9 Ways to make your beauty routine more sustainable

Contribute to the care of the land, water and air with these simple changes in your beauty routine that also take care of your health in a sustainable way!

The ways you can make your life more sustainable range from small changes, such as carrying a cloth bag for purchases, to including habits in your beauty routine that favor the responsible use of waste and natural ingredients.

Here we will talk about this last point that will not only help you to do your bit with the preservation of the planet, but will also improve your health considerably. Ready to take the plunge?

1. Say yes to the solid shampoo

It is a bar shampoo that does not come packaged in plastic containers, it is compact, lasts longer and less water is used to make it, unlike traditional liquid shampoos. The best thing, besides taking care of the planet, is that it cleans, conditions the hair and fills it with nutrients to prevent hair loss.

2. Use a bar conditioner

It is the same principle as the solid shampoo, only that instead of foaming it feels like a hair oil that moisturizes and facilitates the detangling of the hair. Most bar conditioners have natural ingredients that contribute to water care, as well as the reduction of plastics per person.

3. Take advantage of the alum stone

The production of deodorants in roll-on, aerosol or gel involves chemical components that turn out to be harmful to terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, so natural options such as alum stone are the solution to make your beauty routine more sustainable. This is a crystallized salt in the form of a stone that works as a deodorant, thanks to the fact that it inhibits the development of bacteria that cause body odor.

4. Make homemade scrubs

Replacing masks and commercial scrubs with a homemade version is a great step to be more eco-friendly in your daily routine. These are less aggressive (but just as effective), their waste takes less time to dispose of, and you can store them in glass containers.

5. Hello, bamboo brushes and brushes

When buying your beauty tools, choose those that are made from natural, recycled and renewable fibers such as bamboo and cotton. Toothbrushes, hair brushes, body brushes or makeup brushes are the ones that you can begin to replace more easily to decrease the amount of plastics and carbon emissions.

6. Say goodbye to towels and tampons

Sanitary napkins take 500 to 800 years to dispose of, and the most alarming thing is that a woman in her menstrual period uses 7200 pieces on average throughout her life, generating tons of garbage that take centuries to disappear. Thus, the use of the menstrual cup is much more effective in combating waste and respecting the environment, since the cups have a life span of 10 years, equivalent to approximately 1800 towels. The menstrual cup is also more beneficial for health, since it does not affect vaginal humidity, nor does it leave residues of synthetic fibers.

7. Give reusable makeup remover towels a try

Forget about cotton pads and single-use makeup remover wipes, and swap them for fabric options that are reusable after washing. How do they work? After applying the makeup remover oil and facial cleanser with your hands, moisten the towel with warm water and remove all excess impurities.

After using it, it is essential to wash it – by hand or in the washing machine – and let it dry in a ventilated place to make the most of its life time, which is two to three months, even using it daily.

8. Chemical free enamels, always!

A good part of the nail polish factories use ingredients with highly toxic assets such as formaldehyde, toluene, camphor or dibutyl phthalate, which is why they have been banned in countries of the European Union to reduce pollution.

Although this has not been regulated in Mexico, it is advisable to always read the labels and lean towards the 3 or 7 free enamels that do not have these compounds. Similarly, it is foolproof to support firms that offer reusable and refillable jars.

9. Decide on brands with an environmental commitment

Speaking of supporting brands that are committed to the environment, there are several that have recycling programs, which allow you to exchange a certain amount of empty packaging for lipsticks, luxury samples, masks and unmatched gifts. Still others don’t give you a new product but they are refillable and accept empty jars to produce more bottles.