LITTLE BIRDIE HAIR CO
By Tenille Lawrence, AHIA 2025 Eco Salon of the Year
Sustainable hairdressing in Australia hasn’t emerged from trend forecasting, it’s evolved because real people in our industry have experienced the cost of doing things the old way. I was one of those people, someone who reached the height of global creative success, only to discover the health toll I had been silently paying for years.
Before founding Little Birdie Hair Co. in 2016, I was a global colour educator and stylist, travelling the world to create hair for international runways and fashion weeks. My career was fast, glamorous and creative, filled with the type of energy that defines hairdressing at its most exhilarating.
But behind those creative highs was an invisible danger, with harsh chemical products becoming the norm in salons everywhere. It was accepted as “part of the job”, even when everyone knew how strong the fumes were. After giving birth to my daughter, doctors examined my placenta and immediately questioned whether I had been a heavy smoker. I wasn’t. The discolouration was the result of years of exposure to harsh salon chemicals
The reality was confronting, and the choice was clear. I could either continue in an industry that prized results over wellbeing, or I could redefine what hairdressing could be. That moment became the catalyst for Little Birdie Hair Co, the salon group that refuses to choose between luxury and low tox. It sparked my mission to create a safer, cleaner and more conscious way of working, one that protected the people doing the work, and the people sitting in the chair. And the frightening truth is that many of those same chemicals are still common in hairdressing today, which is why I continue to advocate for every stylist to choose safer alternatives where possible.
The Founding Beliefs That Built an Eco Leader
Little Birdie was born with non-negotiables:
- A safe environment that protects hairstylists and clients
- A commitment to the wellbeing of the planet as equal to commercial success
- Proof that premium results and sustainability are not opposing forces; they can and should co-exist with excellence
Those beliefs became a values identity inside the business known as the BIRDIE Values (Balance, Inclusivity, Reliability, Dedication, Impact, Eco-Friendly). These values are not wall art. They are the cultural operating system, and the lens decisions are made through.
Little Birdie: Proof That Things Can Be Done Differently
Today, almost a decade later, I am incredibly proud that Little Birdie stands as one of Australia’s most awarded eco salon groups, recognised multiple times as the nation’s Best Eco Salon. With four Queensland locations, and the rapidly growing product line Eco Foils supporting salons nationwide with sustainable aluminium foil solutions, we have proven that eco can scale profitably, creatively and luxuriously. Little Birdie is now widely recognised for their Birdie Balayage, Bombshell Blonde and Lived In Colour signature finishes, premium, aspirational looks achieved through low-tox, planet-friendly products and salon systems. This is not a “trend salon”. It is category leadership.
A Series of Impactful Insights
This feature marks the beginning of a six-part ‘sustainable series’, where I will share practical, implementable pathways to becoming a more sustainable salon. Each article will focus on one pillar of eco innovation, from the business case and financial uplift to team impact, industry leadership and community influence. The goal is not perfection, but progress, and to prove that small, considered changes can lead to industry wide transformation.
You don’t need to flip your entire business in one leap. Change one thing. One safer product choice. One aligned policy. One small shift in process. Because one small, committed change becomes the next, and that is how the future of sustainable hairdressing transforms, one salon at a time.
With Love, Tenille x
