Get More Green: Reduce Your Beauty Carbon Footprint
Help The Environment Through Your Beauty Routine With These Tips
Do you know what your carbon footprint is? It’s not an intriguing new pedicure system, sadly: it's actually the amount of carbon dioxide (and other greenhouse gases) released due to the fossil fuels used to produce the products and services that you use. For those trying to be environmentally conscious, one of the first steps is figuring out ways to minimize your personal carbon footprint. You can do this by carpooling (or taking public transportation), eating locally-sourced foods, and potentially changing up your beauty routine (among other things).
How can you reduce your beauty carbon footprint? I’m glad you asked, because we’ve got five strategies to share with you!
Research Your Brands
The first thing you can do is to educate yourself on the beauty products that you use - and how they’re produced. Look for brands that use sustainably-sourced ingredients and are open about their production cycle. Pay attention to products that are identified as eco-friendly or organic, and look into whether their ingredients match those descriptions - less processing means less manufacturing by-products means a potential improvement to the planet. You may discover that your faves are problematic, but it’s better to know and change your habits: being environmentally conscious is about being a responsible citizen on planet Earth. You know, like Superman. Be like Superman.
Pay Attention to Packaging
We've probably all seen videos of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and felt horrified at all the plastic we're throwing into our oceans. Hopefully, that’s inspired us to find ways to use less plastic (and other items difficult to dispose of) in our homes. Packaging can be one of the worst offenders producing wasted plastics, which makes it important for you to pay attention to how much is used in your beauty products. Look for beauty products that use recyclable materials or are identified as made from 100% post-consumer content. Avoid those brands with a lot of fancy and unnecessary packaging - no matter how Instagrammable it is.
Buy Less Stuff
Be honest: do you really need ALL the beauty products cluttering your cabinets and counter space right now? Make like an Old Spice commercial and look at your beauty products, now back to me - the answer is probably no. Another easy way to reduce your beauty carbon footprint is simply by buying less stuff. Consolidate products - choose those that have multiple applications, like argan oil for a natural skin moisturizer and a styling material to make your hair shiny and more manageable. Also, forego buying multiple products that serve the same purpose and keep your beauty routine simple. Practicing this habit can also help you actually use all the beauty products you buy and save you money.
Use Less Water
Hot water can be another significant source for carbon dioxide emissions, which means using less of it can help reduce your carbon footprint. Do the common sense things to use less water in general and less hot water specifically: turn the water off while you're brushing your teeth, and see how many loads of laundry you can do on the cold wash cycle. You can also take showers regularly instead of baths, and make sure that you’re quick about it - you don’t have to be the Flash, but you should be economical. Consider only shampooing your hair a couple of times a week: washing it too often can strip your hair’s natural oils, whereas giving the shampoo a miss once a week can stretch your supply of hair products and reduce hot water usage.
Go Natural
Sometimes, the answer is less chemicals. Instead of using the same big brand, big lab go-tos, consider searching out eco-friendly brands that embrace natural ingredients - or use everyday items you already have at home. I mentioned argan oil above - it’s not only great for your hair and your skin, but can also be used as a nail treatment and hair conditioner. You can use honey as a conditioner after shampooing your hair as well. Use a beeswax lip balm to lock in moisture on your lips. A little bit of sugar can be used as a lip scrub. Get creative with your research and routine, and you’ll have a smaller carbon footprint in no time.
How will you change up your beauty routine to be more environmentally conscious? Tag us on Facebook or on Instagram @isa.professional and let us know!
