7 Ways To Switch To A More Eco-Friendly Skincare Routine
Niharika has a passion for all things art, music, and travel and has over 4 years of experience in writing for social media. During her spare time, she likes experimenting in the kitchen, playing vide... read full bio
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Skincare plays a vital role in our lives. Even if you are someone who doesn’t like to use too many products on your skin, it is essential that you at least take the basic care of your skin. You need to ensure that you’re using products that enhance your natural beauty and at the same time aren’t harsh on your skin. Finding the proper skincare routine that is sustainable and easy to understand is essential. You might just pick products based on recommendations by friends or by not delving too deep into your skincare routine, but you need to stop doing this. Going sustainable with the skincare routine is absolutely essential, and to know that products used do not cause too much harm to the environment. Now, thanks to most companies, adopting a sustainable approach, it’s time you too decided to follow the same. So here are seven tips that you can follow if you want to have a more sustainable lifestyle:
1. Evaluate Your Products
Before you do anything else, you must take some time to sit and evaluate the skin care regimen you are following at the moment. Switching to a more environmentally friendly skincare routine does not mean that you have to get rid of all of your existing products and only buy clean beauty versions. We simply want you to cut down on the amount of waste that you produce. Once you finish your current products, you can effectively plan out your shift to more eco-friendly ones. Moreso, if you know where you stand you can plan out the shift properly. Go through your existing skincare stash and decide how much of it you can keep and how much of it will you replace with more organic products.
2. Read The Labels
It’s essential that you read labels on all the products that you are planning to use. You need to make sure that there isn’t anything that causes damage to your scalp. Avoid products that contain lead, mercury, parabens, BHA, formaldehyde, and mercury. You will recognize the chemical ingredients once you go through the constituency on the label. Even though they are designed for better skin, some of the ingredients are quite harmful for long-term use. These are not considered safe to use on humans, and they are terrible for the environment too! It is vital that you read all of the details that are written on the back of their products and question any ingredients mentioned on them. Knowing what kind of product you are using on your skin is highly crucial.
3. Get Multi-Purpose Products
There are plenty of brands that provide their customers with products that can be used in multiple ways. You’ve probably gone to a hotel and seen multi-purpose products. So instead of buying a body wash, face wash, and shampoo that’s different, you can opt for a multi-purpose product instead. There are plenty of companies that manufacture multi-purpose balms and soaps which can be used on the whole body. If you use fear products, you will also reduce the impact on the planet.
4. Use Washable Makeup Pads
All the lazy girls can relate to that feeling of just not wanting to take your makeup off and just crash into bed. However, this is a terrible idea and horrible for your skin. You need to use washable makeup pads to clean the makeup off your face. Since a lot of water is wasted when you wash your face with water, it’s better to use a washable makeup pad as they are more eco-friendly and help get rid of dead skin cells.
5. Buy Products That Have Eco-Friendly Packages
Unfortunately, most eco-friendly products come in plastic packages and inside a two or three-layered box that is entirely unnecessary. Use products with fewer packaging layers and are made up of cardboard and glass rather than plastic. This will help make a positive contribution to the environment. Glass is one of the best reusable products and is easily decomposable compared to products like plastic. Use razors that are made of bamboo or wood products as they are a better alternative to plastic.
6. Save Up
Yes, every single drop counts! This applies to trusty products and the water that you are using with them. Make sure that you avoid leaving the tap running when you are not using it. Just apply what you need. Some products are not meant to be used on a daily basis so sometimes we tend to forget that those products are there on our shelf for months. When that happens, it is possible that the expensive product has gone to waste due to no use. Try to avoid situations like that and make sure to use it till the last drop. Throwing out your products before you fully finish them is a definite no-no. While it might take a little bit of effort, make sure that you push and squeeze out every single, last bit of the product before you give up on it.
7. Ditch Microbeads
These might look very inviting for a scrub on your face, but they are actually very harmful and almost non-extinguishable. Since it’s teeny tiny plastic, it goes down your bathroom sink and pollutes the drains, and so on. Microbeads are horrible for the environment. These tiny pieces of plastic are too tiny to be filtered out by water systems and land up in lakes and oceans where fish swallow them and suffer from ailments. If you are a fish eater, then these same fish will eventually land up on your plate.
There are two types of environmentalists – One who cares about the environment and gives their everything and another would be an environment lover who does not have enough resources to do so. Making the switch to eco-friendly skincare takes a lot of effort and time. It is not a lifestyle that one can suddenly shift to overnight. You need to take everything at a snail’s pace and aim for more realistic goals. Do not pressure yourself to be eco-friendly in every aspect of your life. Do let us know all of your thoughts in the comment section below!
