BEAUTY
Why should we revisit our beauty routine?
Because of the packaging. The cosmetics and skincare industry relies on plastic (although many brands are starting to change). Plastic containers, wrapped themselves in plastic; paper inserts, cardboard sleeves, foam, and more, sometimes all present in just one purchase.
Because of the ingredients. Cosmetic products can also contain ingredients linked to both environmental and health issues (sulphates, parabens, phthalates, products derived from petroleum and coal tar, triclosan, etc.).
Because of raw materials. The cosmetic industry uses a lot of water, in terms of production process and finished product, and a lot of energy. Perfumes, hairsprays and deodorants also contribute to air pollution!
When we mindlessly use shampoos, conditioners, soaps, shaving products, and creams, we forget how harmful these products and their packaging can be for the planet and ourselves.
But we can change this simply, starting with using a bar of soap rather than liquid soap. Liquid soap requires five times more energy for raw material and almost 20 times more energy for packaging production than a bar of soap.
Going waste-lite in the bathroom requires that we simplify our personal routine (fewer products, less packaging), and to use more gentle, eco-friendly products.
The Swap List below provides options to meet these goals, with either homemade/DIY or shop-bought products. Please do try some of the DIY recipes: you can choose the fragrance, adapt the texture to your taste, while saving money and being eco-responsible. If you have no time (although doing your own does not take so much time once you have the ingredients), go for the shop options – there is a real boom from eco-friendly, bulk solutions, with increasingly more choices.
If you do go for the DIY recipes, take the time to read the guidelines below that include important information on how to use essential oils.
This section draws a lot of its content from A Considered Life and Moral Fibres. These two websites keep updating their information, so if you are looking for more than what is on this website, do visit them.
