Over the past few months I have become increasingly conscious about the products I use to care for myself every day. I never thought that taking a closer look in my closet would end up with me caring about what kind of toothbrush I use, but here we are. For this month’s sustainable lifestyle challenge I wanted to go in a different direction from the obvious choices that I tackled for the last two months (plastic bags and tupperware). This post was bound to be either incredibly broad or incredibly narrow, so I went the more broad route in hopes that more people will find their own way to get involved in this month’s challenge. I’m talking about toothbrushes, haircare routines, face & body products, mental self-care products, and what to do with your beauty products once you’re done with them. Find each small-scale challenge below in bold.
The most recent switch I have made to my daily routine is switching from a plastic toothbrush to a bamboo toothbrush. Plastic toothbrushes are almost impossible to recycle, and (as I’ve said before) plastic never goes away. Which means every plastic toothbrush that you’ve ever used is still out there somewhere!! Bamboo toothbrushes are a super simple way to change your daily plastic use. When you’re done using the toothbrush, you use pliers to remove and dispose of the bristles, and can compost the brush itself. Definitely use your current toothbrush for as long as you can, but when it’s time for a switch, my challenge is to switch to a bamboo toothbrush.
Something that got me thinking when I switched to my bamboo toothbrush was what to do with my plastic one once I was done. I definitely would feel guilty throwing it away (even though I’ve done this countless times throughout my life) and know that there must be other uses for it before it fully bites the dust. I’ve decided to keep my toothbrush around for cleaning off scuffs on sneakers and other odd jobs that may come up along the way. If you’re really looking for somewhere to recycle it, TerraCycle recycles most everything. I also began cleaning out my makeup drawer when I got back to LA this summer, and finally got rid of mascara that may have been around since middle school. I cleaned out the bottles and recycled them, and washed the brushes. I’ve used these for taming my eyebrows when I don’t put any product on them, but have been looking for other ways to reuse them. I recently came across a Facebook post (and then full on article) about how mascara wands can be used to remove fly eggs and larvae from the fur of animals. I’ll be sending these wands (after a thorough washing) to the Appalachian Wildlife Refuge. My challenge for this month is to find other uses for your used products.
I already talked in-depth about my haircare routine in my last post about LUSH shampoo & conditioner bars, but I also wanted to talk about a few other things in relation to my shower routine. My dry brush and hair brush are both from EcoTools, a company that uses recycled materials to make their products. Their packaging is tree-free, aka made from cotton and bamboo fibers, and the handles on most of their products are made from bamboo (one of the fastest growing plants on the planet). The next time I’m in the market for makeup brushes or beauty tools, I will definitely be looking at EcoTools.
I also just switched a few weeks ago from bottled body wash to an all-natural soap (which my parents got me for my birthday thanks @mom and dad). To be honest I’m still getting used to it and – like with my shampoo & conditioner bars – it will probably take an adjustment period. Instead of using a loofah, I bought this all natural soap carrier thing that works just the same. I honestly forget most of the information that I was told by the woman who I purchased it from at the Melrose Place Farmer’s Market, but I know the fibers are grown locally and a large portion of the proceeds go directly back to the farmers. It’s also anti-microbial which is super cool.
My challenge for this month for myself is to switch from a plastic razor to a safety razor. Plastic razors can become pricey over time, and are nearly impossible to recycle. Since I went on a wild zero-waste following spree on Instagram a few months ago, I’ve been thinking of investing in a safety razor and just haven’t bitten the bullet yet, but this month seems to be the month! My challenge for all of you this month is to think about making sustainable switches to your shower routine, but using up what you have first. Though you may be eager to switch to a shampoo or conditioner bar right away, use up the rest of your bottled haircare before you make that switch. Recycle the bottles afterward, of course, but use up the rest of what you have. Don’t let it go to waste!
One of the things I have become the most aware of (partly because of #plasticfreejuly) is the amount of plastic we use in our daily lives. Though I have not been able to find a plastic-free cleanser, I’ve been using this Evenprime brand cleanser for the summer. I got it for free to try out, and after just visiting their website now I found out it’s made for men lol, but it has done the trick so far. Their products are made without the nasty stuff (sulfates, parabens, phthalates, mineral oils, artificial coloring, animal testing) and don’t dry out your skin after use.
