In the past few years there has been a major shift in the world to being more environmentally friendly and sustainable which is amazing. We have seen less single use items like plastic bottles, coffee cups and bye bye plastic straws. But how can a beauty and skin care lover translate this environmental awareness and still keep their beauty routine as fabulous as possible? With an abundance of single use and plastic products in our beauty cabinet you can't help but feel guilty that beauty does in fact come with a price Well look no further. Below I have listed some products and tips to help you stay gorgeous AND create a beauty routine that will have the planet thanking you.
Reusable Face products
Maybe the most important thing you can do for the environment (and probably your budget) is switch to reusable face cleaning products. Even though those makeup wipes and cotton pads are super convenient for taking off your makeup and the end of a long day or a big night out, they aren't so convenient for the environment. Switching to wash cloths, reusable pads such as bamboo or cloth means that you will not have to discard these items once used. Merely pop them in the laundry and wash clean! Ezpz. I recommend the Face Halo as I am a massive convert and you can get a pack of 3 for $30 and you get around 200 washes out of each. I'd also recommend these reusable bamboo eye makeup remover pads for either eye makeup removal or to use to place toner on your skin.
Sheet Masks
When your skin needs some extra TLC I would usually reach for my Dr Jart hydrating face mask. However these once loved sheet masks are single use items and as well as making you look like an alien when you have them on and your hair slicked back into that high messy bun (cause that's one hell of a look), they also aren't that great for the environment. Try switching to cream masks in jars and tubes. These will be better bang for your buck and you’ll get way more use out of them! For dry dehydrated skin try the Neutrogena HydroBoost 3D treatment mask. You just leave it on over night and let it work its magic! Or for oily skin try Lush Cosmetic Warrior. Not the best smell thanks to the garlic (egh) but it has amazing antibacterial properties and will soak up all that extra oil plus it's great for breakouts!
Switch up your Deodorant
Another great tip for the environment (and your body) is to switch your deodorant! Ever looked at that aerosol can or roller ball plastic tube that your deodorant comes in? Well a) Aluminium cans can be recycled and b) those roll on tubes are PLASTIC. As well as this, all the major deodorant brands use many chemicals that are just horrible for your body. I once used my classic rexona womens sexy floral spray while wearing a white t-shirt to an outdoor concert in the Australian summer. After sweating like a pig for 5 hours I looked at my pits and they were rainbow? I'm talking about an oil slick on a wet road rainbow. It was pretty disturbing that those chemicals from my deodorant had done that to my shirt. I'd recommend the Sarah’s Day Pity Party as it smells amazing, is all natural AND comes in a ceramic pot which can be recycled and repurposed. Otherwise the Sukin Natural deodorant is a great alternative. This does still have a plastic bottle but it's recyclable which is better!
Make use of Brands Recycle Schemes
Last but certainly not least lets not forget the recycle schemes that brands such as mac and lush have implemented for their products! By supporting these schemes we allow our empty products to be put to use and reused by these brands which saves them and us money! Free lipstick from mac anyone? What's also important is that by supporting these recycling schemes it shows other brands how much we as consumers value them and will hopefully allow more brands to implement similar schemes or even just refill stations for items such as soaps and body wash would be amazing! Click here for a full list of brands which offer a recycle program that we can support.
Obviously these are just some initial steps you can take to switch to more environmentally friendly beauty habits but there are so many more actions we can take. This doesn't account for animal testing and chemicals which are washed into out water ways from these products. However we have to start somewhere right?