How Green is your Beauty Routine?
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A while ago I decided I wanted to live without plastic. So I had a look around my life and realised just how ubiquitous it really is. It kinda freaked me out! I know that there are people out there that have managed to give it up completely. And I take my hat off to them. But I decided that doing that was just overwhelming me and meaning that I wasn’t even starting to make progress. So instead, I started making small, conscious decisions for each purchase to make sure it was as ethical, natural and plastic-free as possible. That was far less intimidating and has definitely helped me move towards plastic-free. I wanted to share my progress with you which includes some super easy steps that reduced my level of waste in the hope that it might inspire you to start making some small changes!
Tailor Skincare
I’m loving supporting locally made, natural skincare that uses glass bottles instead of plastic! Lots of brownie points for this one. Plus Tailor skincare feels amazing on my skin. I don’t feel like I’m over-stripping my natural oils with the Oil Cleanse but at the same time it takes all my make up off. What more could a girl want? And those days where I feel like I need a bit of an extra deep scrub to really let my light shine through, the Dry Cleanse is an amazing powder that turns into an exfoliant in your hands. This really gets stuck in and gives a deep clean.
Bamboo toothbrush
When you stop and think about the number of toothbrushes we go through it’s a little scary. Although they’re not a single-use product, they only last three months. Four a year over a lifetime is a lot. Bamboo toothbrushes are great to use, and I’ve even managed to switch Stu on to them. There are a few online stores you can get them from, or Harvest Wholefoods in Grey Lynn.
Ethique St Clements Shampoo
I’ve tried solid shampoo bars before and been left with limp, oily hair in the process. So I was a little reluctant to try again. But the St Clements bar promised to clean my hair properly and to remove any need of conditioner. With two lots of bottles potentially removed from my life, I had to give this one a try. And I haven’t been disappointed! This citrus smelling bar does such a good job of keeping my hair clean without stripping the natural oils out that I have in fact given up conditioner as well. My hair gets knotty all the time, so I didn’t think that conditioner was something I was going to be able to give up. But I’ve been pleasantly surprised! Also, when I had a weekend away I took this away with me and used it as shampoo, conditioner and soap making it really convenient.
Black Chicken Axilla Deodorant Paste
My mum was often trying out different natural deodorant options when I was younger, so I’ve long been aware of the nasties that are in our “conventional” deodorants. But I’d never found one that really worked until now. Yes, it’s in plastic. Yes, it’s a little weird rubbing something into your armpits. But to avoid those chemicals going straight from my skin into my bloodstream? Plus, it actually works! It’s not as strong as some others, so if I had been working hard all day and was heading to a sweaty yoga session later that night, I would reapply just to make sure I didn’t put off anyone practising next to me. Black Chicken is an Australian brand, but you can buy it through Oh Natural.
Mint Julips from Lush
How to tell if the product you’re using is really super natural? The final step in the process reads “lick off the remaining product.” I’d been feeling like my lips had this kind of extra layer of skin on them. Mint Julips is the perfect scrub to help get rid of any older skin and leave your lips feeling plumped up and gorgeous. Plus the ingredients could have come out of your pantry, so it is totally okay to eat!
Final Note
While I haven’t got all of the plastic out of my beauty routine, with some small changes I’ve managed to reduce my footprint on the earth and still keep my beauty routine intact. Do you have a favourite natural/plastic free beauty product that I need to know about? Let me know in the comments.