As you know, I write a lot about beauty and lifestyle, and I am lucky enough to get to try lots of new products all of the time. Which is great, but there’s no denying the issues it causes for our planet. We are at the point of destroying our planet of no going back, we are literally on the cusp of irreversible climate change and there is no denying it. While some of the main problems lie within huge organisations and the governments of the world, there are small and easy ways that we can make a change to our planet by our way of living. We live in a world of convenience, where we pick the easy option without thinking of the further implications it may have on either our wellbeing or planet.
I’m the first person to hold up to this, however, I’m trying to change and I understand that it’s probably not possible to just go full-in and totally change your entire life, the way the world makes it pretty impossible to live a completely zero-waste lifestyle whilst still living your day-to-day life. I wanted to share with you some ways that you can easily make a difference so I teamed up with Northumbrian Water to share with you some facts & information about how our beauty routine really does affect our planet.
Their ongoing campaign, #BinTheWipe is aimed at those of us who use single-use wipes, may they be makeup wipes or baby wipes. Disposable wipes are usually made of plastic, 90% of them actually, which are often flushed down the toilet. They can’t be broken down and do a lot of harm to our sewage systems. In 2019, 64% of the 15,681 blockages Northumbrian Water cleared across the North East were caused by wet wipes, even disposable wet wipes don’t break down fast enough to not cause an issue. The solution? Well, it’s pretty clear. Bin them. Literally or figuratively.
They’re bad for your skin anyway, so if you want to save the planet AND your skin, ditch them. Instead, switch to reusable cotton pads that you pop in the wash because even your regular cotton pads are single-use and cotton is farmed rather inhumanely and is also damaging to the planet. You can buy them from many places, I got mine from Urban Outfitters but you can get them from most zero-waste stores or even Amazon, but if you’re super conscious of your carbon footprint, buying online might not be the best option. There’s also Face Halo, which I haven’t tried *yet* but is microfibre and removes makeup with just the wet tool, nothing else. I’d personally still use a cleanser because well… I’m just like that but this is a great option and has rave reviews. There are tonnes of options out there, just take a peek in Boots.
Take a look at Northumbrian Water’s #BinTheWipe campaign here: http://bit.ly/binthewipe
A lot of the beauty products we use, particularly shower/bath products, come in plastic packaging. Of course, we can recycle them – mostly- but why not erase that completely? Use a brand, like Beauty Kitchen, who is a sustainable brand with packaging that you can refill and reuse. Their products are cruelty-free and vegan too, so it’s a win-win. Not to mention, really, really good. So you don’t have to compromise on anything. I particularly love their Prime Time cleanser, it deep cleans my skin wonderfully without stripping it and leaving it feeling dry. My mum, who I have to fight with about the makeup wipes, loves this product – all-around winner!
Oh, soap, how it’s suddenly become extremely fashionable again. Soap brows are well and truly a thing, but I use a bar of Dr Bronner’s soap to wash my makeup brushes with! Very little waste and it lasts for ages. My friend Amy, who is a wonderful makeup artist and blogger, turned me onto this and I just couldn’t look back. It’s such a good hack.
Ditching the microplastics is a huge thing too, luckily in the UK, the government banned the use of microplastics in products we rinse-off or clean with. Billions of little microplastic particles were being washed down the drain when we scrubbed, washed or exfoliated which were then ingested by fish and then… you guessed it, us. Yep. Chances are if you eat fish you might have eaten some plastic too. Ew. Microplastics are unfortunately still in some of the products we use, so when choosing your next lipstick or deodorant, look for polyethene, polypropylene, poly-e-terephthalate, and polymethyl methacrylate and avoid products containing these.
Disposable razors are also a huge problem, a lot of people use them once and throw them away. Why? Surely it is so much better (and cheaper) to invest in a good quality razor that will last you a long time. My favourite is the Friction Free Shaving as you can subscribe monthly, and re-use the handle each time. I even have my initials on mine, and I loooove their scrubs and shave creams too. It’s those shaves where I’m like ‘FEEL HOW SOFT MY LEG IS’ to all of my friends.
Lastly, I received tan Eco Tools eco-friendly hairbrush, which is super cool. Brands are really wising up about the environment and trying to do their social duty and create products that wont be harmful. That’s a brand I want to support and use. I think it is really amazing that Northumbrian Water care so much for our planet and wanted to work with me on this because I feel very passionate about it and know that the biggest changes always come from the smallest beginnings. So, #BinTheWipe and join the revolution.
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