As Plastic Free July comes to a close for another year, I wanted to share my 6 Easy Beauty Swaps to keep the awareness going and inspire not only everyone reading this to make better, more eco-friendly consumer choices for the planet, but as a personal reminder that there's always more that I can do myself as well.
If you're new to going plastic-free, my advice would be to just start small with one swap and take it from there. It can be rather overwhelming if you try and change everything all at once, not to mention expensive, so use up what you have first and then make your next purchase a plastic-free one.
I still have an awful amount of plastic in my bathroom and beauty routine as you'll no doubt see from my Empties posts, and I'm going, to be honest here and say that I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to follow a completely plastic-free lifestyle, but making some changes is better than doing nothing!
Here are 6 Easy Beauty Swaps you can try to reduce your plastic waste:-
1 - Swap Your Morning Cleanser For A Konjac Sponge with The Korean Konjac Facial Sponge* (£9.99, link)
Suitable for even sensitive skin, Konjac Sponges have been popular across Asia for decades and have in recent years started to pop up in sustainable bathrooms in the west thanks to their completely natural and biodegradable nature. Made from the Konjac plant, these sponges appear hard at first, but once submerged in water, they soften and expand. Their unique structure gently cleanses the skin and you'll find many Konjac sponges are infused with Red or Green Clay (such as above) to help absorb oil, dirt, and impurities. They're designed to be used on their own with just water for a refreshing morning cleanse, though you can add a tiny amount of your favourite cleanser to them if you wish.
Konjac sponges last around 2-3 months, after which they can be composted. If you try this and like it, there are also larger Body Sponges that you can replace plastic loofahs with for another easy swap!
2 - Swap Your Aerosol or Plastic Roll-On Deodorant For Ben & Anna Natural Deodorant* (60g, £9.95, link)
The natural deodorant market has literally exploded with more choice than ever before so swapping to a natural deodorant in eco-friendly packaging is one of the easiest swaps to make these days. I've reviewed so many over the years (check out some of my reviews here) and I often chop and change between different brands.
My current favourite for summer has been this Ben & Anna Natural Deodorant in Persian Lime which has such a beautiful zesty and fresh citrusy scent. It comes packaged in a handy twist-up cardboard tube that's easy to recycle afterwards, and each purchase helps to support ocean cleaning projects around the world.
3 & 4 - Swap Your Toothpaste & Floss To Ben & Anna Natural Toothpaste* (100ml, £8.95, link) and Georganics Natural Activated Charcoal Floss* (£4.90, link)
I've talked about plastic-free dental routines in the past, and again, the market for these products has grown enormously due to consumer demand which is very encouraging to see. There are lots and lots of natural toothpaste to choose from and I have another favourite from Ben & Anna here who do a brilliant range of fluoride and fluoride-free options so you can pick the one to suit your personal needs. All of their toothpaste is packaged in glass jars with an aluminium lid and come with a little wooden spatula that you can use to dispense the paste straight onto your brush.
Don't stop with just toothpaste though! Dentists recommend that we should all be flossing at least once a day for optimal gum and mouth health so grab one of these Georganics Natural Activated Charcoal Floss that comes in a reusable glass jar and buy the refills whenever you run out.
4 - Swap Your Plastic Shampoo Bottle for Marley's Pure & Natural Shampoo* (50g, £11.50, link)
Natural shampoos are perhaps the trickiest swap so save this one for last if you're new to this as I have personally found them to be a bit of a journey to find ones that work for your hair. However, I'm currently enjoying Marley's sustainable Pure & Natural Shampoo in Euclayltpus and Green Clay which is specially formulated for oily/greasy hair types.
This is quite different from the usual natural shampoo bars that you see people using, as inside the plastic-free bag are natural shampoo flakes. To use it, you simply add hot water to the bag, leave for 30 minutes to dissolve and once cool, transfer it to a reusable bottle (this could be your previous plastic shampoo bottle). Pop the bottle into the fridge overnight to rest and come the morning, it's ready to use! This is a good one to try if you haven't had much luck with traditional shampoo bars, and instead prefer a liquid-based shampoo.
6 - Swap Your Hand & Body Wash For A Soap Bar* (100g, £2.49, link)
We've all been washing our hands like crazy during the pandemic and unfortunately, all of that plastic waste that's generated from hand wash bottles is adding up, so if you only do one of these swaps, make it this one. I've loved seeing old-school bars of soap come back into fashion again! Versatile to have next to every sink in your home, you can choose your favourite natural ingredients and scent and enjoy a truly plastic-free, zero-waste alternative. Once you've swapped your hand washes, why not try using a bar or two in the shower instead of shower gel? Another easy plastic-free swap!
What are your favourite plastic-free beauty swaps?
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