Simple Swaps The Earth Will Love You For!

by BR Tabatha

With all the news articles on climate change, on the need to switch our petrol guzzlers for electric cars, on animals that are on the verge of extinction - if not already extinct - due to deforestation, the idea of doing better by our planet can feel overwhelming. Sometimes it can feel even hopeless.

However, nothing ever changed by doing, well, nothing. Even in the beauty space we can make changes to do our bit to help our planet, and they don't even have to be huge ones, because plenty of little changes can add up to a whole lot of good. Changes such as these...

1. Look for products in recyclable packaging, or products made from recycled packaging. These are wonderfully easy to spot because the beauty industry has gotten onboard with upping their packaging game in a big way, and often make a point of promoting their commitment to recycling on their packaging.

2. Wave goodbye to your cotton rounds and cotton balls and say hello to reuseable makeup removers. Easy to use, easy to wash, hardy as, these reuseable pads make wonderful makeup removers and don't suck up the same resources as growing cotton for products that are one and done does. (Seriously, do a little reading into how cotton is grown conventionally and you'll never throw out a slightly raggedy tea towel or T-shirt again. Cleaning rags for the win!)

3. Swap out your toothbrush for an eco-friendly option. A bamboo toothbrush does the same job as a plastic one, but has the added bonus of being able to breakdown once it has done its dash, therefore not adding to the landfill.

4. We love a bit of sparkle, but a recent study found that glitter that had made its way into sources of fresh water (like rivers/streams) affected the growth of plants and the production of cholorophyll. The gist of the study was that glitter - even the biodegradable kind - was not healthy for our waterways. So if you're going to wear glitter, don't flush it, bin it - better yet, avoid using it. 

5. Think the beauty of a candle ends when it does? Think again! That candle's glass jar can become storage! At BRHQ we use ours for storing our makeup brushes, our lipsticks, our bobby pins. One of our editors even drinks her water from one!

6. At some point in the past couple of decades we became convinced that bar soap was the bacteria ridden devil and liquid soap was the super hygienic angel. However, it's since been proven that bar soap is every bit as good as liquid soap, and it doesn't have all that pesky plastic wrapped around it, which makes picking up a bar during your next supermarket shop a must.

7. Get bloody minded about your period products. Ditch the tampons and pads and say hello to period knickers or cups. Yes, there's a mindshift in using them, but once you start you'll wonder how you ever lived without them.

8. Cosmetic companies are also working to ease the load of landfill by creating minimally packaged makeup - think lipstick cartridges that can be inserted into makeup cases, or eyeshadow palettes where you can buy, and mix and match, single shadows of your choice. Even better, the refills are often more affordably priced, so you can feel good about helping out the earth and your bank balance!

9. Another way to do your bit is to research who you're buying from and commit to supporting companies who support the environment. This can be done by looking for companies who are working to be Carbon Zero, for companies who donate a portion of profits to environment-focussed causes, or who are making every effort inhouse to create products using ingredients and practices that have minimal impact on our planet.

So, my Earth loving beauties... What changes have you made in your beauty routines to help our planet? Will you be implementing new changes in order to do your bit? And what other day-to-day suggestions do you have that can help us to better? Chat below, because sharing really is caring!