Hair in compost

[Millenia]

I've read you can add hair to your compost bin. I've been adding dog hair after I brush the dogs but am afraid to use my own hair since it has commercial color on it. I don't use any other chemicals on my hair but wonder about the color. Would that be bad for my compost? I redo it about every three weeks, so yes it is always recent color.

 

[ChanellG]

I've read that only clean hair that is free of chemicals should be used. Unless you are dying your hair with something you can drink (coffee, tea, Kool-aid) I wouldn't do it. You just never know what you're putting in there and if the chemicals will build up over time. Even if you only grow ornamental plants, the chemicals will be in the soil and eventually in the water table.

 

[claudine]

I wouldn't add dyed hair to compost either. Chemicals are too harmful, it's better to avoid them as much as possible.
To be honest, before reading this thread, I had no idea that you can use hair this way.

 

[ChanellG]

To be honest, before reading this thread, I had no idea that you can use hair this way.

Hair adds nitrogen to the soil. Supposedly it deters snails and slugs if you put it down around your plants. A lot of people put it on top of the soil for potted plants, especially indoors. I cut some up superfine and spread around some of my potted plants. Not sure if it worked or not, because I didn't keep watch, but because it's been so hot and not as wet I have been picking fewer snails off some plants. You just never know with this stuff.

 

[Shellyann36]

I always add the hair of my kids and the hubby but I never put mine in our compost. Mine is dyed and I don't want the added chemicals put in the compost.

 

[Shellyann36]

Hair adds nitrogen to the soil. Supposedly it deters snails and slugs if you put it down around your plants. A lot of people put it on top of the soil for potted plants, especially indoors. I cut some up superfine and spread around some of my potted plants. Not sure if it worked or not, because I didn't keep watch, but because it's been so hot and not as wet I have been picking fewer snails off some plants. You just never know with this stuff.

Hair can also be used as a deterent for rabbits in a garden. Sprinkle hair around the edges of the garden and the rabbits will avoid the human smell. This is good for only a week or two (less if the hair gets wet from rain and watering of the garden). After the hair gets wet a few times it loses its smell and then the rabbits are no longer scared.

 

[ChanellG]

If I lived in a more rural area, I would dedicate somewhere that wasn't near my edibles for "composting" non-compost materials in a solar digester. Garbage that is sent to landfills is technically being composted and whatever chemicals are in there will technically make it into the soil, water, etc.

There are ways to reuse hair (like sending it off to be made into mats to clean up oil spills) and all sorts of other stuff, but I think that we all just have to try to reuse things as much as we can and to move away from chemicals and plastics as much as we can. For many of us this is going to mean living with less -- but who do you know that doesn't have more than enough "stuff"?

Westerners could learn a lot from Asia and Africa...

That's really interesting about the hair smell. I wonder if it would work with dog hair...

 

[Shellyann36]

If I lived in a more rural area, I would dedicate somewhere that wasn't near my edibles for "composting" non-compost materials in a solar digester. Garbage that is sent to landfills is technically being composted and whatever chemicals are in there will technically make it into the soil, water, etc.

There are ways to reuse hair (like sending it off to be made into mats to clean up oil spills) and all sorts of other stuff, but I think that we all just have to try to reuse things as much as we can and to move away from chemicals and plastics as much as we can. For many of us this is going to mean living with less -- but who do you know that doesn't have more than enough "stuff"?

Westerners could learn a lot from Asia and Africa...

That's really interesting about the hair smell. I wonder if it would work with dog hair...

I will have to research the solar digester idea. We really do need to be more aware about what we are putting into the earth. Yes there are numerous things that can be done with hair. I have seen folks use their pets hair to make blankets and such. If I had the time to dedicate to them, I would love to have Angora rabbits.... this is one of those goals way down on the list. Their poop would go straight to the garden and their fiber would be used by me or even sold. There is a market for the fiber.

The smell of the dog hair should actually last longer than the human hair smell for the garden. Try it and see.

