Sustainable Lifestyle and Beauty Is Here To Stay

More and more people are concerned about the environment. In a poll, nearly 64 percent of US adults say that protecting the environment should be a top priority for the president and Congress. While far-reaching environmental policies can only be made by the government, many people are also putting pressure on companies by demanding more sustainable practices. This is true almost everywhere, but especially in the beauty industry.

It’s no surprise that some of the most vocal consumers are those who use skin and hair products. After all, they are putting the products directly on their body so they want the makeup and lotions they use to be as safe as possible. Thanks to people voting with their wallets, many beauty companies now do not test on animals and many more are switching over to an eco-friendly model. If you want to do your part in helping the environment, but don’t want to sacrifice your beauty routine, follow the tips below for a more sustainable lifestyle.

Do Your Research and Support Eco-Friendly Brands

Research First and Support Eco-Friendly Beauty Brands

There are dozens of sustainable beauty products in the market with more entering every year. It’s clear there’s a growing demand for eco-friendly products so large and small companies alike are responding. In fact, around 73 percent of consumers prefer eco-friendly beauty products! Still, just because a product says eco-friendly doesn’t necessarily mean they are. After all, there is no standard eco-friendly certification in the beauty industry. That means you’ll have to do your own research to find brands that actually practice what they preach. You might not even find a product that ticks all the boxes! Despite that, it’s better to go with something that follows at least some eco-friendly measures than none at all.

You can usually determine a brand is eco-friendly by looking at their mission. Some keywords to look for include:

Use of organic ingredients
Containers made of recycled plastics or, better yet, no plastic at all
Ethically-sourced materials
Reduced water usage
Carbon offsets
A sustainable office (recycling efforts, reduced waste, etc.)
Minimizing any manufacturing by-products (zero waste policies)

If you want to go a step further, find a beauty product company near you and purchase from them. This way you are supporting a small, local business and you are reducing the amount of time your product needs to travel to get to you. It’s a win-win situation for you and the environment! If you can’t find anything you like, you can try to go the DIY route with a few of your beauty products. It’s amazing what you can do with simple ingredients like honey, eggs, plain yogurt, and fruits!

Stop Wasting Your Wipes

Wet wipes and/or cotton pads must be environmentally friendly because they’re made from natural fibers...right? Wrong! Cotton pads and wet wipes are pretty much indestructible and will not break down like you think they would. Plus since you’re trashing them, they’ll either end up cluttering up landfills or making their way to the ocean since millions of tons of trash end up in the ocean every year.

If you wear makeup, you might be wondering how you should remove your makeup if you can’t use wipes or cotton balls. Luckily, it’s an easy switch. There are now more eco-friendly options such as bamboo buds and biodegradable wipes. If all else fails, you can switch to a face cloth. Many companies are also offering makeup towels. They’re similar to a washcloth, but do a better job of removing makeup. All you need to do is wet them, scrub your face, and that’s it! After a few uses, toss them into the laundry, wash, and repeat. A few years ago these might have been specialty products, but now you can find them in almost every major pharmacy and store.

Dry Shampoo

Dry shampoo has been having a moment these past few years. While the product itself has been around for decades, thanks to the proliferation of hair and beauty influencers it’s finally getting its chance to shine. As the name suggests, dry shampoo doesn’t require you to jump in the shower to clean your hair. Instead, you just apply a bit of dry shampoo to your scalp, massage it in, and voila! Your hair will look like you just took a shower and you’ll have some extra volume. Plus it saves you around 2 gallons of water per minute you are not in the shower.

Of course, some dry shampoos are better than others. As with your other products, make sure to do research on the company to ensure you’re choosing brands that are focused on being sustainable and eco-friendly. You can also make your own dry shampoo by mixing together baking soda, cornstarch, essential oil such as lavender or lemongrass, and kaolin clay. For darker hair, you should mix in activated charcoal and cacao and for red hair you should mix in cinnamon.

Longer Lasting Hair Ties

If you have long hair, you’ve probably gone through several hair ties in the past month. For whatever reason, they seem to have a short life span either stretching out to the point where they lose their elasticity or just snapping. Then there are the bands that mysteriously disappear only to be found under your fridge or stove.

