Hair Helps
The recent oil spill in the Gulf Coast has got a lot of Virginia folks wondering what they can to do help out, and a lot of people feel helpless because they live too far away to be able to provide any physical help.
One salon in Richmond is helping out in a novel way; by donating hair. Apparently, human hair has an interesting reaction with oil, and rather than absorb it, it adsorbs it. Adsorption is a process where the oil clings to the hair due to the tiny scales on the hair strand that grab hold of the oil.
Hair Theater is sweeping up what’s on the floor and shipping it to a company called “Matter Of Trust”, a California company that uses the hair to make absorbent barrier booms and hair mats. Liz Andrews, the owner of Hair Theatre, said that her salon sweeps up about a pound of hair a day.
You can keep up with oil spill cleanup efforts by tuning in to your local news channel offered by DISH Network. And next time you get your hair cut, ask your stylist to send their hair to “Matter Of Trust”.
