Interview with Ian Bishop

In this episode Nathan Plumridge speaks to Ian Bishop, co-owner of the very ethical hair colour brand Organic Colour Systems. They discuss the brand in great detail and the shift in the hair industry for a cleaner and more environmentally friendly way of doing what it’s done for years. KEY TAKEAWAYS The colour took two full years of development. The branding and the products we use as part of our system is really a well-being thing. It’s not just the non-ammonia colour with the certified organic ingredients and the natural base, we look after the integrity of the hair. We look at a holistic approach. The stock order boxes are FSC, the plastic inside is post-consumer recycled plastic, the chips literally are corn starch and wash down the drain with water, we changed our packaging tape, saving 90 miles of tape a year going to landfill. Over the years these changes have become very important. Anything we can do to recycle and reuse waste has got to be a positive. Salons often struggle to engage their clients on social media, but if someone’s got an understanding and interest in sustainability you tend to get more communication, which is a good thing for customer loyalty. If you want a long career you want to be reducing your exposure to things that are in aerosols, and gasses and chemicals that come from colours. You don’t want to be breathing in that stuff as much as you can help it or coming into contact with colour pigments. But, if you’re a stylist, applying products onto a client, you want to know you’re doing something that’s as safe as possible.   BEST MOMENTS ‘It doesn’t feel like a global brand, it’s very much still got the feel of a family business with a fairly small team of around 60.’ ‘Not all synthetics are bad and not all naturals are good. Deadly nightshade is a perfect example!’ ‘I’m always being told I should be more in people’s faces on social media, I have definitely seen a more collaborative side of the industry in the last two years.’ ‘In the last two years I’ve learnt that we’re very resilient as a race, and as hairdressers. Having your hair done is a very important thing, especially female hair.’ ABOUT THE GUEST Ian Bishop started out in the hair industry around 25 years ago as a sales rep for Fudge for three years. Through that he met and began working for Rob Dixon, who had his own distribution business run out of his garage in Milton Keynes, selling bottle of Organic Colour Systems. Eventually Ian and his wife bought the company from Rob when he retired four years later and spent 10 years growing the business. In 2014 Ian was asked to join the board of partner firm and manufacturer, Herb UK. He now deals with the salons, sales teams and educators that promote the brand in the UK, North America and Australasia. Websites: https://www.organiccoloursystems.com/https://www.herbuk.com/Email: [email protected]: @organiccoloursystemsglobal ABOUT THE HOST Welcome and thank you for reading this, I’m Nathan Plumridge salon owner and Hair Stylist. I’ve been in the industry for nearly 30 years and have been a salon owner for 23 of them. I have been fortunate enough to work and learn with some of the biggest names in the industry and this has given me the experience and drive to now be here with you sharing my experiences. CONTACT DETAILS  www.hairlifeshow.comInstagram is @nathan.hairlife Email me at [email protected] show was brought to you by Progressive Media