Leading a more eco-friendly life can be daunting and the pressure from society telling us we're not doing enough is constant. However, living a more ecological life does not mean that we have to be perfect in every aspect. The key is starting slow by implementing small but meaningful changes in your every day habits.
This is why we have prepared 5 simple tips on how to make your self-care routine more eco-friendly:
Simplifying your skincare/haircare routine by using multi-purpose products
As per our motto, we recommend using less, but better! Try finding products that can be used in multiple ways, for instance a coloured lip product that can also be used on cheeks or a high coverage powder foundation rather than a liquid foundation and a powder one. You get the idea! The less products we use, the less packaging, transport, etc we generate.
Replace beauty tools with natural alternatives
The easiest items to swap out are your toothbrush, your razor, your cotton pads and your face wipes. You can even attempt at creating some of these yourself! Switching to reusable items will help save money in the long term, and the planet will thank you for it!
Quit products containing petroleum derived ingredients and micro plastic
Buy products which contain exclusively natural ingredients or ingredients of natural origin and run far (very far) away from products containing micro plastics (usually called polyethylene in the ingredient list) and petroleum derived ingredients. There are so many non synthetic alternatives on the beauty market, there isn't really an excuse to continue fueling the petroleum industry or to pollute our waters with micro plastic.
Choose eco-friendly packaging
You've probably hear this a million times, but this is certainly one of the easiest steps toward a more environmentally friendly self-care routine. And yet, many brands (and the industry in general) haven't made the switch. When choosing your next self-care product, try to avoid plastic in particular and look for glass, aluminium or cardboard instead.
Recycle empty beauty products
Once you have finished using a product, take the time to recycle it properly. Here is a helpful guide explaining how to recycle each type of cosmetic packaging in Belgium (ironically, this guide has been created by L'Oreal, which we don't consider as a good example of an eco-friendly brand but this guide is actually very useful). Some brands also offer their own recycling program and allow you to return your empty bottles in exchange for a free new product. In any case, before recycling the packaging, make sure to give it a wash (except if you are recycling products such as nail polish, etc).
We hope that this guide gave you new ideas as to how to reduce your waste and impact on the environment. As we said, the key is to find what works for you, and to take it step by step!
At MADU, we place a great importance on the environment and therefore only use ingredients of natural origin and recyclable packaging produced in Europe.
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