Easiest eco beauty swaps
You might have heard of “clean-eating”, but have you ever heard of “clean beauty”?
For those who are looking to reduce their reliance on single use products, there are some very straightforward swaps that can be tried at very little cost.
With the gifting season coming up, it seems like a good time to share some of those ideas for pampering presents!
One swap at a time…
My journey with trying out all sort of more eco friendly beauty products started during my last pregnancy. My skin became sensitive all over my body, and it felt like this came pretty much out of the blue. I did my usual reading up online and I began to change a lot of things I had previously taken for granted; both to ease discomfort and reduce the amount of unnatural chemicals that my skin was ingesting.
It started with trialling some 10-free nail varnish, some vegan body lotions & shampoos, and then I have to admit it has gradually spiralled over the last couple of years...
Sometimes I have found that beauty products made purely with natural ingredients as their basis tend to be a little less effective, but there are a few wins that I want to share my experiences on because they really have been solid swaps that I have kept using, and they have had a real impact in reducing the amount of bathroom / beauty plastic I have been getting through, as well as reducing my personal carbon footprint.
Make up remover wipes
Probably the easiest reusable for many of us to get our head around. They are pretty much a straight swap, you just use them to cleanse your face with a cream cleanser or micellar water when you would have previously used a cotton wool pad or a disposable wipe (even to remove nail varnish!).
Most make up remover pads come with a small mesh bag that you can store and wash them in, or just throw them in your washing basket because they can go in with normal laundry. They don’t need to absorb liquid in the same way a reusable period or cloth nappy insert does, and so it doesn’t actually matter if you wash them with fabric conditioner or not.
Make up wipes come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, and they do actually last many years even if you are using them every day. If you have only ever used a “sensitive” disposable wipe, then you really should give these a go because they have a soft texture rather than an abrasive one which can damage sensitive skin. They also make a great gift for treating someone who’s still a bit on the eco swap fence.
Eco-friendly “safety” razor
Slightly more out of the comfort zone for most people, I have to say this is one of my favourite swaps to date. Did you know disposable razors are incredibly difficult to recycle? this includes the ones with replaceable heads (like I used previously).
As a rule, anything containing a metal part requires specific extraction as part of any recycling process, and therefore razors are actually one of the most complex because they require to be sorted and dismantled. Even worse are cans of shaving foam, which contain almost as much metal as plastic in a completely sealed unit, which is really hard to take apart even manually, so you can guess how many of them are sitting in landfill or floating around our oceans and beaches. Totally environmentally irresponsible.
Once I realised this I immediately swapped to a shaving soap bar, but I have to admit it did take me a while to pluck up the courage to swap to a safety razor.
They just seem so much more dangerous right? Won’t I cut myself all over?
That was until I came across the lovely Emer at Aphrodite Razors and I completely fell in love with her beautiful website and expert tips. (#smallbusinessgoals ahem!). I can only dream of my website being as stunning as hers one day!
I digress. I followed Emer’s advice of exfoliating before shaving, holding the razor at the right angle and doing small strokes using the weight of the razor to apply enough pressure rather than forcing it …and now shaving is an absolute guilty pleasure rather than a chore!
3 reasons why I love my safety razor
Somehow using it I feel like a retro-glamorous goddess from the 1950s
I much prefer the sight of my beautiful razor in the bathroom
The shave you get from a real razor blade is so much closer, you won’t know unless you try it!
I can pick up replacement blades at my local refill shop for as little as 20p for a pack of 5, so it’s an absolute no brainer. Or subscribe and Emer will post them regularly to you. Emer also sells hand made quality shaving soaps and other plastic free beauty essentials like body scrubs. I loved the body moisturiser bar after shaving it smells amazing and really calms down any sensitivity. Just divine!
You can get a discount using this link or by entering voucher code APHRODITE-AJ7WXL at checkout to save 20%.
Refillable Deodorant
I was an eco-deodorant sceptic for so long! I was very dubious about using anything that wasn't an anti-perspirant and didn't believe it would work, but this actually does!
My under arms skin was always so sensitive and itchy from “normal” deodorant that I had begun using sensitive versions but they never worked as well. With Fussy I don’t need to choose the sensitive option, (even after shaving), although you can have lots of choice. It’s the first time in my life that I’ve not had an itch to scratch.
Get a free Fussy case at this link. Fussy have the backing of eco dragon Deborah Meaden and I’m finding their scents yummy!
UpCircle Refillable Skincare
Refilling your daily cleansers and moisturisers should really be a no-brainer when it comes to reducing the amount of plastic packaging you get through. I must admit I’m not a convert yet when it comes to eco alternatives to toothpaste, but this type of beauty stuff I am all over right now.
Who doesn’t love any excuse to try a new face cream?
I get my UpCircle refill fix from my local refill shop. And one of the most eco-friendly things about doing this is that you don’t have to buy the packaging that it comes with you can simply bring your own empty tub, which is what I did.!
My local shop also fills my posts to the absolute brim, which I love because it means they are longer lasting than a standard pot of cream, and I also don’t think they are actually that expensive. I really like the eye cream and night cream. They have been lovely to use in this recent cold weather and don’t leave my skin feeling tight or greasy, so I would say they suit my “normal/combination” skin type.
I’m just figuring out what I should try next….
If you don’t have a refill shop close by then you can always buy online and Upcircle will allow you to return your pot freepost and order a refill saving 20%.
For a £10 off coupon on your first order with Upcircle, click here.
Shampoo bars
I really struggled with shampoo bars to start with. They just seemed to take so long to use and I didn’t feel like they were getting my scalp properly clean.
Until I got my hair chopped to chin length and it really turned a corner! The elimintation of silicon actually leaves my hair both less frizzy and less greasy.
And whilst shampoo bars probably tend to strip colour out of your hair, given that I’m now 40 and on an eco-mission I’m literally growing out all my colour to see what I actually look like with a “grombre”. Call me mad but the idea seemed to go down well in my reusables Facebook Group (non-period related chat is definitely allowed!).
Now I love trying new shampoo and conditioner bars, and I have to say my own personal preference is for ones with quite a strong fragrance. Clean smelling hair is the only fragrance I wear nowadays so this is personally essential for me.
Some I can highly recommend are:
The “botanical” or “sweet orange” luxury shampoo and luxury conditioner bars from The Solid Bar Company are probably my absolute favourite, and are handmade down the road in Oxfordshire. Code THANKYOU gets you 10% off. Take a look at their natural insect repellents too!
Dook Bergamot & Rosemary shampoo bar is slightly better value and is just absolutely lush, I’m hoping to try the Dook conditioner oil next.
Rowdy Kind Little Naughty Never Notty shampoo bar is perfect for kids and good as a back up for you whilst on holiday if you want to save luggage space.
Soap bars for body and face
I swapped to bar soap instead of liquid soap in practically every room in our home. I was worried we might end up with dry skin problems but this went down so well with all four of us that I think there’s actually been an improvement there.
So I’ve started swapping out other things in my regime, namely face and body. There are some great supermarket finds to be had in this space. I particularly like the Nivea charcoal face bar actually it’s gently exfoliating and is so widely available I don’t need to share a link.
For body, this bar by Beauty Kin is my newest favourite. It’s still moisturizing as well as exfoliating and my current bar feels like it’s going to last forever. I really want to try the shaving bar next!
Please leave any comments you might have below. I’m always open to suggestions!
Help guides
For more straight forward practical tips on making the switch to reusables, have a read of my further blogs: