Shearing the hair that matters

Getting one's pet groomed is not only helpful to maintain the animal's health, but can also be a great way to help absorb the volumes of oil littering the Gulf region due to the BP oil spill.

Woodmere-based Loving Touch Pet Salon at 1009 Broadway is participating in the Hair Mat Oil Spill program run by Matter of Trust, a San Franciso-based non-profit organization.

Hair clippings from the pets the salon shears are being collected into large plastic trash bags and shampoo boxes they get and will be sent to one of 19 warehouses located in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Florida.

"We are doing our part," said storeowner Lynn Allen, who first learned about the program while perusing a trade magazine, according to salon staffer Ilana Bravo. The salon has been in business for five years at the Woodmere location.

Bravo said it is very easy to do as the clippings fall from the animal—mostly dogs in the salon—the hair is picked up and as long as it is clean and not mixed with dirt or dust it is good to go.

"It's wonderful, it's all natural, hopefully this helps," said Bravo, who noted the store's involvement is in response to the BP oil spill. "We are very happy to participate."

These clippings which are coming from places throughout the U.S. and Canada, and according to the Matter of trust Web site "and beyond!" will be used to create literal hair nets to trap and absorb the oil spilled in the Gulf.

The reason we clean or shampoo our hair is that hair collects oil, and hair is very effective at gathering oil of all types from off one's face to oil pollution in the air and water.

Based on information from Matter of Trust more than 370,000 hair salons nationwide collect approximately one pound of hair per day. A majority of that goes into the waste stream.

In addition to making hair mats, the hair can be stuffed into tubes produced from recycled nylons that are tied together to create booms that encircle and contain the oil.

Inventor Phil McCrory, who is also a stylist, has had his hair mats approved by the Environmental Protection Agency. These hair mats can also act as an excellent fertilizer as they allow for a slow nitrogen and keratin protein release. Weed growth and snail infestation can be prevented by hair, and it reduces water evaporation by 50 percent.

"I think it's fantastic," said groomer Sandy Çhillemi as she sheared an extremely hairy Lola. '"It's the best thing we can do to help the environment. I wish we could do more."

Comments about this story? Nassaueditor@

liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 201.