The journey to living a more eco-friendly lifestyle may seem long and daunting, but what if I told you it was really quite simple?
What if I told you that you’re not doing it wrong if you don’t do an immediate overhaul of everything in your life? What if I told you that the best way to begin was to start small?
Well… that’s exactly what I’m telling you.
My personal “eco-friendly journey”, if you will, began in 2016 when I decided I hated using disposable makeup remover wipes as they were wasteful and didn’t even do that good a job at taking makeup off, so I’d end up having to just wash my face again anyway, but… I didn’t want to keep covering my flannels in makeup either.
I ended up purchasing a pack of ten reusable makeup remover pads from a shop on Etsy for no more than eight pounds, and I haven’t looked back since, and I still have most of them today, in great condition. Just think about how much money I’d have spent over the last five or six years if I was still buying packs of makeup wipes for £3 every few weeks, and how many more makeup wipes would be sitting in landfill!
From here, I started thinking of other small swaps I could make in my makeup, skincare, and bathroom routine that would be more eco-friendly, and thus began my passion for eco-friendly products.
So, after a few years of making lots of small changes myself, I thought Plastic Free July was as good a time as any to share some suggestions with you. Let’s jump in.
Product: Makeup Remover Wipes
Swap: Reusable Makeup Remover Pads, Makeup “Eraser” Cloths, or just a good old flannel/face cloth!
Please, PLEASE, ditch the disposable makeup wipes! Did you know that around 11 billion wet wipes go to landfill every year, and they can take up to 100 years to biodegrade.
Instead, you can find reusable makeup remover pads on Etsy, or made by small businesses, or in independent zero-waste / eco-friendly stores. If you’re a Brighton or Worthing local, you can find some in Hisbe, and many high street shops are also beginning to stock them too. They’re so cheap considering how much they can be reused, and they do a far better job at taking your makeup off. Personally, I pair mine with The Body Shop’s chamomile balm which literally melts your makeup off, but any usual cleanser or face wash will do (bonus points if it’s plastic-free and cruelty-free!)
If you’d rather repurpose something you already have, I tend to ‘demote’ an older flannel to a makeup-removal flannel, or you can even make your own remover pads from old towel fabric!
Product: Plastic Toothbrush
Swap: Bamboo Toothbrush
Bamboo toothbrushes are probably one of my favourite swaps I’ve made! I couldn’t tell you exactly what I love so much about bamboo toothbrushes, or why I got so excited over a toothbrush at all, but this is definitely a change I will never be going back from.
Don’t be fooled by the costs you may have seen in mainstream supermarkets (I’m looking at you, Colgate), you can find bamboo toothbrushes for the same price as regular plastic toothbrushes! Take a look in your local refill/eco-friendly shop or do some research online and you are bound to find plenty of affordable and accessible options.
Why should you make this swap, you may wonder? Well, as toothbrushes should be changed every three months, that means that in the UK alone, there is the potential for more than 264 million brushes to end up in landfill every year!
Bamboo toothbrushes are biodegradable and are often packaged in recycled or recyclable boxes, so they reduce plastic waste considerably.
Product: Mainstream Toilet Paper Brands
Swap: Bamboo or Recycled Toilet Paper
One of the next swaps I feel I should make in my own bathroom is to do with toilet paper - I know, a weird one. I’ve seen the brand ‘Who Gives a Crap’ around for a while now, and have always been tempted by their colourful branding and eco-friendly messages.
It may not seem like such a big deal, just swapping the brand of toilet paper you use, but the truth is that mainstream toilet paper really is quite harmful to the environment as a result of immense deforestation. Who Gives a Crap have some great information, so feel free to check that out here once you’ve finished reading this post!
Product: Disposable / Plastic Razors
Swap: Reusable Razors
If you choose to shave, you can do so in a way that won’t harm the environment by ditching disposable and plastic razors and switching to a more sustainable option!
Personally, my go-to is FFS (Fuss Free Shaving), who use minimal packaging, sustainable materials, and have their own blade recycling scheme. They’re also super affordable, and I just love their branding too.
There are plenty of brands out there, like FFS, Estrid, etc. and you can usually find great options in your local refill/sustainable shop, or online. Changing up your shaving products is a great way to save money and help the environment, and it’s an easier one than you’d think.
Product: Disposable Period Products
Swap: Reusable, or, organic.
I actually have an in-depth blog post about this already, so I’d definitely recommend checking that out as the options here are almost endless!
What I will say though, is that there are far more options for people with periods out there than we are often told. Whether it’s simply changing away from the mainstream pads and tampons to bamboo or organic ones (which contain less plastic and harmful chemicals) or trying something completely different like reusable period underwear, period cups, or reusable pads!
It’s unfortunate that periods create so much plastic waste, so this was an area of my own life I wanted to really re-evaluate and see what changes I could make to reduce that. I’ve settled on a combination of organic disposables, and period underwear, and it’s made such a difference and saved me a fair bit of money too.
You can read the full blog post on sustainable period products here.
Of course, there are way more products in your bathroom than you’d think, and probably way more plastic! So, once you’ve made a start, why not think about your hair care products, your bathroom cleaning products, or what alternatives there are to sponges and loofahs?
If you have any other suggestions or pointers for reducing the plastic in your bathroom, I’d love to know. Make sure to drop a comment!
As always, thank you for reading. Have a great Plastic Free July!
