy is a team of specialist hair artists who actively listen to the client’s desires during a thorough consultation, and work collaboratively to express their unique aesthetic vision. The Lush HairLab goes beyond traditional salon experiences, offering a comprehensive approach that embraces diversity, sustainability and wellness.

To fit with Lush’s ‘all are welcome, always’ philosophy, the HairLab will offer no-mirror and ‘non talkative’ services, quiet hours with ambient music and lighting. The HairLab team celebrates diversity and welcomes all clients to experience its services with comfort and confidence.

Services and expertise

HairLab stylists collaborate with clients during a free, in-depth consultation to determine which services will work best for them to achieve their desired outcome. This includes, but is not limited to, cuts, styling with or without a choice or hard or soft water, herbal hair colouring, protective styles, wig maintenance, twists, silk presses, soothing head spa treatments, henna hair parties for groups and knowledge-sharing events.

The HairLab is home to several texture-specialist stylists who are experts in a variety of hair styles and types, including an afro hair specialist who knows all things curls and coils and will be running afro hair care workshops throughout the year.

Haircuts including a full botanical wash room experience start from £85. Hair colouring using Lush’s natural herbal dyes starts from £80.

Open Tuesdays – Saturdays 10am – 7pm and Sundays 10am – 5pm, The Lush HairLab Brighton will open on Saturday 2nd December 2023 at 79 Trafalgar Street, Brighton BN1 4EB. 

For more information or to book an appointment, call 01244 264008 or email [email protected]. Media assets are available here.

notes to editors

About Lush HairLab

Founded to be ‘healthy for you, your hair and the planet’, the Lush HairLab is a salon concept by fresh, handmade cosmetics company Lush. Discontent with the hairdressing industry’s reliance on harsh chemicals, generic services and negative environmental impact, the Lush HairLab employs a range of texture experts who are passionate about revolutionising the hairdressing industry one salon at a time.

The HairLab presents a holistic approach; reducing salon waste, providing multi-sensory wellness, demonstrating a commitment to racial and gender diversity, catering to neurodiverse clients and using natural ingredients. The Lush HairLab philosophy encourages everyone to come as they are, and leave as they want to be.

About Lush

Since establishing in 1995, Lush has been driven by innovation and its ethics. Creators of pioneering beauty products such as the fizzing bath bomb, shower jellies and solid shampoo bars, Lush places emphasis on fresh ingredients like organic fruits and vegetables. Lush fights tirelessly against animal testing and operates a thoroughly comprehensive Ethical Buying department, developing fair and direct trade initiatives. Lush leads the cosmetics industry in combating over-packaging by running public awareness campaigns and developing products that can be sold ‘naked’ to the consumer without any packaging. 

Today Lush operates in 48 countries with over 886 shops, 38 websites shipping worldwide and a global network of native apps, broadcasting channels and digital communities in over 30 languages. For more information on the Lush HairLab, please email [email protected]