With all the doom and gloom surrounding the news about the state of our environment, you probably find yourself wanting to do your part to make sure you’re helping keep our Earth as pristine as possible. While we might not be able to stop oil companies or massive overfishing overnight, we can definitely look into our own life for ways to reduce our impact on the environment by going low-waste.
One place you can reduce your impact is by streamlining your beauty routine to be more low-waste. We know how so many beauty products can be packaged in very environmentally unfriendly ways; plastic packaging, disposable applicators, and plastic containers are just a few of the ways the beauty industries hurt our Earth. Going green doesn’t mean you have to go bare-faced, though. We’ve got a few simple ways you can transform your beauty routine to match with a low-waste lifestyle.
- Save your mascara wands: Some animal rescues can use your old mascara wands to help clean baby animals, carefully check for injuries, or clean the syringes used to feed them — a much better fate than just sitting in a landfill. The Appalachian Wildlife Refuge even has an easy guide for sending in your used mascara wands.
- Pick glass over plastic: Glass is much more recyclable than plastic containers are — plus, it will look much more pleasing in your beauty display. Try to opt for glass containers for your beauty products rather than plastic if you have the option. If you don’t have the choice of glass, check to see how recyclable the plastic container you’re considering buying is. Some kinds of plastic are more recycle-friendly than others are. Make sure to clean it out before responsibly recycling.
- DIY: The best way to make your beauty routine as green as possible is to try to DIY. By making some of your own beauty products, you cut your impact by reducing the need for production, packaging, and shipping. You can find easy recipes for making your own deodorant, toothpaste, and face masks. Get some cute reusable glass containers and keep refilling them with your homemade recipes — now you’re a low-waste queen!
- Check for Alternatives: If you’re thinking of switching shampoos, hop on google and find the best shampoo waste free bars. Need cotton swabs? Skip CVS and order the renewable bamboo ones online.
- Don’t Dispose:Using disposable products like make-up removing wipes add up and contribute a lot of waste that could be cut down by replacing them with reusable cloths instead. You can treat yourself to some cute reusable cloths as a reward for taking your beauty routine to the next low-waste level.
Going low-waste can be a challenge, but it’s a worthwhile challenge as we look at the fragile state of our environment. Start somewhere personal and small and grow from there. Use these simple ways to take your beauty routine low-waste to help do your part.