Hey guys, as part of my mission to slowly be more sustainable. I decided beauty and toiletries was my next area to look at.
In the bathroom, we waste so much water from the tap running while brushing teeth or long daily showers and baths. Even one minute less in the shower can save up to 23 litres water, to make sure my showers aren’t too long I only wash my hair, shave etc once a week and the rest of my showers I limit to one song length. Aside from water usage all my skincare products and toiletries were in plastic bottles which is a lot of waste.
It’s not about being zero waste but just finding products that use less plastic and I have found a number of good brands and tips.
Top Tip – Don’t wake up one day, decide to make your bathroom plastic-free and chuck out all your old products, the most sustainable option is to use what you already have. Use up every last drop first, I get very petty about this and not just if its an expensive product I love, cutting the top off a tube and you will be surprised how much product is still stuck in the tube. Or use a tube squeezer (I love this one from Upcircle) to get the product out of toothpaste or cream tubes.
Pjs – Kate Barnet
Swap 1 – Face masks. There was a time when the only face masks I used were single-use in plastic packaging those ones you get in the supermarket for a girlie sleepover? I loved a peel off and these are everywhere now in the form of sheet masks. Aside from the single-use aspect, I don’t really think they do anything for your skin. My recent discovery is from Upcircle, the packaging is 100% aluminium and there is a refill option on the website. It’s not just the packaging that’s more eco-friendly. The scrub is made from repurposed coffee ground and I choose the floral one with added rosehip oil. Initially, I was hesitant that a face scrub would be horrible and harsh for my skin, remember the trauma of St.Ives face scrubs? However, it’s the complete opposite my skin felt so soft and not at all dried out.
Swap two – Cleanser. I adore cleansers some but every single one I’ve tried even higher-end ones is in plastic bottles. I tried this The clearing bar with charcoal and tea tree from Bloomtown. I wasn’t quite sure how a bar of soap would work on the face but after running it under the tap you can pull off a little square of the product and lather it up to apply it like a normal cleanser. Bloomtown is a cornish skincare brand that the UK’s first 100% palm oil-free skincare brand, every ingredient used can be trusted and the soap bars are all handmade.
Swap 3 – Serum. My next slightly more sustainable addition to the skincare routine is the Organic face serum with coffee oil. Similarly to the face scrub, all the ingredients are natural and repurposed so nothing is waste which is amazing. Especially in the winter serums are a must for me. I spent years thinking my skin was oily so didn’t moisturiser enough but the skincare queen, Caroline Hirons taught me that sometimes oily skin actually means your skin is dry so it needs oil which sounds ridiculous but since using facial oils like this my skin is completely different. The product smells so fresh and fruity, its hands down the best serum I’ve used, so moisturising yet not at all sticky or greasy.
Swap 4 – Body lotions. Similarly to the face serum, I am obsessed with oils now. This is the rose garden oil from Bloomtown and its multipurpose. It can replace body lotions, moisturisers, hair oils and more which is amazing in its own rights. Body lotions are one of those weird products that I never buy but end up with so many, every Christmas, toiletries set seem to come with body lotions that I never use and I much prefer an oil like this, a little goes a long way with oils too. With my very damaged, bleached hair it needs all the nourishment it can get. Another thing I use weekly is coconut oil, which comes in a glass jar from the supermarket and it’s my new hair treatment, hair mask and conditioner – completely natural and does the world of the good.
Swap 5 – Razors. Razers are usually single-use and full of plastic, I am not a regular shaver but when I do I still seem to be wasting so many disposable razers. Estird is a fairly new brand offering a subscription service. The starter kit includes the metal razor, two replaceable razor heads and a holder then whether you shave every day or once every two months you can custom a subscription order of the razor heads for you. I also had no idea that the gel usually in between the razor blades have gelatine in so this is the first entirely vegan razor which is so important. As I said I am not a regular shaver partly because it’s just not important to me, I am blonde so my leg hairs are barely visible but also because I just find it awkward, always cut and my legs look red after and I just assumed that would always be the case regardless of the razor but this razor it the first time I’ve actually noticed a difference, its a much closer and softer shave, with no cuts yet.
Swap 6 – Deodorants. Deodorant has been one of the most obvious things for me for years. I’ve always hated aerosol deodorants the smells so I’ve mainly used standard roll-ons for years which is better for my skin but probably worse packaging wise, they don’t last that long and its 90% plastic. However, there is a huge stigma around the term ‘Natural deodorants’ just for hippies and won’t actually do anything and no one wants to smell. I have two tried and tested natural deodorants that prove that stereotype wrong. First up is Bloomtown’s Natural deodorant in Lavender & Rose geranium. This one comes in a tin and smells just wonderful. I have also been testing out the Wild subscription model. similarly to Estrid you choose a colour for the deodorant tin and choose a scent for the deodorant, I went for the coconut scent and you can custom order subscription updates as and when your deodorant needs refilling. This is just a wonderful product, it feels amazing on the skin, rolls of nicely and works surprisingly well. You don’t notice the coconut smell in an overpowering manner but when I take my top off rather than a swear stain it just smells of coconut there which is a sign of the deodorant doing its job well.
Swap 7 – Makeup wipes. This is such an important one if you take anything away from this blog post make it this. Makeup wipes are not just terrible for the environment but they are terrible for your skin. I haven’t used wipes for nearly two years and I can’t look back. Cleansing properly with a reusable cotton or muslin cloth actually takes my makeup properly and doesn’t dry the skin out either.
There are so many other things I could mention some I do such as using a bamboo toothbrush rather than plastic which is no different but will actually biodegrade when its time for a new one. Another swap that isn’t revolutionary and is simply going back to what we used to do bars of soap for handwashing, it’s more hygienic and completely zero waste. The list of amazing businesses and products out there that are better for our skin, less waste and supporting a small business is endless – let me know what other products you’ve swapped too or similar businesses to UpCirlce and Bloomtown I should be aware of.
I hope you found this useful, love Charlotte xxx.
Disclaimer – Some of the products mentioned are PR products but as always all opinions and creative direction is my own.