All of the other products I use on a daily or weekly basis come in glass bottles. After cleansing my face I do a quick spritz of Monastery’s botanical face hydrosol, which is meant to dry up extra oils left behind. Then I moisturize with my all natural and organic Neal’s Yard Remedies moisturizer (which is absolute magic). I also have been trying to use their all natural deodorant, but that is taking longer to adjust to (especially in this LA summer heat). After moisturizing, I do another quick spritz of the Kani rose tone mist. To be quite honest, I’m not sure how these facial sprays are supposed to work, but they’ve been keeping my skin feeling good all summer long. I end my day with Velvet Report’s micellar cleansing water. I’ve always used disposable cotton rounds to do this, but I have some reusable bamboo fiber/cotton rounds in the mail as we speak. My challenge for this month is to find simple reusable solutions (like reusable cotton rounds) to lessen the waste in your daily beauty routine. Sure, cotton may be biodegradable, but the rounds may not always be organic!
Some of the other products I’ve tried this summer include Frank Bod’s all natural lip scrub, Herbivore’s coco rose lip tint (in a little glass round), and Monastery’s firming matte body oil. I got all of these products at some point throughout this past school year and just haven’t made a point of using them yet. I feel like it is incredibly easy to let beauty products sit on the bottom shelf or way in the back of your drawer, especially if you bought them on a whim, so another challenge for this month is to use the beauty products you have before you buy something new. I probably would have gone out to buy another cleanser or lip balm had I not looked through everything I had, and now that I’ve tried all of these products I have a better idea of what works for me and what doesn’t so I can make better informed purchases in the future.
Self care isn’t all about the stuff you put on your body, though!! I recently have gotten very into candles, and love to light one during dinner or while I’m winding down at night. After going a little crazy with scented candles, I am starting to focus on buying 100% soy candles. Soy wax burns cooler, which means soy candles last much longer than normal paraffin candles (paraffin is the leftover by-product from the petroleum refining process btw). Soy candles are also cleaner burning and don’t contain toxins, carcinogens or pollutants that are often found in paraffin candles. Soy candles are also 100% biodegradable and are naturally made from soybeans, which makes cleaning out the bottom of your candle jars that much easier. I got this candle from Lit Soul Candles at Melrose Trading Post. The description completely spoke to me in the beginning of the summer – “independence, personal power, will, intellect & clarity of judgement”. There’s also a chakra crystal that will heal my Solar Plexus (aka 3rd) Chakra in there somewhere, which makes burning it pretty fun. And in case that didn’t sell you on adding this candle to your collection, Lit Soul Candles are made in “upcycled” soup cans. The contents from these cans are used to make homemade meals for individuals experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles and then are used to make these candles. Pretty darn cool. I challenge you to look into the stuff that’s in your candles this month (and if it scares you, make an upgrade). Here are some other 100% soy was candle companies I love: Evil Queen Candles, EcoCandleCo, & P.F. Candle Company.
Something I’ve also gotten into this summer especially is journaling. I used to be a leather journal fan, but after finding this “decomposition book” made from 100% post-consumer recycled pages I have officially switched over. Here is my bee patterned one, here’s one with manatees, and a regular composition notebook patterned one if you’re into that. Also that pen is from Reformation and I’m obsessed with it.
As I said before, this month’s post is a bit all over the place, but it also provides you with a number of different ways to get involved and make small changes to your self-care routines.
DISCLOSURE: THIS POST CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS, WHICH HELP KEEP THIS SITE RUNNING. SOME OF THESE PRODUCTS WERE GIFTED TO ME, BUT INCLUDING THEM IN THIS POST WAS ENTIRELY OPTIONAL. ALL OPINIONS ARE MY OWN.
2 Responses
I’m always looking for new ways to reduce my ecological impact on the planet so this post was a fantastic read! I just recently made the switch to Lush shampoo bars and just started regularly composting. Thanks for giving me more ideas!
So glad this post inspired you!!