Making the transition to live a more sustainable and eco-friendly life can be a daunting task. In an effort to simplify that transition, let’s take it one step at a time starting with your beauty routine. Whether you frequent a full face of makeup, a natural look, or no makeup at all, here are a few simple ways you can make your beauty routine eco-friendlier.
1. Less Products, More Recycling
One of the simplest ways you can have a more sustainable beauty routine is by cutting down on how many products you use to only the ones you need. Trust me I know how fun it can be to buy and have more makeup than you need much less use. From multiple eye shadow palettes to an excessive amount of facial serums. Try to be honest with yourself on what you actually use and which products you rarely even look at. Once you’ve decided which products you no longer absolutely need, it’s important to remember to recycle! If you can’t be bothered to recycle them yourself, there are brands like Origins (not cruelty-free), that will take your recyclables from any brand and dispose of them for you. Some brands even have programs where you receive a free product if you bring in a certain number of empty products from their brand, such as MAC (not cruelty-free) and Lush.
2. Reusable Makeup Wipes
As convenient and inexpensive as they are, makeup wipes are extremely harmful to the environment. They pile up in landfills, aren’t biodegradable and honestly there are alternatives that are both better for the environment and your skin. One alternative is to use a makeup removing oil or cream which typically remove your makeup better than wipes and don’t leave you with you with unnecessary waste afterwards. Another alternative is a reusable makeup removing cloth which not only removes your makeup but exfoliates your skin too! With these reusable makeup removing cloths, you would have to wash them after every few uses but assuming you do your laundry, it’s easy to throw them in with your clothes. After a while of switching from makeup removing wipes to one of these alternatives, you’ll not only feel more environmentally responsible, but you’ll notice that you’re saving money over time as well!
3. Sustainable + Cruelty-Free Products
For those products that you can’t replace with a reusable one, don’t fret because there are eco-friendly alternatives to those too! If you use any cotton products, like cotton swabs or cotton rounds, you can easily replace them with a different brand that use organic and biodegradable cotton. Many brands, such as EcoTools, even make cruelty free makeup brushes using sustainable materials like bamboo and other natural and recyclable materials. As a matter of fact, paying attention to and only buying from brands that are cruelty-free and vegan is a very helpful effort towards a more sustainable beauty routine.
As you can see, with a little bit of research on your part it is becoming easier and easier to find the perfect sustainable beauty products and techniques to fit into your routine. It can be as simple as only buying from cruelty-free brands or as drastic as making all of your own beauty products from scratch at home. Overall, I hope this has at least inspired you to reflect on your ecological footprint regarding your beauty routine because at this point, every little bit counts.