Just a few short years ago the word "green" was never uttered above a whisper in hair salons. The thought of a clients hair turning any shade of this hue would send shivers up the spine of both the hairdresser and client. As the hairdresser would scramble to remedy this horrific situation the client would often have tears welling in her eyes wondering, "Why me?"

Then Al Gore made a movie called "An Inconvenient Truth". The movie won Gore an Oscar and made the rest of the world instantly aware of how our lifestyle was stripping the earth of its natural resources. The word "green" suddenly had a new connotation and became the new buzz word attached to the most savvy products. "Green" was no longer a dirty word in hair salons. Everyone wanted the green experience to be integrated in every part of their life.

No, you don't have to stop styling or coloring your hair to be green. The good news is that there are many simple beauty solutions that are environmentally friendly. Most of them are common sense.

1. Color your hair less frequently by choosing a shade close to your natural color. This will allow your new color to blend with your natural color while avoiding a strong root line.

2. Keep your coloring time short. Unless you are over 20% grey you don't have to leave the color on a full 30 minutes. The color can be left on for 15 minutes and still make your color vibrant and blend away the grey hair.

3. Keep the color off your scalp. Start your color 1/4" off your scalp. Let color develop and then run color through root area for the last 3-5 minutes. This will give the illusion of depth at the roots and allow color to blend with the rest of the hair color.

4. Rinse hair thoroughly after coloring. There is a cleansing agent in all hair color that is activated when wet. This will be sure to rid you scalp of any residual hair color. This is also a great way to prevent stains from hair color on your pillow cases.

5. Save water, save time, look sexy. Don't shampoo everyday unless you have fine, oily hair. Most hair has more body on day two. Place shampoo on roots only and never rinse and repeat.

6. Rinse hair with cold water. Using cold water requires less fuel consumption and decreases pollution. Cold water is refreshing to the scalp and helps to add shine to your hair.

7. Buy large size shampoos and conditioners. This will allow you to refill your small size containers as needed. You will use less plastic and almost always have your favorite shampoo and conditioner on hand.

8. Have a beer with every shampoo. Beer is a great way to add body and shine to your hair. Put your favorite beer in a spray container. After shampooing spray hair with beer and proceed with styling. The smell of beer will dissipate as the hair dries.

9. Chamomile tea is a natural golden blond toner. If your highlights oxidize to frosty ash color you can add gold with chamomile tea. Simply brew a strong tea and let it cool to room temperature. Rinse tea through your hair and style as usual.

10. Beware! Not all natural remedies work. People often ask me if olive oil is a good conditioner for dry hair. Olive oil is heavy and almost impossible to shampoo out of your hair. By the time your hair is clean it will be dryer than it was before your oil treatment. It's much better to use a product especially made to condition your hair.

Being green doesn't mean you have to forget about your pretty self. Looking good and taking care of your self is living green. Be smart! Be beautiful! Go green!

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