ES Tests: Buller & Rice Walthamstow, London's newest sustainable hair salon
There’s a new sustainable hair salon in town. The founders of the capital’s first, Buller & Rice, have opened a new location in Walthamstow, to the joy of their loyal eco fans.
Anita Rice and Stephen Buller debuted a new concept for the capital with their first salon in Newington Green where they dramatically cut their waste and plastic use by introducing forward thinking environmentally friendly kit such as foil alternatives made of recycled paper which can be washed and reused, and biodegradeable protective capes. Londoners lapped it up.
So to keep up with demand they opened a second in December, a little further East. Set on Hoe Street, a few minutes’ walk from Walthamstow Central, sits the shiny new salon, all pinks and burgundies and a houseplant-lovers dream.
Treatment and stylist
Half head of highlights (£95), Olaplex (£30), cut and finish (£58) with co-founder Anita Rice
General vibe
The founders have extended their sustainable offering with a bigger and better refill station. Here, locals can top up their supplies from Oway, the fiercely popular Italian biodynamic haircare brand, using any old container they have knocking around. They can do the same with products cool new Dalston brand Neighbourhood Botanicals, which has created a yuzu and cedarwood hand and body wash that's unique to the salon.They can also purchase their favourite products form cult British skincare brand Haeckels and Japanese-inspired Earl of East, which has created a bespoke scented candle for the salon, which naturally has been artfully poured into repurposed conditioner tubs.
Surfaces have been made using waste sawdust, even the bar has been built using hand-poured concrete by local artisans. And it’s not just any old plonk they serve here, local bar Gnarly Vines, is supplying seasonal natural (and frankly, delicious) wines, while beers come courtesy of The Good Things Brewery.
"It's all about community," says Rice, with whom I'm booked in for a half head of highlights and cut and blow dry. She is passionate about helping others reduce their environmental impact. But this isn’t only a place for eco warriors – everyone is welcome, even if you're simply drawn to the pretty rubber plants sitting in terracotta pots in the window. "If it means we make someone use one less a plastic bag a day, then brilliant," she says.
Experience
Rice suggests an Olaplex treatment to revive my dry blonde tresses, and leaves me with a stack of indie mags while she goes off to mix up the ammonia-free hair colour. Once she's finished painting on the colour, I'm left to soak up more of the salon vibe – wine nicely topped up. It's launch week for the salon and even on a Friday evening and the salon's relatively busy, many of their clients already live around here, Rice tells me, so they're not exactly starting from scratch. It does have a community feel, Bonus points go to the eclectic tunes and you've got to have love for the salon's resident dog Cyril, a Brussels Griffon.
Once my colour is rinsed, Rice follows with an ashy toner and the Olaplex rebuilding treatment, then when everything is rinsed out, she shampoos and conditions with Oway products and gives me an amazing head massage. She gives me a blunt trim all over and then after a quick rough dry spritzes some of Oway's Thermal Stress Protector and runs some of the Nurturing Drops through the lengths and ends, one of their bestsellers. Finally show blow dries with a round brush leaving me with a glossy ashy blonde. The new Buller & Rice Walthamstow salon may be my new go-to.
To book, head to bullerandrice.com
