Cover Story
Grooming Goes Green
Salons that use natural products and make their operations more eco-friendly appeal to pet owners who are concerned about the environment and their pets’ health.

By Mark Kalaygian

The “green” movement has grown to touch just about every aspect of the pet industry, and grooming salons are no exception. In fact, one could make a case that this is an area in which pet stylists have been far ahead of the curve, as natural products have been making significant inroads onto groomers’ supply shelves for years. But this move towards green alternatives as opposed to traditional grooming products has escalated recently, and all-natural and holistic salons and spas are popping up across the country.

It’s easy to understand why the grooming industry has been particularly receptive to the growing number of natural products that have hit the market over the past several years. Because they work so closely with animals day in and day out, pet stylists get a first-hand view of the negative effects that harsh chemicals can have on the skin and coat. In addition, the pet owners who patronize grooming salons display a unique commitment to their pets overall well-being, which makes them the ideal customer base for natural products and services that will ultimately provide a distinct benefit to their animal companions.

However, there’s more to being a “green” groomer than simply offering natural alternatives to traditional shampoos and conditioners. The salons that are true innovators in this area are going a step further to offer pet owners a whole-health approach to skin and coat care. These trailblazers are looking beyond the products that they use to suds up their four-legged clients and incorporating things like soothing ambiance, massage therapy and nutritional counseling into their businesses. The result for many of these groomers has been not only healthier pets, but also a healthier bottom line.

Some groomers have taken the concept of “green” grooming even further by making their operations more eco-friendly. Sparked by their own concerns about the environment, as well as the concerns of their client base, these salons are seeking out new ways to lower their businesses energy consumption and water usage, and are reaping the rewards of reduced utility bills and increasing goodwill among pet owners.

Safer Suds
The most popular way in which groomers are “greening” their businesses is by using all-natural and/or organic shampoos, conditioners and flea treatments in the salon. While this is not a brand-new concept in the grooming world, the past several years have ushered in an unprecedented number of natural alternatives to products that utilize harsh chemicals.

“There’s a much greater amount of products out there today than when I first started looking at products,” says Elaina Beth Kidd, owner of Dogs By Design Holistic Grooming in Jeannette, Pa. “So many new companies are manufacturing products that are gentle and natural, and some of the companies that never really offered natural products before are creating new lines that are more natural.”

As a groomer who has been in the business for nearly 14 years, Kidd has had a front-row view of the industry’s move towards natural products, as well as the skin and coat issues that largely spurred this move.

“The groomer who taught me just used whatever was on sale, which is what a lot of groomers do,” she says. “But once I opened up my own shop, I started experimenting with the different products that were out there. I kept seeing all of these dogs coming in with bad skin [and other problems], so I started looking for products that were less irritating–it was all about the benefit to the animals.”

Kidd explains that her primary concern when evaluating products to potentially use in her salon is that the product does not contain surfactants such as sodium laureth sulfate or sodium lauryl sulfate. “They are irritating to the skin and very drying to the skin and coat–which is the exact opposite of what I’m trying to accomplish,” she says.

Arlene Maldonado Gil, president of Hermosa Beach, Calif.-based Ekko Products, marketers of the Zenbath Organics line of certified-organic grooming products, agrees, noting that the harsh chemicals that can be found in many traditional grooming products can strip natural oils from a pet’s coat.

Barbara Denzer, vice president of Azusa, Calif.-based Cardinal Laboratories Inc., also appreciates the benefits natural products can provide to grooming clients. With these benefits in mind, the company recently launched its Pet Botanics Naturals line of products. “Instead of a surfactant base, we use a base of natural oils,” she says. Denzer cites coconut oil, olive oil and palm oil as examples of the types of natural oils that can be used as an alternative to a surfactant base.

Natural oils and botanicals are two of the things that Kidd says she looks for in the products that she uses in her salon, noting that she will not work with products for which a list of ingredients is not available.

But groomers should not simply rely on an ingredients panel when making a decision about which products to use in their salons. “It’s really important to not only do your research, but also test the products,” says Kidd. She explains that whenever she brings a new product into the salon, she first tests it on her own or a friend’s pets before offering it to her clients.

While the benefits that they provide to pets may be enough of a reason to use natural products in the salon, Kidd says that these products provide another distinct advantage. “Not only is it good for the pets, it’s good for us,” she says. “If we bathe six or eight dogs a day, our hands are going to be dry and cracked if we use the wrong product. With the products that we use, we have great skin. I know groomers who are now at the point where they can’t use any chemicals because they’ve built up a sensitivity to them from years of use and have terrible reactions to the chemicals.”

Once a natural line of products is chosen for use in the salon, Kidd says that these same products should be sold to clients for home use. “The products that are sent home with clients are just as important as what is used in the shop,” she asserts. “If they’re going to use something different at home, then they’re not going to notice the benefits of what we do here.”

The Holistic Approach
Groomers who go beyond offering natural shampoos, conditioners and flea treatments in their salons and take a truly holistic approach to grooming recognize that the health of a pet’s skin and coat, not to mention its overall wellbeing, depends heavily on other factors, such as proper nutrition and a reduction of stress on the animal.

