Hair is not just waste; trash from barber shop to clean up oil slick at sea!!!

The oil slick can vanish using the piles of hair lying around in the corner of a barber shop! Small mats and booms (barriers used to prevent oil from spreading into the sea) made of hair can quickly drain the oil from the water. The hair can absorb five times its weight in oil. All one has to do is place the booms where the oil has spilt and lift it up.

Its inventors are Matter of Trust, which was founded in 1998 by Lisa Gautier and her partner Patrick from San Francisco with the aim of protecting the environment. Matter of Trust's mission began with the help of one million barber shops in the United States. Today, they make mats from the hair collected worldwide.

Hairstylist's brainchild

Hairstylist Phil McCrory from Alabama noticed that otters, which are rich in fur, easily escaped from oil fields. He shared this with Lisa and Patrick, which led to the birth of the hair mats. The experiment was carried out by pouring oil into a swimming pool.

900 tonnes of hair cut in Kerala

There are more than 30,000 barber shops in Kerala. 900 tonnes of human hair waste is generated annually. Hair is used in the beauty and fashion sectors for hair extensions, wigs, artificial eyelashes, moustaches, beards, etc. Hair takes up to two years to decompose and accumulate in the soil.

Five and a half litres of oil per half a kilo of hair

• Hair mats are made one foot long and wide. 500 grams of hair is enough to make a mat one inch thick. It can absorb an average of 5.6 litres of oil.

• The hair is laid in a specific size and thickness. It is passed through a machine that moves several needles up and down. When it reaches the other side, it becomes like a blanket.

New inventions should be encouraged if they are beneficial

V.E. Shaji, former president

Kerala State Barber and Beautician Association