 

[ACSAPA]

I wouldn't add dyed hair to compost either. Chemicals are too harmful, it's better to avoid them as much as possible.
To be honest, before reading this thread, I had no idea that you can use hair this way.

I didn't know either. This is my first time reading about hair in compost. I guess it makes sense, it's organic and it biodegrades.

 

[ChanellG]

I will have to research the solar digester idea. We really do need to be more aware about what we are putting into the earth. Yes there are numerous things that can be done with hair. I have seen folks use their pets hair to make blankets and such. If I had the time to dedicate to them, I would love to have Angora rabbits.... this is one of those goals way down on the list. Their poop would go straight to the garden and their fiber would be used by me or even sold. There is a market for the fiber.

The smell of the dog hair should actually last longer than the human hair smell for the garden. Try it and see.

I started a thread for it not too long ago and included links and photos. Here's a link:
https://www.gardening-forums.com/threads/solar-food-digester-beyond-compost.351/#post-9600

I don't have a dog of my own (I am per nanny to others), but my friend has one and is trying to deter cats from her front yard so I think this is something she should try, after all. it can't hurt.

 

[Shellyann36]

I started a thread for it not too long ago and included links and photos. Here's a link:
https://www.gardening-forums.com/threads/solar-food-digester-beyond-compost.351/#post-9600

I don't have a dog of my own (I am per nanny to others), but my friend has one and is trying to deter cats from her front yard so I think this is something she should try, after all. it can't hurt.

This could possibly also work for deterring the cats as well. I have never thought about that but it would be worth a try. If she does try it let me know how it turns out. Several of our friends have sandboxes that the local cats just love to use and it would be neat to try something new in that sense!

 

[Millenia]

If you need to deter cats, they make motion activated sprinklers. I've seen them on Amazon but I'm sure they well them elsewhere as well. You can search around and find some entertaining videos. The downside? They don't differentiate between you and the neighbors dog. If you forget it's there, you will get blasted as well. It also deters deer. I think I'd have to put it out with a motion activated camera for amusement purposes.

 

[ChanellG]

If you need to deter cats, they make motion activated sprinklers...The downside? They don't differentiate between you and the neighbors dog.

It's also a water waster. This wouldn't work for people in states like California where you can't water the lawn at certain times of the year or in countries where every available drop of water is essential.

This could possibly also work for deterring the cats as well. I have never thought about that but it would be worth a try. If she does try it let me know how it turns out. Several of our friends have sandboxes that the local cats just love to use and it would be neat to try something new in that sense!

I'll see what she says. My mom has a dog also and his "summer haircut" is growing out (he also lives harmoniously with two cats so I don't know if his hair will work, lol). I may start going over and using one of those gloves or something to collect his hair and see about fashioning something (maybe putting it in a nylon?) that my friend can try in her yard.

Quick question about the rabbits - how do you collect the hair? I know someone who spins their own knitting yarn, and I know people with rabbits and you're giving me ideas...

 

[Shellyann36]

It's also a water waster. This wouldn't work for people in states like California where you can't water the lawn at certain times of the year or in countries where every available drop of water is essential.



I'll see what she says. My mom has a dog also and his "summer haircut" is growing out (he also lives harmoniously with two cats so I don't know if his hair will work, lol). I may start going over and using one of those gloves or something to collect his hair and see about fashioning something (maybe putting it in a nylon?) that my friend can try in her yard.

Quick question about the rabbits - how do you collect the hair? I know someone who spins their own knitting yarn, and I know people with rabbits and you're giving me ideas...

The hair is collected from the rabbits by brushing them. There are several youtuve videos on rabbits for fiber. Here is one that shows you all the different types of fiber rabbits as well as the tools used to trim them and how it is done.

 

[ChanellG]

Very interesting. Not that I am going to run out an buy a bunch of rabbits or anything, but it's cause for pause. It's good that they don't shear the rabbits like with sheep. Poor things would probably be completely freaked out by that. Brushing is almost like petting.