Reducing Your Environmental Impact: Beauty and Skincare
- Kirst
- Jul 4, 2018
- 7 min read
Updated: Mar 8, 2019
And now for the grand finale! The one we all know is a problem and the one that, let's be honest, a lot of us turn a blind eye to. Be it the animal testing, the toxins and chemicals in the products, the non-recyclable/non-biodegradable bits, or even just the use of the products themselves. So, much like the previous two posts of this theme, I have compiled a list of things you can try and do to reduce your environmental impact, this time in your beauty and skincare routine.
1. SINGLE USE MAKE UP WIPES
I will be the first to say that I am a sucker for these bad boys, and I will admit that I do still use them, as much as I am aware that they are not the most ideal choice to remove ones make up. Primarily because of the 'single use' aspect- nothing that we can only get one use out of and that lies rotting in a dump is at all good for the environment. I mostly try to avoid these wipes because they also tend to be rather pricey, as opposed to buying alternatives, like bottles of make up remover or cleanser.
Investing in a good quality cotton face cloth and using toxin free/ cruelty free make up removing cleanser is so much better for the environment than using up to four of those wipes at a time and then just throwing them in the bin. And if you want to be super duper natural and one with the eco-friendly side of things; use coconut oil! My friend once showed me how she would take roughly a teaspoon of coconut oil, rub it onto her face- which weirdly enough lifts the make up- and then washing that off! Best bet is with warm water and that face cloth I mentioned before. And you really should be good to go. Toxin and chemical free, and we all know that coconut oil solves all your problems.
2. LOOK FOR THE BUNNY ON THE BOTTLE
That sounds like a creepy clue from Saw- but what I mean is buy cruelty free products, which you can find by looking for a little bunny icon on the label- which is the marker. While these aren't necessarily biodegradable or so natural you can drink them; the lack of animal testing not only protects innocents from becoming science experiments, but can also largely assure you that there aren't any harmful ingredients in the product that would require them to be tested on an animal. Your skin is the largest organ in and on your body, and it absorbs anything and everything you use on it into your system- which is concerning when you think about those thirty-letter-long chemicals on the ingredients list of a lot of mainstream skincare. (Which leads to point 4.)
3. CUT DOWN ON THE HAIR WASHING
This you might think is a weird one and just too damn hippy dippy for you. But hear me out. Your hair needs the natural oils that your scalp produces- and sure you've probably gotten into a routine of washing it every two days, if not every day. But not only does washing your hair strip it of its natural vitamins and protective layers, but it's wasting a lot of water. I am by no means saying don't shower, obviously, but you would drastically cut down shower time, and therefore use much less water if you reduced the amount you wash your hair. Oil training your hair will give it a more natural shine and will likely reduce breakage caused by chemical build up and dryness, and products like dry shampoo, or even simple baby powder, can save you from looking super greasy on those in-between days. I went from washing my hair every second day to only twice a week, and it's halved my shower time, fixed my problem of a dry frizzy nest of hair (caused by chemical filled products being used too regularly), and generally made my life a lot easier because I don't have to worry too much about going out with horrendously dirty hair every other day. To reiterate what I said in the food post of this series; water is not something we will have forever in unlimited quantities, and if you think about the fact that you're using up litres of drinkable water to wash your hair five times a week- I should hope you'd be inclined to cut it down a tad. And besides: dirty hair makes the best messy buns!
4. TOXINS
I repeat- anything you put on your skin is absorbed into your system. This means that in some cases it can effect your sleep, digestion, and basic functioning. Therefore it is highly highly recommended to try and avoid products with certain ingredients. I'll link a few lists below;
Alongside being bad for your own skin and health, a lot of ingredients in make up and skincare products are toxic for the environment. The chemicals in face or body washes rinse off into the ocean and pollute the ecosystems of sealife. I'm going to link more sites with lists of ingredients that effect the environment, to save this post becoming a science paper. And as always- it's so helpful to do the research yourself too, and make sure you know what you're buying.
5. PLASTIC: MICROBEADS AND PACKAGING
Let's be honest; if you don't know about the effects of microbeads on our oceans by now, I am rather concerned that the rock you're hiding under might be a hindrance to your own life. What are they? Microbeads are the tiny little pieces put into exfoliating scrubs, and are largely made of plastic. Which means that after you've rinsed your face of the scrub, those tiny- but significant- beads wash down into the ocean, where they don't decompose. But rather pollute the sea floor, get swallowed by small fish thinking it's a food source, and chill there for hundreds of years. To quote CV Skinlabs website;
"You’ll find them not only in your body and face washes, but also in toothpaste, sunscreen, lip gloss, eyeliner, shampoo, deodorant, and soaps. They are not only used for exfoliating the skin. They can also make products feel creamy on the skin, and help fill in wrinkles."
Look out for labels that say they contain microbeads, microabrasives, Polypropylene, or Polyethylene- because in the long run, if the fish is eating the plastic; that means eventually you will be too.
Additional to the plastic ingredients of the products themselves- there is the problem of the packaging. Empty lipstick containers, moisturiser tubs, shampoo bottles. All waste. And here is where there is the easiest solution and the one that we've been taught (I hope all of us) in school from the very beginning. RECYLE what you can. The things that are unclear about their recycle-ability are more of a tricky hurdle. But in that case try and aim for buying products in more environmentally friendly packaging. Lipstick and general make up is a tough one and one that, if I'm honest, I'm really not sure of how to fix. (I'd love suggestions in the comments though if you have any ideas!) But in the case of moisturisers, toiletries and skincare products?
Try use those snazzy plastic free stores that seem to be popping up every where! Many of them encourage you to bring old shampoo bottles/dishwashing liquid bottles/any empty receptacle and have large vats of products to fill your reusable containers with!
Cape Town Tip: Nude Foods in Zonnebloem have dishwashing liquid and clothes washing detergent in huge containers that you can decant into your own bottles- and specifically eco friendly alternatives to the store-bought chemical shit storms you find in the shops.
Another idea is to make your own shampoo so as to avoid constantly rebuying those over-dyed and over-processed bottles from mainstream brands. (Shampoo recipes: Wellness Mama, Mamavation).
And finally, something that I really have been meaning to push and now that I think about it, might encourage others to too- so as to make enough noise about it. I am a huge supporter of The Body Shop- largely for their cruelty free, animal welfare, vegan products, and fair-trade agenda, but also because I really love the quality of their products. However- once you've used up your Fuji Green Tea shower gel or Frosted Berry body butter- what is to be done with the containers? Yes, many of the body cream and scrub tubs can be washed out, labels removed, and reused to store things (seriously, do it.) But in my case, I end up going back to repurchase my usual products from them and just accumulate more and more baby pink Vitamin E moisturising cream containers which, while very aesthetically pleasing in their colour, just end up becoming more rubbish to throw away. So here's my idea. I've been meaning to email The Body Shop and recommend they start up a Refill Initiative, whereby avid supporters and shoppers of their products can bring in their empties and refill them with the products for a somewhat discounted (price because of the lack of needing to fork out more moola for more packaging). So I know this is a weird platform to suddenly and excitedly voice my idea and try rope you in- but if you've been reading these posts then you're clearly interested in reducing the human impact on plastic pollution on the planet.
Please please help me with this and email the suggestion for a refilling initiative through the Contact Us page and hopefully if they get even three emails regarding this, they might do something?
I hope this was useful, and if you have any other suggestions and ideas for reducing the environmental impact of your skincare and beauty routine, then please leave them down in the comments!
Have a lovely day xx
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