Looking for plastic free hair ties in the UK or wanting to makes a sustainable swap when it comes to fashion?  Ditch the disposables and get ready for an eco friendly hair band solution!

I'll admit I am a huge fan of the plastic bobbles that claim to leave no crease or damage to the hair, but they prove time and again to be such a waste.  A waste of money since they break easily, a waste of time because I'm often left without a hair tie at all when it snaps, and a waste of resources as the bobbles are made of plastic and cannot be recycled.

Companies market hair elastics as disposable, pricing them cheap and packing them up in teams of 10-50 knowing they will be lost, broken, or borrowed pretty quickly.  Sadly, when it disappears from your wrist that is not the end of it it.  These non-recyclable items end of in landfill at best or in the oceans at worst.  They can be eaten by wildlife, pollute the soil and water, and will be around long after you are gone.  It's pretty grim!  It's estimated that 20,000lbs of plastic from hairbands is dumped each day, and with all the leaps and bounds that have been made in the last several years it is completely unnecessary.

When plastic hair ties get tossed, they go to landfill where they slowly leech their toxins and break down into smaller and smaller pieces over hundreds of years but never fully disappear.  When they fall of your wrist or out of your hair and go missed, they do damage more directly.  They get swallowed by sea creatures where the process of bioaccumulation makes any toxins in the material become magnified and all the more serious.  They choke small animals that mistake the band for a toy or food.  They leech chemicals into the water and land.  In short, they cause no end of trouble.

And for what?  To pull back your hair to cause a moment of relief or to offer a fashionable appearance?  There must be a better way!

That's where biodegradable hair ties come in.  As people become more clued in to the problems with plastic, alternatives are hitting the market to solve the problem.  From organic cotton scrunchies to natural rubber bands, there is a pretty good selection to choose from these days!  Brands like Kooshoo, Zero Waste Club, Tabitha Eve, Terra Ties, and Wild & Stone are just a few of the change makers trying to help make a difference, but there are dozens more popping up on Etsy and eco friendly retailers.

One I have been using lately is the Fair Squared Zero Waste Hairbands, a reasonably priced five pack that is gentle on your hair as well as on the planet.  The brand is one of the first to have been labelled with the Fairtrade logo, and is dedicated to connecting all the ethical conditions including environmental responsibility, fair standards for workers, no child labour, no animal testing, and creating a multicultural team that offers transparent and creative products.

A while back this mission transformed, and the business started to focus even more on the sustainability of what they were producing.  Fair Squared released a line of plastic free and zero waste goodies that maintained their high standards and really helped reduce waste.  And on a budget!

I've had the pleasure of testing a lot of these sustainable swaps, and one that really caught my eye was their Zero Waste Hairbands.  Not only were these in my price range, they were super classic and would match any outfit.

Fair Squared Zero Waste Hairbands are the flat lay style that reduces the pressure on your locks and minimizes any potential damage which is something that is super important to me as my hair remains brittle from years of PhD stress.  I do love the simplicity of the design, and think they have a sleek aesthetic that is great for any occasion.  They have a classic black outer material that is made from organic cotton, making them perfect for a dressy look and a more casual outfit.  Plus are easy to use, comfortable with a good amount of stretch, and are 100% natural as well as vegan and fair trade making them an ethical pick that's hard to resist.

These are a snug fit on the wrist, so if you are one to wear them throughout the day like a bracelet until you need to throw your hair up do keep this in mind, but overall they function and look just like the old wasteful versions.  It's sustainable style without any cut backs!  And if that's not enough, check out these brilliant details about the making of the plastic free hair ties:

• Rubber: Forget the synthetic stretch, this eco friendly brand opts for natural rubber!
  "Fair Squared pay a fairtrade premium for every kg of natural latex they use in their products.  The rubber producers - small scale farmers, plantation workers and tappers, decide for themselves how they want to use the fairtrade premium to improve their living and working conditions: from access to clean drinking water to stipends and grants for students to an additional pension scheme."
  
  
• Cotton: It's not only GOTS certified, it's also Fairtrade!
  "All of the cotton is Fairtrade certified and sourced from Fairtrade producers.  Fairtrade means fairer trading conditions and opportunities for cotton producers in developing countries to invest in their businesses and communities for a sustainable future."
  
  
• Machine Washable: Never worry about the fabric getting grubby, as you can pop into your next cycle and have a fresh clean hair band that's as good as new!
  
  
• Packaging: It's ALL plastic free, down to the recyclable cardboard sleeve and metal staple that secures the hair band in transit.  There is no excess waste here with Fair Squared.

So next time you are out looking for new hair accessories, why not ditch the plastic and go for a plastic free hair tie instead?  Eco friendly hair bands are long lasting, reduce waste, save you money in the long run, are better for the planet, and can biodegrade when it comes time to retire the product.

Have you switched to sustainable hair ties yet??  I would love to know your thoughts.  Do you find they work as well as the mass produced versions or better?  What ones have you tried?  I'm always up for suggestions, so do let me know which is your favourite! xx