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As I started living more consciously, I discovered the importance of the five elements and their impact on my body and mind. Anything that is hazardous for these elements has disturbing effects on my body as well. And so, I decided to follow these sustainable beauty practices and use the eco-friendly beauty products mentioned below. Ready to join me? Embark on this journey to build a better environment along with building a better you!
SUSTAINABLE BEAUTY PRACTICES
Before buying or using any product on your body, ask yourself:
- Do I need this?
- Can I find a different product with more natural ingredients and less packaging to recycle?
- How can I enhance my beauty without causing harm to the planet?
STAY AWAY FROM SPRAY CANS:
Avoid using hair sprays, shaving creams and deodorants that come in aerosol spray cans.
They contain volatile organic compounds that hurt the environment and can negatively affect our health.
According to researchers, the vapours can cause diarrhoea and other problems in infants and headaches and depression in mothers.
Plus, cans are a task to recycle.
When you buy hair spray, go for non-toxic ones or try shea butter to hold your hair in place.
Essential oil is a good alternative for perfumes and deodorants.
Other than using shaving creams, you can use coconut oil or cocoa butter.
SAVE WATER:
We use about 80 to 100 gallons of water a day, and most of it goes right down the drain—flushing foaming agents, detergents, scents and colours into the ecosystem. It is better to skip shampooing your hair daily (for most hair types, every other day is fine and for curly hair, once a week is good).
By taking this small step, we prevent a lot of unnecessary wastage of water. In-between shampoos, you can try a hair powder or dry shampoo to reduce the amount of grease.
Do not take a shower for more than 5 to 7 minutes. You can use a timer to keep track.
Make sure your tap is not turned on the entire time while brushing your teeth or washing your face.
USE MINIMALISTIC PRODUCTS:
Using minimalistic products is one of the best sustainable beauty practices that significantly improved my skin. It all started with making a conscious decision of choosing the products that had fewer and cleaner ingredients.
I choose to avoid using products that have complicated chemical names mentioned as ingredients.
Selecting the products with fewer ingredients, in general,
and fewer synthetic ingredients is not only good for you but also for our planet.
Look for the components that were grown using sustainable practices that support balance in the ecosystem.
SMART WAY TO DRY:
Air-dry your hair or use an eco-friendly blow dryer. You can even stand in the sunlight for 10 minutes to dry your hair.
If you are blow-drying your hair, dry your hair at the roots only to conserve energy.
Let the ends air-dry and prevent flyaways by using an oil or organic anti-frizz serum.
WASTE DISPOSAL:
Any beauty products that contain toxic chemicals, flammables or petroleum come under the category of hazardous waste.
Such chemicals are present in many beauty and personal care products like nail polish remover, nail paint, perfume, hair colour and aerosol hair spray. And they are NOT ENVIRONMENT FRIENDLY.
Most countries have regular collections or specific locations to drop off hazardous waste.
Make sure that you are correctly segregating your waste and not throwing it haphazardly.
It is better to buy products from companies that do not use toxic chemicals in the first place as this will protect your health and that of the planet.
Research and boycott the products that harm our mother nature.
SAFE COLOUR:
Always go for ammonia-free hair colour whether you are colouring your hair at home or getting it done at a salon
Make sure that you do not let the excess colour go down the sink. Also, try recycling the aluminium foils used during highlighting.
You can even try natural alternatives for adding colour to your hair. Example- Beetroot juice or henna.
LOOK FOR ENVIRONMENT-FRIENDLY PACKAGING:
Many products come in recyclable boxes.
Try to buy products from companies that use eco-friendly packaging and follow sustainable beauty practices.
ARE YOU FINISHING WHAT YOU ARE BUYING:
Most women do not use the product they buy entirely.
First, use up the products you have before buying more, and if you are not going to use one, recycle or reuse the container or give it to someone else.
Rather than buying innumerable products, purchase a few products and finish them before buying anything else.
BUY REUSABLE PACKAGING:
Buy full-size products in large bottles that you can pour into reusable smaller ones for ease of handling.
If you buy a product, check if you can refill the container or return it.
Some companies give you credit points for returning them empty product containers.
RESEARCH THE COMPANY:
Before buying any product, check the BACK OF THE PACK. You should be aware of the ingredients used to make the product and from where they are sourcing them. Check if they use packaging that can be recycled or not.
Look for the green business certification.
Support those companies that behave in an ecologically responsible manner. (for example- companies that give a percentage of their profits to environmental organizations.)
RECYCLE:
Recycle everything.
If there is a product that you no longer use, avoid throwing it down the drain. Throw it in the trash can. No significant change is happening, but the benefits of the same will be enormous.
DIY:
It might be shocking to hear, but there are a lot of products we can make at home.
The best part about making our product is that you know what goes inside the product. What makes it even better is that it is effective.
It is empowering to discover that responsible beauty care starts at home. When we know better, we do better.
For homemade products, you can check this out-
DIY spot treatments
Best goddess spa at home
Get pink lips naturally
Best homemade toners for all skin types
Get rid of open pores
Whenever you buy anything, make sure that you keep both personal and environmental effects in mind and then choose. It is not easy and takes quite some time to make sustainable beauty practices part of your lifestyle, but I promise it will be worth it.