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The return of the beehives, Brylcreem and botanical! An historical review of hair care practices with a view to opportunities for sustainable design
conference contribution
posted on 2023-06-08, 11:45 authored by Sabine Hielscher, Tom Fisher, Tim CooperThis paper considers hair care as a network of activities and routines which have consequences for environmental sustainability and which may be modified by design. It proposes that together with cultural knowledge, embodied skill and objects, these activities can be thought of as ‘practices’ that are reproduced and also change through time (Shove 2006). They consume resources and are therefore implicated in the issue of environmental sustainability. The paper draws on research into hair care practices conducted through in-depth interviews with female participants, as part of the first author’s PhD study. The discussion here however centres on historical work and Shove’s (2003) writing on bathing to explore the changing products and substances including ideas, technological and infrastructural aspects of cleansing and conditioning hair. Because these factors may determine when to wash or not to wash your hair they affect resource consumption. The paper concludes by outlining opportunities for sustainable design that follow from the insights gained by investigating the history of hair care in relation to the data collected during in-depth interviews. It highlights, as outlined by Hand et al (2005), that the resources consumed through hair care are influenced by the integrative nature of hair care as a practice rather than by individuals being dedicated to sustainability. To concentrate on single products without taking into account that hair care is practiced in everyday life is not likely to provide opportunities for sustainable living. What is considered ‘normal’ standards of hair care and means to achieve them needs to be conceptualised to identify opportunities to modify what is considered ‘normal’ through design.
History
Publication status
- Published
Journal
Undisciplined! Proceedings of the Design Research Society Conference 2008Publisher
Sheffield Hallam UniversityPublisher URL
Event name
Design Research Society International ConferenceEvent location
Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield, UKEvent type
conferenceEvent date
16-19 July 2008Place of publication
SheffieldISBN
978-1-84387-293-1Department affiliated with
- SPRU - Science Policy Research Unit Publications
Full text available
- Yes
Peer reviewed?
- Yes