Ever wished you could establish a more eco-friendly beauty routine? Here at Care to Beauty, we’re always looking for simple switches and strategies we can adopt to make our lives a little bit kinder on the environment. Keep reading for our best tips on how to “greenify” your beauty routine!
On this post:
- Use fewer products, and finish them!
- Recycle (or repurpose) your containers
- Look for refillable packaging
- Embrace bar soap and shampoo bars
- Save water
- Reconsider your cleansing routine
- Invest in eco-friendly complements to your routine
- Use less toothpaste
- Use ocean-friendly sunscreen
- Choose eco-friendly brands
Use fewer products, and finish them!
We know… with so many tempting skincare products available on our website, it’s easy to believe you need dozens of products to keep your skin glowing with health. However, this isn’t necessarily true; you could, instead, invest in a set of high-quality basics your skin will really love. (Need recommendations? Then feel free to take a look at our team’s favorite products.)
If you happen to try a product you don’t like, simply follow our lead and pass it on to a friend or family member, instead of letting it disintegrate on your shelf. Your friends will thank you, and so will your new waste-free lifestyle.
And speaking of waste, have you noticed how certain containers make it so much easier for you to use the entirety of the product inside? We are big fans of glass pots for this reason, but we’re also not opposed to plastic tubes: we’ll just cut them in half to scoop out the final drops of product!
Recycle (or repurpose) your containers
NUXE BIO Organic Rice Oil Extract Ultimate Night Recovery Oil
More and more beauty brands are making the effort to produce recyclable packaging (NUXE BIO, for example, is all about using recycled and recyclable materials), but it’s ultimately our responsibility as consumers to dispose of these items in the correct bin. There’s no point in creating a new eco-friendly beauty routine if you just let your discarded containers accumulated in a landfill!
So, if you’re not sure of how to recycle your beauty and skincare containers, simply follow the recycling instructions on the packaging or contact your local authorities. If you’d like, you can also repurpose them: glass pots can be used to store small jewelry items, for example, and serum droppers can serve a lot of purposes around the house. Just be creative, and you’ll figure it out!
Look for refillable packaging
Clarins Everlasting Cushion Foundation SPF50
Another great way to reduce packaging-related waste is to opt for refillable packaging whenever possible.
These cushion foundations from Clarins, for example, are presented in a sleek, elegant compact that you only need to buy once. Once you’re done with the product, you can simply buy a refill and keep using the same compact: it’s more affordable for you, and much better for the environment!
Embrace bar soap and shampoo bars
Exchanging your shower gel for bar soap is one of the easiest eco-friendly switches you can make. Bar soap is highly concentrated, allowing for more uses with less waste, and is is also package-free! Nowadays, you can get bar soap in a stunning range of scents, from the classic to the really, really luxurious. We’ve come a long away!
Shampoo bars (aka solid shampoo) are also a great choice, for the same reasons. Just make sure you choose the right shampoo bar for your hair type, and you’ll be good to go.
Save water
Whether you’re brushing your teeth or cleansing your face, take care to always turn off the tap when you’re not using running water. And if you’re really, really committed to reducing your water consumption as part of your eco-friendly beauty routine, consider bringing some steps of your skincare ritual into the shower; if you’re already using running water, why not use the opportunity to cleanse your face with a rinse-off product? You’ll save both time and water!
Reconsider your cleansing routine
GLOV Moon Pads Reusable Makeup Remover Pads
If you’re anything like most members of our team, your preferred method of cleansing includes cotton pads. However, cotton pads create a great volume of waste over the long term; why not exchange them for washable and reusable cloth pads? Just pop them into the washing machine after use and they’ll be good to go whenever you need them again.
Invest in eco-friendly complements to your routine
LastSwab Beauty Reusable Swab
If you’ve seen the viral photo of a seahorse clutching a plastic cotton bud, you know that plastic pollution is currently threatening the health of our oceans. Fortunately, there are biodegradable and compostable alternatives already available on the market, such as cardboard and bamboo cotton buds.
Bamboo toothbrushes are also beginning to enter the market to replace the ubiquitous plastic versions.
You could also bring this mindset into your choice of menstrual care products. Tampon applicators are a significant source of plastic, as are the plastic wrappers that tampons and pads regularly come in. A menstrual cup is rated by many environmental organizations as the most sustainable option for those looking to make their period more eco-friendly.
Use less toothpaste
APIVITA Dental Care Bio-Eco Natural Protection Toothpaste
Have you noticed how, on TV commercials, people always squeeze out a perfect little swirl of toothpaste onto their toothbrushes? Actually, that amount is far more than you need to effectively clean your teeth.
Dental experts suggest using only a small pea-size bit of toothpaste; if you follow their advice, you will be effectively cutting down on product waste.
Use ocean-friendly sunscreen
Sunscreen is a non-negotiable part of most people’s skincare ritual, and we completely understand if you’re not looking to switch your favorite SPF for an eco-friendly option. Fortunately, more and more brands and looking into the way sunscreen affects our environment nowadays–specifically, the oceans.
For this reason, many brands have recently begun to develop “ocean-friendly sunscreens” with biodegradable formulas which aren’t easily assimilated by marine organisms. You will find these formulas in brands such as A-Derma, Avène, Caudalie, and ISDIN.
Choose eco-friendly brands
There’s nothing quite like knowing that the brands you support share your values. From natural ingredients to low-waste packaging, from ocean-friendly sunscreen to biodegradable formulas, eco-friendly beauty brands are more and more committed to reducing their environmental impact these days. The more you read about your favorite brands, the more conscious choices you’ll be able to make–and that is the true secret behind an eco-friendly beauty routine.
