Sustainability In The Bathroom Has Never Been Easier
Small changes can make a big impact.
With an abundance of convenient toiletries and throw-away products to choose from it can be difficult to be mindful of sustainability in the bathroom. But there’s some good news: More and more brands are coming up with green alternatives to combat waste and promote sustainability.
1. Makeup removal
Getting rid of your make-up at the end of the day is absolutely crucial to prevent getting wrinkles and breakouts. Single-use make-up wipes seem like a convenient way to do so but beware, they are neither effective nor sustainable. Make-up wipes are designed to break down make-up particles which means a good amount of residue from make-up will remain on your face. Yikes!
Also in terms of sustainability they are everything but ideal. It can take more than one hundred years for a single make-up wipe to decompose.
The solution: Reusable make-up remover pads. Using them together with a gentle cleansing butter or oil will clear your skin while also leaving it nourished. After using them you can simply throw the pads in the wash and work with them over and over. You will be able to find reusable make-up pads in almost every drug store. If you're good with a sewing machine you can even DIY some cute remover pads!
2. Nail Polish
You might have guessed this one just based on the smell when you open the bottle: Conventional nail polish is a real chemical bomb. Both nail polish and its removers are considered hazardous waste because they are flammable and toxic. When they are discarded they sit in landfills and toxic components including toluene, formaldehyde and dibutyl phthalate seep into the soil.
A company that is committed to revolutionizing the beauty industry is Gitti, a young brand based in Berlin. Gitti offers nail polish that is vegan, free of harmful substances and that nourishes the nails at the same time. On their website it says: “Our goal is 100% natural, vegan formulas and sustainable packaging solutions.”
3. Two in one products
As great as it is to have an extensive beauty routine and pamper yourself, using lots of different products in the bathroom is often not exactly sustainable. By simplifying your beauty routine and cutting back on waste it is possible to have the best of both worlds, looking fab and doing good for the planet. Win-win!
Ocean Salt by Lush is an exfoliator that can be used for the face and body and will leave your skin soft and sparkling clean. The self-conserving formula goes without synthetic preservatives. Lush is also known for refraining from using animal testing. Another bonus: The black pots their products come in can be recycled. For every five pots you return you receive a fresh face mask for free!
4. Safety razors
Did you ever think about the waste that is the result of hair removal? Waxing strips and razors are convenient but score poorly in terms of sustainability. Most disposable razors are non-biodegradable, which means they produce piles of waste which end up in landfills. According to the Environmental Protection Agency about 2 billion razors and refill blades get tossed out in the U.S. alone each year, as reported by USA Today.
Ditch your throw away razor and replace it with a safety razor to get smooth legs and do something for the environment. Rockwell Razors is a good address for razors that are affordable, durable and pretty damn stylish.
5. Period Underwear
You have probably seen period underwear all over your social media feeds by now. These panties are a great alternative for menstrual pads and tampons. They enable you to free-bleed without staining your skin or clothing, as the absorbent materials of these panties can hold the same amount as one to two tampons. On average period underwear can be washed and reused between two to five years.
In the UK alone 700,000 liners, 2.5 million tampons and 1.4 million sanitary towels are flushed down the toilet each day. Again, most of this waste ends up in landfills where it takes up to a hundred years to decompose. Go and try those panties. Period.
Here a few brands that offer period panties:
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