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With paper straws at vendors and restaurants, eco bags in department and grocery stores, and small businesses selling plastic-free solutions to daily living, people are becoming increasingly friendlier to the planet we call home. Bringing your own metal straw or thermos is a great start to green living, but is there more you can do on your part?
The answer is always yes.
Making lifestyle changes that benefit the environment is not always easy or readily accessible for most. While developed nations have grocery stores that allow you to fill up your own containers to reduce the use of plastic, many countries like ours still rely heavily on goods that have been packaged using hard-to-recycle or energy-inefficient materials.
There are certain things that must be implemented on a nationwide scale, but that doesn’t render you as an individual helpless. In fact, there are lots of things you can do to reduce your carbon footprint, especially when it comes to your beauty routine.
From cotton swabs, makeup pads or puffs to all the bottles and sachets of daily toiletries, beauty regimens can be incredibly wasteful. That needs to change, starting with your daily routine.
Let’s find out all the different ways you can keep up with your beauty routine while being kind to the environment.
Purchase reusable cotton pads
Makeup puffs, makeup pads, cotton pads, or whatever you want to call them, are one of the most basic items and one of the biggest waste producers in a beauty routine. Instead of buying another big pack of disposable cotton pads every time you’re out of cotton pads, go for these Reusable makeup remover pads from OEM instead. Made from bamboo fleece, these makeup remover pads are gentle on the skin, including your eye area. They work perfectly with any makeup remover, and can be washed in the washing machine or hand washed. Plus, you save a ton from never having to buy one-use cotton pads ever again!
Do big orders when online shopping
Deliveries require a lot of packaging, which all end up in the trash if they’re not recycled properly. The only way to avoid that is by physically visiting department stores, malls, or drug stores to purchase your products, but there are times when items will be sold out, out of stock, or simply only available online. If you’re planning on buying your cosmetics online, try to do it all in one go rather than multiple small orders to minimize the amount of packaging, as well as the gas emissions of the delivery vehicle.
Some sellers offer meet-ups or pick-ups on top of delivery options, so that’s another alternative for online shoppers.
Only buy products when they need replacing
How many beauty products in your bathroom or bedroom do you use on a daily, or at least a weekly basis? Oftentimes, we’ll buy items because you’ve been curious about a new brand, or simple because they’re pretty but don’t necessarily need. As someone who loves to browse the cosmetics section of a department store, it’s tough looking around and not actually buying enough. If you’re anything like me, don’t window shop for beauty products, and only buy them when you’ve run out of them, not while you still have half a bottle of shampoo left.
Give away unused/infrequently used products to friends and family
Do you have a bunch of makeup or toiletries that you bought on a whim and don’t really use? Instead of getting rid of them, check their expiry dates to see if they can still be used. If so, hand them down to siblings, friends or other loved ones that could use that facial cleanser that didn’t work with your skin type. That way, you’re saving someone else from having to buy new products.
Use coconut oil
Makeup removers are getting pretty expensive these days. From micellar water to oil-based removers for waterproof makeup, they only really have one function and come in tiny bottles. Coconut oil, on the other hand, doubles as a makeup remover and moisturizer, so you can use it to wipe off lip stains and waterproof mascara, as well as use it in place of regular lotion. Plus, products like this Raw virgin organic coconut oil from Santa Maria come in glass jars that you can reuse or upcycle, unlike plastic bottles.
Bring your own toiletries when you travel
You probably already do this anyway, considering hotel toiletries aren’t always the best of quality. As cute and convenient as those travel-size shampoos and conditioners, opening those up would only contribute to the plastic problem. Instead of relying on those, buying small sachets at the convenience store, or purchasing travel-size versions of your existing collection, just put some product in travel-size containers that you can use every time you need to go out of town.
