What To Swap For Single-Use Products in Beauty
One of the reasons the Cleanse Off Mitt exists is to reduce our reliance on single-use products… At least in our beauty routines!
Now, even the packaging for the Cleanse Off Mitt is resealable and reusable. We’re COMmitting to using sustainable, biodegradable materials for the COM and its packaging by December, 2020.
We’re big into our plans to #binthewipes, for lots of reasons - for your skin, for your wallet, and for the environment.
How To Reduce Single-Use Plastics in Your Beauty Routine
Have we convinced you to stop, swap and roll over to our store to order yourself a COM? Brilliant. One small step for you, one giant, COM-shaped leap for nerdkind and our planet at large. But we’re not content to stop there.
It’s not just the wipes that have us looking at our vanity tables in shame. There’s plenty of bits and pieces that we have lying around which aren’t very eco-friendly, so we’ve had a think. Here’s a few ideas for swaps that you could make to reduce single-use items in your beauty routine.
1. Shampoo Bars
If you’re anything like us, you need to kick a path into your shower, crammed with bottles so that the whole place sounds like a bowling alley in the wake of a strike if you make one false move with soap in your eyes.
If this is all a little bit too familiar, it could be time to think about reducing the amount of single-use beauty products in your life and opting instead for a shampoo bar. You can get all sorts of snazzy formulations. For long hair, short hair, thin hair or otherwise - there’s a shampoo bar out there for you.
The most well known are from the one and only Lush, doing their bit for eco-friendly cosmetics and cruelty-free products. Their shampoo bars come in an extensive range, which all smell divine (no surprises there). You could choose a metal tin for transporting them with you wherever you go, or a cork container - even better for the environment. A perfect pal for your COM on the go.
2. Cleansing Bars
Along a similar vein, there are more options than the bar of soap that’s been crusted onto the side of your bath for ten years. Cleansing bars can be composed of delightful ingredients and do great work for your skin, as well as being very eco-friendly, low on packaging, and lasting longer than the traditional liquid body washes! Gallinee Cleansing Bar is a gorgeous soap-free option for those who might want to avoid soap itself but still give themselves a sustainable cleanse.
If you’re worried about the potential for bacteria or germs from using solid cleansing bars, there’s little need for concern. It’s important to consider how you store your bars in order to avoid real nasties - make sure you’re not storing your cleansing bars in a puddle of water, for example. Try to keep them drained and dry between uses.
You could also lather up the bar for about 30 seconds before you wash yourself with it, but most germs will be washed down the drain as soon as you apply water to the bar. If you’re using a COM to help your cleansing bar along, use a clean one each time!
3. Sheet Masks
Depending on the mask in question, plenty are biodegradable due to being made of biocellulose, but the packaging is pretty single-use which isn’t ideal. There are ways around this issue, however, while still getting your mask moment.
There are completely biodegradable options, like the Liberty London AROMATHERAPY ASSOCIATES Hydrosol Sheet Mask Set, at a slightly higher price point - but both packaging and lace face mask are fully biodegradable.
You could consider buying your face masks in bulk, as this is more eco-friendly. Buying in bulk cuts down on packaging and also air miles, if you think about it. Holika Holika Pure Essence Morning Mask Pack Green Tea contains 30 masks in one package, which is a bit of a dream.
You could also think about reusable options. The Add-on Beauty Dry Mask - Hydra Protect can be reused four times and stored hygienically in its carry case.
4. Solid Deodorant
Solid scent might seem something from Victorian times, but it’s a really good way to cut down on single-use plastic in your beauty routine. If you’ve already made the switch from aerosols to roll-on, solid deo without the plastic container is just one more move. Lush is out in front again, with their plastic-free concoctions in the form of solid bars or deodorant powders.
Other Ways to Reduce Single-Use Products
There are other beauty and self-care bits which you could also consider replacing or rethinking, just by taking a look around your bedroom and bathroom. What about replacing your toothbrush with a more sustainable and compostable bamboo version, such as the Humble Brush? Or to cut down on your single-use plastic reliance - what about swapping to an Organicup or washable sanitary pads?
Your Cleanse Off Mitt can be the start of a great, green journey towards reducing single-use plastic and single-use beauty products in your life. Fresh-faced and eco-aware - not bad for a humble COM.