As with anything that contains rubber or plastic, elastics aren’t biodegradable. With that said, there are some on the market that are 100 percent natural and plastic-free. If you can’t find them in your area, there are other options that boast longer lives with some lasting 3-4 times longer than the standard brands. Of course, you don’t have to use hair ties to tame those locks. You can use bandanas, chopsticks, pencils, bobby pins, or even your own hair for some beautiful hairstyles so play around!

Swap Out Aerosol Sprays

Back in the 90s, scientists discovered that the chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) found in aerosol cans were eating away at the ozone layer. Since then, manufacturers have removed this chemical from pretty much everything including hairsprays, deodorants, air fresheners, and more. While removing this dangerous chemical definitely helped, that doesn’t make aerosols environmentally friendly. After all, these cans still need to use some kind of compressed air or hydrocarbons to expel these products. Once released into the air, they add to your carbon footprint.

If you’re still iffy on ditching the aerosols, consider this - they also contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs), chemicals that contain carbon and vaporize in the air. Since you’re in the same room as these VOCs, you’re inhaling them whenever you decide to use hairspray. These chemicals have been linked to an increased risk of developing asthma.

It doesn’t stop there. Aerosols can also affect the water supply. Studies have found that aerosols lead to pollution-rich clouds, which in turn leads to smaller raindrops. So if you care about your air and water quality, you should get rid of the aerosols. There are plenty of other options available to keep your hair perfectly coiffed including pump-fueled containers. Or you can opt for the traditional hair gels.

Switch Your Sunscreen To Save Coral

Sustainable Beauty Hacks: Switch To Sunscreen To Save Coral

Sunscreen is an absolute necessity for everyone especially if you love the great outdoors. Not only does it keep your skin looking younger, it also helps reduce your risk of developing skin cancer. With that said, there are a lot of options out there and not all of them will work with your skin type. Some might leave greasy residues while others may end up pilling. When you find the right one, it can feel like a miracle!

While it’s a hard pill to swallow, your sunscreen might not be great for the environment. Many sunscreens contain a chemical called oxybenzone. After you take a shower, this washes off your body and ends up in the ocean. Studies have found that this chemical is responsible for killing coral and accelerating DNA damage in the organisms that live in the reefs. So next time you’re in the market for a new bottle, check the label and look for the increase zinc oxide, which is much more ocean-friendly and also good for sensitive skin.

Make Changes To Your Eyeshadow Assortment

Eyeshadow is a lot of fun and with so many colors available, you can create a number of different looks based on how you decide to mix, match, and blend everything. However, packaging and containers, including those that hold beauty products, make up around 30 percent of the junk in landfills.

A great way to reduce your waste when it comes to makeup is to swap out those large eyeshadow palettes and instead opt for smaller, singular products. Yes, that means you’re limiting yourself to a handful of items, but it also means you’re cutting down on waste, saving money, and saving space in your makeup bag. Unless you’re a beauty vlogger or influencers, chances are you really only use a handful of colors anyway. So why not tailor your makeup to suit your needs? There are plenty of companies that offer singular eye shadow and some even allow you to buy refills so you’re not tossing the plastic compact out every time you buy a new eyeshadow.

Support Low-Waste Salon

There’s something nice about getting your hair done by professionals. Sure, you don’t have to go to one, but it’s always nice to treat yourself. Unfortunately, there is a ton of waste and chemicals that goes into dying your hair or even getting a simple haircut. This begs the question, “Is the salon eco-friendly?”

If you’re going to a place like Supercuts, chances are they are using the cheapest materials available to them so that you can get the cheapest hair style. While that might be good for your wallet, it’s not great for the planet. Your commercial hair dye contains ammonia. When you wash your hair after a dye job, the chemical ingredients end up in local waterways, harming aquatic life. Then of course there’s the foils, plastics, papers, etc. used in other jobs that end up getting tossed in the trash.

Luckily, more salons are trying to be more sustainable whether that’s reducing their overall waste, using eco-friendly products, or even running on renewable energy. As you might have guessed, these tend to be a bit more expensive. However, you can get around the cost by reducing the amount of visits you make. Instead of going once a month, visit every other month. If you really can’t afford more expensive places, ask your current salon what they are doing to be more sustainable. If you tell a salon that you plan on going to another location because they recycle or offer more sustainable products, it might inspire them to start looking at their environmental practices.

