Is hair biodegradable?If not, then how do barbers dispose of hair from their salons?

It is biodegradable. It could be composted.Some barbers and beauty shops package the hair because it can be used to keep animals away from plants. It is used for warding off animals that would eat commercial ly raised plants. Others just sweep it up and dispose of it in the trash.Is hair biodegradable?If not, then how do barbers dispose of hair from their salons?
Hair is very resistant to decay.Is hair biodegradable?If not, then how do barbers dispose of hair from their salons?
Yes it is biodegradable. I'm sure the barber throws it all away but as hair is mainly protein, it could be composted into a nitrogen source, though I would not know how strong a product as it would be used in agriculture/ gardening. If one is big on composting, hair sources might be a consideration, as so many things that have value are just tossed away.
Hair is very biodegradable, and is great for the soil. Most barber shops simply sweep it up, and toss it away.





Since I live on a farm, a lot of hair (fur %26amp; wool) is produced here! Our human hair also is tossed onto compost piles.





The wild birds adore the hair, especially the long stuff from my horses manes and tails, and the wool from the sheep.





I use to keep sheep (now just horses, goats, rabbits, dogs, and a couple of cats). There is little to no market for the wool, so instad of just tossing it into the garbage, I would spread it out in a new garden area. Great stuff, helps keep moisture in, and weeds out.





Two of my dogs are Great Pyrenee's LGD's (livestock guardian dogs) so they produce TITANIC amounts of fur when they shed out.





Fur or hair from any animal (even humans) can be collected and spun to make yarn. I've seen a GORGEOUS white wedding shawl made from the fur of Great Pyrenees. In the Victorian era there use to be a large number of people who would make really lovely jewelry from human hair. It was usually the hair of someone they were in love with, or the hair of a person who had recently passed away (a way of remembering that person).





If you are concidering asking you local barber for their hair sweepings, please remember that people with head lice sometimes get their hair cut also, and you don't want them! If the hair is in a sealed plastic bag, toss it in the freezer for 24 hours, and all possiblity of lice is removed (all frozen dead). Or handle with gloves, and wash your hands, and forearms afterwards.





Human hair also has wonderful insulative properties (though wool is better). The Germans shaved the heads of millions of people in concentration camps and used that hair to insulate their submarines (that's not too nice to think about though).





If you compost, feel free to add hair, fur, or wool to your compost heap!





~Garnet


Homesteading/Farming over 20 years