Reducing Color Waste: 4 Tips Staff Communication

If you're a salon owner or manager, it can be challenging to talk to your stylists about overmixing hair color. However, communicating the importance of reducing salon product waste is crucial to saving money and the environment. Whether you have a backbar that holds $2,500 worth of product or $30,000. There isn’t enough cash to just let your product go down the drain.

Here are 4 ways you can talk to your stylists to effectively reduce hair color waste:

Encourage mindfulness when mixing color at the backbar 

Encourage your team to be mindful when mixing products. It's easy to be in a rush and overmix, but taking time to measure the right amount makes a big difference. It only takes a few extra seconds if you take your time.

Educate them on the importance of reducing waste and the impact it has on your bottom line. Remind your team that reducing waste is a team effort, and encourage them to hold each other accountable.

Provide training and tools to help stylists At The BackBar

One of the most effective ways to reduce salon product waste is by providing your team with training and tools. This helps to make their jobs easier and more efficient.

It’s important that you share the benefits of using these backbar tools. SalonScale gives salon owners a pulse of their backbar so they can proactively mitigate waste. Stylists can track their formulas and measure waste to ensure that excess product is mitigated for (not charged to the client). And set goals together to reduce waste as a team. It’s a win-win!

Have product waste data on your side

By using data, you can show your team the actual amount of hair color waste that's happening in your salon. For example, you can use SalonScale's waste reports to track color waste at each appointment. You can see who is wasting more, and what products you waste the most. Don’t be afraid to share the data with your team, and explain the benefits of reducing salon waste. (p.s. You can even take it a step further and show the money saved, reduced orders, and other benefits that come along with this!) Better yet - create shared goals and rewards!

Reward your team for not Wasting hair color

Recognize and reward stylists for doing a good job of reducing waste. Using the goals and reports features in SalonScale, set a target or goal of what you want waste to be. Make sure this ai s a realistic goal. If you know you have a bucket of color waste each month, start by reducing it by 1 bucket. Getting your team involved in the goal-setting process will help you to create buy-in. This also empowers your team members by keeping each other accountable and working together. Make waste reduction a part of salon culture.

You can set individual goals with rewards like Starbucks or coffee gift cards. Or put the money saved towards an education opportunity or a team bonding activity. The options are endless.

In conclusion, reducing hair color waste in salons is essential for managing your salon waste and saving money. By providing training, using data, encouraging mindfulness, and rewarding good behavior, you can create a culture of waste reduction in your salon.