Oil cleanup gets hairy help

Split ends could be a lifesaver for the Gulf Coast oil spill cleanup.

At least that's what salons and pet groomers across the country, and the Chattanooga area, are hoping as they collect bags full of hair and fur to donate to the effort.

"Hair absorbs oil," said Connie Stephens, owner of Eclipse Spa Salon in Chattanooga. "If your scalp gets oily and you brush your hair, that helps distribute it, and the hair absorbs a certain amount of it."

That absorbency has led more than 70,000 hair salons, pet groomers and individuals to put their hair to use, donating it to Matter of Trust, a nonprofit organization that has used hair to help clean up oil spills since 1998. The hair is stuffed into nylon stockings to make "booms," which absorb the oil.

Volunteers across the country are holding "Boom B Q's" to assemble the booms and cut-a-thons to collect hair donations, according to a Matter of Trust news release. In Chattanooga, Eclipse Spa Salon will host a 24-hour cut-a-thon Saturday to Sunday, with proceeds going to the Nashville flood relief fund and hair clippings to the Gulf Coast, Ms. Stephens said.

Several local businesses began collecting their cast-off clippings last week, saying it hasn't taken much extra effort since the hair is already available and was just going to waste.

"I've often thought it was a shame we just throw this away," said Roberta Gillespie Merchant, owner of Fresh Hair Salon in Chattanooga. "I felt like it's too bad it couldn't be utilized or somehow recycled."

Mrs. Merchant was collecting the hair in her salon to give to gardeners, but when more than 3 million gallons of crude oil began spewing into the ocean off Louisiana's coast, she decided to send the hair to the cleanup effort.

Andrea Killebrew, owner of pet grooming shop Groomingdales, said she previously had no idea pet and human hair could be used to lessen the effects of the oil slick. She began collecting fur at her shop Thursday and in one day already had a garbage can full of the fluffy follicles.

"What a fantastic way to use dog hair," Ms. Killebrew said. "We already try to do things to help protect the environment, so to me this is just another continuation of that."

Karen Brown, part-owner of Generations Hair Studio Salon in Chickamauga, Ga., said she heard about the effort but wasn't sure how to donate. Though her salon is just a four-chair operation, she said she wants to help where she can.

According to Matter of Trust, more than 450,000 pounds of hair already have been donated nationwide, and the numbers continue to grow. Jamie Stafford, a hairdresser at Hair Benders International in Chattanooga, said his salon is doing its part to contribute to the growing total.

Last week, stylists began collecting hair for donation, and he estimated the salon collects about 30 gallons of hair each day.

"A lot of times when stuff like this happens in your area, you kind of feel helpless," Mr. Stafford said. "People want to hear that somebody's doing something, especially if it's a local company."

Chattanooga resident Geri Abbott, 44, said as she waited to get a hair cut at the salon Saturday that she was happy her hair would be used to assist in the cleanup effort.

"It's a good thing they're able to help out," she said. "It is such a devastating event."