8 Steps to an Eco-friendly Beauty Routine

Most of us don’t realise the amount of waste we generate just by following a beauty routine. Traditional beauty products can comprise a range of harmful ingredients alongside the plastic containers they usually come in. Therefore, consumers must make a conscious choice while selecting the products they want to include in their beauty routine.

Each product, starting from the skincare to the hair care you use, comes wrapped in luxurious plastic packaging that may look beautiful but is not a great choice for the environment. Moreover, most products are made of harmful chemicals and unethical practices that make using them unsafe for the environment. But the question is, how do we switch to an eco-friendly beauty routine? To begin with, you can choose a sustainable beauty brand that advocates ethical practices. Moreover, simple switches, such as choosing shampoo and conditioner bars instead of liquid products, make a huge difference.

How to Identify a Sustainable Beauty Brand? 

A sustainable beauty brand prioritises environmental, social, and economic considerations throughout its operation process. These brands use ethical ingredients sourcing that minimises environmental impact and supports local communities and fair practices.

Moreover, their products are vegan, cruelty-free, and have environmentally friendly packing options that minimise carbon footprint. These brands ensure that energy-efficient practices are used in the manufacture, transportation, and distribution of their products. One of the easiest ways to identify a sustainable beauty brand is to visit their website and see if their products are advertised as vegan, cruelty-free, recyclable packing, and environmentally positive.

Small changes make a huge difference if you want to live a sustainable life, and here are eight simple steps that you can take to make your beauty routine sustainable and eco-friendly.

Making Your Beauty Routine Eco-Friendly

Use Beauty Bars: 

The liquid body washes in your bathroom, or the luxurious bottles of shampoo and conditioner end up in landfills after use. In their lifetime, an individual uses hundreds of bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and body wash, which end up in landfills and take years to decompose. However, you can change this by switching to beauty bars that come in environmentally friendly packaging. The cardboard boxes these bars come in are plastic-free and a better alternative to plastic bottles.

Choose Refillable Products: 

Once a product is over, you must opt for a refill package rather than purchasing an entirely new bottle. Refills are beneficial for you as well as the environment. Refills are cheaper than buying a new bottle, which helps you save money. Moreover, they reduce plastic waste because most refills require less packaging than the full bottle. Therefore, it is a win-win situation for you and the environment.

Select Sustainable Packaging:

Another change you must make is to choose brands with sustainable packaging. Ensure that packaging can be recycled easily and is made of biodegradable materials. Moreover, look for brands that sell their products in glass or tin bottles and compostable materials for packing. Opting for environmentally friendly packaging options will reduce your carbon footprint without you having to make significant changes.

Opt for Organic and Natural Products: 

Most consumers don’t realise that even if you buy a product with sustainable packaging, it may still contain harmful ingredients that pollute the environment. Controversial ingredients such as parabens, sulphates, synthetic fragrances, and silicones must be avoided when choosing a beauty product. Look for organic and natural ingredients that are safe for the environment and human use.

Choose Brands with Ethical Practices: 

Before you choose a brand, learn about the principles that they stand for. Ensure that your products undergo ethical practices, including fair trade and minimising water use in production. Ethical practices lead to a more sustainable beauty routine and ensure the well-being of workers and the environment at large.

Choose Vegan Products: 

When choosing a product, ensure that it is not made of animal-derived ingredients. However, it may not be possible to avoid all animal products. Hence, if a company uses beeswax or honey in a product, ensure they are ethically sourced.

There is a misconception in the beauty industry that vegan products are cruelty-free, which is not always the case. Therefore, if you are looking for a vegan product, ensure it is cruelty-free as well.

Prioritise Ethical Practices: 

Sadly, the beauty industry still has some unfair practices that impact the well-being of the environment and human beings. For instance, mica is a commonly used ingredient that brings a shimmery effect to your products. Unfortunately, the mic industry runs on child labor, which impacts mankind and the environment. Therefore, when looking for products with mica listed in their ingredients, ensure they have been ethically sourced.

Recycle your Bottles: 

There are numerous beauty brands that don’t offer refill packs. In this case, look for brands that have recyclable packaging options for their products. Being able to recycle your packages after you are done using them means that fewer bottles end up in the bins.

The Road to Eco-Friendly Beauty Routines

An eco-friendly beauty routine starts with a small change. Once you realise that it is time to change how you live your life, you can make a change that truly makes a difference to your life and the environment.

Incorporating an eco-friendly beauty routine is relatively easy. You just have to identify brands that follow ethical principles, keeping in mind how their business impacts society and the environment. Supporting such brands sends a strong message to society that people are changing, and unethical brands can no longer escape the wrath of the consumers.