The 5 easiest ways to remove plastic from your bathroom

I have spent years honing my skills on knowing when a product is cruelty free and which brands I need to avoid. Often I get asked why I bother trying to live a cruelty free life and the truth is I would find it much harder to deal with not trying to. “But isn’t it hard?” they ask and I quite simply reply with a smile and say “no”. It’s never hard when it’s something you truly believe in. We are so fortunate to live in a time when we can check if our products are cruelty free quickly and easily using our laptop or phone, but what I am however finding tricky is navigating the world of zero waste beauty products.

The zero waste movement is rapidly growing, between Sir David Attenborough educating us all with his message that we need to reduce our plastics and the popularity of the topic on social media, we are now more than ever aware of the fact that we need to take personal accountability for our actions when it comes to plastic. While it is an incredibly useful substance, there is no doubt it is overused, but where do we start? I mean how often do you walk into a supermarket and see unpackaged soap or solid shower gel? What about package free body lotion or cleansers?

Most of the beauty products we buy today come heavily packaged and we have come accustom to using such a wide range of products that the idea of going zero waste can seem really daunting. Nobody wants to give up the products they now deem essential but the great news is alternatives do exist out there and I want to share with you my top tips on where to start making your beauty routine more zero waste. These simple swaps will not only reduce the plastic in your beauty routine without giving any products up, they are intelligent swaps that will also save you money in the long run too.

Shampoo bars – Costing £8, one of these will last around 80 washes and can be easily found in Lush.
A Safety Razor – This might seem old school and it’s likely your granddad had one but these razors only require you to replace the blades rather than disposing of the razor. It’s easiest to buy the razor online for £20+ but you can get replacement blades in most larger chemists.
A Mooncup – This is a clever little thing to replace tampons and reduce the wastage created dealing with periods to almost zero, costing around £22.
A Massage bar – Made with solid cocoa butter, this is not only a solid body lotion but pick the right one and you can even use them to remove your make-up! Lush retail them starting from £4.95.
Washable make-up pads – A reuseable bamboo or cotton wipe, perfect to remove your makeup daily without cotton pads or make-up wipes. Just wash with your towels and you can use them over and over. You can purchase from Etsy for as little at £2.99 for 5.

Whether you try one of these tips or all of them, here’s to our small steps making big changes while maintaining our love of beauty.