Last year, my sustainability focus was to create a zero-waste beauty routine. I made the switch to clean and ethical beauty a while ago but still had a few products that could be a little greener. I was conscious of packaging when I purchased all new products and searched for things without excess wrapping, plastic, and other waste, but still had quite a few plastic bottles in my routine, mostly hair care. So, I decided to make 2019 was going to be my year to fix it.
What Does Zero-Waste Beauty Mean?
Zero waste means nothing goes into the trash or landfill. NOTHING. Everything is either reused, recycled, or composted.
Unfortunately, the beauty industry is full of plastic and much of it is not recyclable.
Why A Zero-Waste Beauty Routine?
Well, the short answer is that the beauty industry is incredibly wasteful, and I knew that I was a part of that waste.
The longer answer is much more detailed…
The beauty industry produces over 140 billion units of packaging a year. Some just hold the container of product (complete and total waste!). Most aren’t recyclable, and even if they are, 70% still end up in a landfill. Some of the products are petrochemical based (yikes!) or have microplastic as an ingredient.
Most liquid formulations, like shampoo and conditioner, are primarily water, so we are shipping water, to be used in water, in a plastic container. Super wasteful.
The beauty industry is changing from the inside, mostly through smaller, independent companies (but even a few big ones, like L’Oréal are working on reducing their plastic consumption). But, I know that I need to do my part, not just to reduce my own waste, but to let the companies know that there is a demand for zero-waste beauty products.
I could no longer justify adding to the plastic problem just to look good. It was time for a change. So, 2019 was my year!
At the beginning of the year, I thought, how hard can that be? I would buy fewer things, switch out a few products, and make sure that I was properly recycling what was left. How hard could it be?
How Did I Do?
I did ok.
It was a little more difficult than I thought it would be. Now that the year is over, there are a few areas of my zero-waste beauty routine that I am still working on, and likely will be for a while. I know this is a journey, and this is just one step in it. So, I am doing the best I can, and working towards incremental improvements each day!
My Zero Waste Beauty Successes (or the easy stuff!)
Fortunately, I have been reducing what I use for years, and choosing simpler, multi-purpose products with little packaging. The beauty industry wants us to believe that without a bunch of products, one for every little issue we may or may not have, we will be ugly, age quickly, and not look our best.
There is nothing further from the truth. I have found that the simple products often work the best and that a cleaner, more gentler beauty routine results in clearer, happier skin and hair.
The first step to cleaning up any beauty routine is to simplify and refuse extra products.
I am kind of a lazy skincare/makeup person, so have just fallen into “simplification.” But it made going zero waste (or close to it) much easier.
How I Went Zero-Waste Beauty
First things first… I did make a few important and easy swaps right away that worked well.
I found a face oil that I absolutely love more than any I’ve used before. It comes in a glass bottle, with very little packaging. The pump and tube are plastic, so not perfect, but pretty darn close. It also doubles as a body and hair oil, so when I decide to do something a little extra with my hair, I have a product for that.
I switched over to Schmidt’s tub deodorant and love it. It takes a little getting used to, and sometimes, when I am really in a hurry, I get annoyed that it takes a split second longer (I know, silly. It is certainly not the difference between being late and being on time…).
A few years ago, I switched to Plant Apothecary’s Rice & Clean facewash. I like that it doesn’t have any water in it (I have plenty!) and that it comes in a glass container. I love that it works so well!
Aside from using up my bentonite clay mask (this will last forever, it seems) and my Andalou Naturals Chocolate mask, sunscreen, and the occasional drop of essential oil, these are the only two things I use on my face these days (besides makeup). When I need to buy another mask, I will find a few that come in a glass container, like this one or this one.
My period is now zero-waste, which I’ll write about soon. This felt like a big win, as I struggled with both making the decision to go zero waste and actually doing it.
I have used up most of my samples and have stopped collecting and using hotel samples. I didn’t realize how often I was doing this, as I never really paid attention. Once I started focusing on it, I realized that I almost always forgot to pack my products (which isn’t great for my hair or skin), but also compulsively took those tiny bottles home with me (for no reason – I usually don’t even like them. Habit, I guess). So, I no longer do that. And, I have a few of the trial size shampoos, conditioners, a Dr. Bronner’s, and some coconut oil already packed in my travel toiletry bag to prevent this.
When I buy makeup, I look for products like this one with no plastic, no mirror, and no magnet so the packaging can be recycled, or this one with mostly glass packaging, or this refillable one. Btw, if you are interested in any of these, here’s a few gifts with purchase and 10% off at The Detox Market. Fortunately, I didn’t have to buy much makeup last year, so this area didn’t require much research.
With little ones, I don’t feel comfortable using a safety razor (maybe in a few years), so I switched to Preserve razors a few years ago. They are not as great as a conventional razor, but do the trick well enough. If anyone can convince Gillette to make a zero-waste razor, I would be thrilled!
I switched toothpaste for baking soda (but will probably try a few tooth powders in the future, for the flavor), skip lotion altogether and use coconut oil instead, and am trying to talk my husband into switching to a less wasteful Q-tip. I put a recycle box in my bathroom and switched to bamboo toothbrushes (working on convincing my husband to do this as well…we shall see).
Other than washing and conditioning my hair, I don’t use any products aside from the occasional oil, unless it is a special occasion, and then probably have enough samples and leftovers to last a lifetime, so didn’t do anything different here.
Finally, the most difficult part (still working out some of the kinks, and I’ll write about that soon as well, hopefully after I’ve figured it out!), I switched over to a shampoo bar. It smells delightful and came with glowing reviews. But, we have hard water….Ugh, the hard water. It took so much more getting used to then I hoped, and I am still trying to figure out if it is worth it. I probably need to try a few other brands and types and find a system that works every time, without too much additional effort.
My Zero-Waste Beauty “Works-In-Process”
Sunscreen. I haven’t found a zero-waste sunscreen (although, I will admit, I haven’t looked very hard as we had enough sunscreen to get us through the summer). I do not trust DIY for something so important, especially for my kids. So, we use reef friendly, mineral susncreen and a stick sunscreen for quick, fussy kids (I hate the amount of plastic on these, but I love how easy they go on. And with a three-year-old, sometimes I have to make sacrifices). I also like this spray. This summer, I am going to try this one.
Mascara. Still working on this. I ended up buying a Pacifica mascara last month, which I really love. It took years to find a clean beauty mascara that I liked that wasn’t outrageously expensive. I am still on the hunt for a zero-waste one. I just can’t bring myself to spending $38 on mascara, but will consider this one if I do.
Interested in going zero waste with your beauty routine? I put together X tips to a zero-waste beauty routine here. Take a look and let me know if you’ve gone zero waste and how it went.