A vegan cafe is using leftover fruit and vegetables including beetroot, bananas and maple syrup to ‘feed’ its customers’ hair.

Claire Alker creates mixtures of ingredients to create vegan shampoos, conditioners and dyes for her customers.

She treats customers above the cafe at her hairdressers ‘The Hair Chef’ – which uses the slogan ‘Feed Your Hair’.

Claire is reacting to an increased demand for organic hairdressing, as consumers demand cruelty and chemical-free hair products. Her business is also completely waste-free.

She told BBC News: “I strip a little bit of your chemical colour out of the hair and just give you a nice red hue over the top.

“So if you imagine I’ve boiled up the beetroot to get the red die, the maple syrup gives really good shine to the hair.

“It’s doffing the cap to our nan and granddad really. That’s what they did, the had to use what was around them in season, fruit and veg, dye their own hair.

“I think post-war people had to use of what’s around them, and plastic wasn’t such a big thing. So really it’s all been done before.”

Customers have praised The Hair Chef’s approach, with one describing Claire as a ‘fabulous hairdresser’

“Her enthusiasm for doing everything organically, without further impact to the planet, is overwhelming,” the happy customer added.

Vegan salons

More and more vegan salons have been popping up across the UK in recent years.

In London fully vegan the Rabbit and Hole opened in 2012. Everything from the hair products, snacks, and even furniture have been hand picked to ensure there are no animal products in sight.

WhiP in Hackney, sitting opposite Temple of Seitan, is a vegan hairdresser crammed full of up-cycled furniture and vintage mirrors.

The salon even offers vegan gin and beer, or hot drinks with plant-based milk alternatives.

• Read: Vegan chef, 11, bullied at school after opening Caribbean restaurant

Would you use banana, beetroot and maple syrup to treat your hair? Tell us in the comments section below!

Oli Gross

Oli’s career and personal ethical values both help shape his reporting of the diverse world of veganism. His background is in local newspaper and magazine journalism, and his work has included reporting court cases, celebrity interviews, business analysis, food and drink features and government legislation.

See author's posts