Try Waterless Manicures

Only about 1.2 percent of Earth’s water can be used as drinking water. Many states in the US and countries around the world are dealing with severe droughts due to decreased rainfall and hotter temperatures. It’s more important than ever that everyone does their part to conserve as much water as possible. While Americans have been reducing their water usage, there are still plenty of small ways you can make a difference.

One of the easiest ways to do this is to opt for waterless manicures. As the name suggests, you eliminate the soaking step of your manicure and instead replace it with application of heat treatments, creams, and lotions. It also provides time-saving benefits and helps the polish stay on longer so there’s no reason not to go this route. If you want to go a step further, look for a nail polish free of the following chemicals:

Formaldehyde
Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP)
Toluene
Camphor
Formaldehyde resin
TPHP
Xylene
Ethyl Tosylamide
Parabens
Gluten

Some of these are known carcinogens. While you might think it doesn’t matter because it’s getting applied to your nails, studies have shown that chemicals in nail polish can be absorbed into the body. If you want to keep the Earth and yourself healthy, start looking at the ingredient list for your nail polish.

Buy In Bulk

If the COVID-19 pandemic has taught you anything, it’s probably that you should stock up and buy non-perishable items in bulk. While this can be harder if you live in a small apartment, it’s not impossible. Sure, you might not be able to go to Costco and buy pallets of mayonnaise, but you can be strategic in what you bulk purchase. Items like shampoos and conditioners are great bulk options because you will use them eventually and they don’t take up too much space in your bathroom.

Why buy larger containers? Not only does it save you money in the long run, it also reduces your overall waste. Instead of buying multiple little containers, you just have the one large one, which means you are using up to 40 percent less plastic. Some beauty companies also provide refill pouches for the large containers, further reducing the amount of plastic that you will throw out.

Recycle Your Makeup Containers

Your makeup containers might be made of plastic, but that doesn’t mean you can just toss them in the recycling bin. Lots of packaging contain thick plastic, mixed metals, and sometimes springs. The mixed materials can make makeup containers a nightmare to recycle, which is why they often just end up in the trash.

Luckily, a few brands have started their own recycling program such as Kiehl’s and MAC. When you bring back empty tubes, bottles, jars, etc. they will reward you with a product. You can drop the containers off online or at a counter whenever you finish them. Other companies will not only recycle your containers but also donate to a charity of your choice every time you bring in an empty bottle.

Opt For Products Made With Compostable Ingredients

The amount of end-of-life plastic packaging surrounding US products has increased by over 120 times since 1960. Beauty products are no exception to the rule. There is more plastic than ever, but many eco-conscious beauty brands are working to improve the numbers. You’ve probably heard of composting your food - it’s a process where you can throw leftover food, dead leaves, paper, etc. into a bin and, after a few months, it will turn into wonderful and nutritious soil.

The same process can be turned to beauty products from its packaging to the ingredients used in the product itself. Many sustainable beauty companies have turned to more environmentally friendly options such as compostable, which means they will break down within 12 weeks or so. Once you’re done with the product, or if you don’t like the product, you can just toss it on your compost heap and see it turn into black gold for your garden. When looking for compostable beauty products, check the labels to see what the packaging is made of. Compostable items include paper, cardboard, straw, bagasse, corn starch, palm leaf, and wood pulp. When it comes to the actual product, go for brands that tout all natural, organic, and/or raw ingredients.

Make The Adjustments To Your Beauty Routine For A More Sustainable Lifestyle

There’s no reason your beauty routine can’t be sustainable. In fact, it’s easier now than ever before to be eco-friendly. Of course, you’ll still have to be vigilant when it comes to reading labels and doing your own research.

Incorporating these small beauty tweaks and changes into your life is easy enough and can make a big difference. Companies are paying attention to consumer trends, which is why many are starting to shift to more sustainable and eco-friendly models. With that said, if you really want to save money and don’t mind a bit of experimentation, you can always go the DIY route and create your own beauty products.