Jennifer Northern, owner of Jen’s All Natural Pet Spa in Issaquah, Wash., is one such groomer. A 30-year veteran in the grooming industry, Northern largely credits her background in the medical field for her holistic approach to caring for clients’ pets, an approach in which nutrition factors heavily.

“I start from the inside of the animal and work out,” says Northern. “Most people aren’t aware of the fact that there are certain things in a dog’s diet that they are highly allergic to and cause all kinds of [skin and coat] issues.”

In addition to the nutritional counseling that she offers clients, Northern cites her natural marble-clad walls, floors and fixtures (she explains that natural marble gives off positive energy), as well as her practice of burning candles and playing relaxing music in the salon as integral parts of her whole-health approach.

In addition to providing benefits to pets, this type of holistic grooming also opens the door for groomers to increase their revenues from retailing. Concentrating on the role that nutrition, as well as other holistic practices like aromatherapy, plays in a pet’s health provides a distinct opportunity for groomers to market products like all natural diets and aromatherapy candles to their clients.

The Spa Connection
Even with all of the benefits that offering natural and holistic grooming products and services can provide to a salon and its clients, many groomers are still hesitant to fully embrace this move because of the increased cost with which it is associated. But Northern says it’s important to understand that offering these products and services can take a neighborhood grooming shop into the realm of the pet spa, and clients will be willing to pay a premium.

“You’ve got to change your mentality,” says Northern, explaining that groomers need to move away from the old-fashioned idea that the more dogs you groom, the more money you will make. “That is so wrong. Don’t be afraid to raise your prices. If you charge a lot of money, but can back it up with good service, the clients will come. I have clients who fly in from California, Canada and even Idaho for grooming.”

Kidd has also seen her business benefit from the spa-type atmosphere that offering natural products and holistic services brings. “Sometimes I look at my client list and I think, ‘Wow, I can’t believe they drive a half-hour or 45 minutes to get to me when there are 10 other groomers in between,” she says, “but I know that I offer what nobody else around here that does.”

Going the Extra Mile
Groomers who choose to go even further in “greening” their businesses by making them more environmentally friendly must take a close look at their operations to evaluate such factors as energy consumption and water usage. Of course, someone who is opening a brand new salon in a building that they own will have far more opportunities to incorporate eco-friendly features into the facility. However, even a long-established salon that leases its space will have numerous opportunities to reduce their business’ impact on the environment.

The first place to look for ways to make a grooming business “greener” is in your customer base. “If you already have customers who are well versed in the movement, ask them for tips,” Denzer suggests.

One area that offers a great opportunity to institute eco-friendly practices is in cleaning the salon. Both Kidd and Northern note that they take a “green” approach to cleaning their salons by utilizing products such as vinegar, peroxide and natural cleaners from the local natural food store. In addition to being environmentally friendly, these products also offer the peace of mind that clients’ pets will not be exposed to the harsh chemicals that are often found in traditional cleaning products.

Another area in which many grooming salons can become more eco-friendly is in their usage of water, as well as shampoos and conditioners. In this regard, some of the bathing systems on the market today can be a big help by precisely measuring the amount of shampoo used on each pet, as well as utilizing pressure to reduce the volume of water needed to bathe the animal.

When it comes to saving energy, there are a number of options at a groomer’s disposal, such as low-energy lighting fixtures. But according to Northern, few things will make as big a difference in energy consumption as the type of dryers a salon uses.

“If you want to save energy, don’t use a cage dryer; don’t use a dryer that has a heating element,” she suggests. “I use two power blowers that are very forceful, and I hand-dry the dogs. Then I put them in a gentle ‘fluffer.’”

Northern notes that utilizing this type of system for drying her clients’ pets not only offers energy savings, it provides increased safety for the pets, as there is no risk of overheating, and it helps a groomer to get a good look under the pets coat, which is important in observing the health of its skin.

Mobile groomers can also be “green.” According to John Stockman, sales manager for Wag’n Tails, his company not only offers diesel-fueled models that provide increased fuel efficiency, it uses batteries and a small generator to power the equipment in its mobile salons, further saving on gas consumption.

Groomers can even make their websites more eco-friendly. There are a number of “green” web-hosting services available today. For example, EcoHosting (www.eco hosting.net) and Affordable Internet Services Online, Inc. (www.aiso.net) are powered by wind power and solar power, respectively.

But even with all of these opportunities to make their business more environmentally friendly, can one small grooming salon really make a difference? According to Denzer, the answer to this question requires a look at the bigger picture.

“A lot of little things add up,” she says. “If there are 100 or 1,000 grooming shops incorporating these procedures across the nation, it makes a difference.”

But it’s not enough to take a half-hearted approach, says Denzer, as knowledgeable clients will see right through it. “If you’re not committed to the movement, don’t jump on the bandwagon,” she adds. “It’s not a marketing claim; it’s a way of life. You have to be passionate about being “green” because you will have customers who are and they will know you’re not sincere. There’s too much insincerity in the “green” movement. You have to be real and tell the consumer the whole story.” GB