Sustainable beauty is on-trend, and it’s time for us all to jump on the bandwagon. You don’t have to throw out your most loved product (far from it, we’d hate you to waste it) but just a few changes can make a big difference.
Beauty as a whole isn’t known for being the most sustainable, and it can be tricky to know where to start when it comes to swapping products and habits. But what’s more gorgeous than looking good, feeling good, and making ethical choices? And we’re seeing more and more brands adopt more sustainable practices - which we love to see!. Here at EcoVibe, we have some great swaps you can make to have a way more ethical routine.
Let’s cover five of our favourite eco-friendly beauty hacks so together we can make your beauty bag more ethical and sustainable.
Throw less away to reduce wasted product
Getting your money’s worth is something that we can all do. Something you can do without making any swaps is to use the last drops of every product you use! As we mentioned above, we’d never suggest you ditch your plastic mascara when there’s still plenty of product to use. Use it up, and then hunt out a more sustainable alternative.
Keep a pair of scissors in your bathroom drawers and your makeup bag, and get to the bottom of your plastic tubes by snipping the ends off. You could also invest in a tube key - a handy gadget that makes sure there’s nothing left in your aluminium tube, whether it’s toothpaste or foundation.
Use less single-use cleansing products
From face wipes to cotton pads, we’re all guilty of having single-use products as part of our makeup routine. But did you know that single-use wipes can actually be bad for your skin? They often contain high amounts of alcohol and other nasties which are really drying.
Plus, they’re not very sustainable. When you throw them away they take 100 years to decompose, and that’s without considering the plastic packaging. Yikes!
Try adding some bamboo into your routine. Bamboo is super similar to cotton but takes a lot less water to grow than cotton, regrows really quickly, and has a smaller carbon footprint.
Our reusable makeup remover pads are machine washable, 70% bamboo and 30% organic cotton, and come in completely recyclable packaging. They're better at giving you fresh skin at the end of the day, and save you having to re-buy wipes or cotton pads time and time again, making them cost-effective in the long run.
Switch to glass bottles
Most hair and shower products come in plastic packaging, but by finding alternatives that work for you, you can seriously reduce your carbon footprint and your plastic waste.
Swapping to glass bottles and refillable products makes your bathroom easier to clean, and fills up your recycling bins less. Plus, it looks so much nicer than plastics. We’re a huge fan of anything in a cute amber glass bottle!
Plastic is really hard to recycle, which is why ditching single-use plastic and switching to refills or things in glass or a more sustainable material can make a positive impact on the planet.
Reusable razors
Switching from a plastic-based razor to something more sustainable is an easy switch to make. Billions of plastic razors find their way into landfills every year, and when they decompose, they become harmful microplastics. It really sucks.
We have a beautiful stainless steel razor that is totally plastic-free, even in the packaging! The blade is really high quality, which lasts way longer than your average disposable razor, and it ends up being really cost-effective to get replaceable blades rather than new razors every time. The replacement razor blades can be bought widely from chemists and pharmacies, too, so you’ll never be caught short.
Swap to bars
Shampoo, conditioner, and body wash all come in plastic bottles. So they’re all adding to the amount of plastic we consume and the amount of plastic we throw away.
A super simple, waste-free alternative is switching to a solid bar. Acting rather like a bar of soap you can get your hands on anything from shampoo to massage oil in a solid format.
We’re big fans of shampoo bars here! As well as reducing your plastic waste, most shampoos are full of ingredients like palm oil and sulphates, which make your hair feel soft but build up oil on your scalp. Shampoo bars, however, are far more likely to contain natural ingredients that are better for you. They also last for ages and are better value for money. A great step towards a plastic-free bathroom, as well as being better for your hair!
Did you realise how easy it was to hack yourself into a sustainable beauty routine? It’s getting easier and easier to rock one too! In this blog, we’ve introduced you to our easy to use makeup pads that can be used time and time again, told you all about the benefits of micellar water, given you a great way to get a close shave, and totally geeked out on shampoo bars.
If you do decide to take the leap into sustainable and ethical beauty by using any of the tips above, we’d LOVE to hear about it through social media or in the comments below!