10 Zero Waste & Natural Beauty Hacks
Hey eco friendly friends! If you love simple natural products and are passionate for the environment like me, then you will love these 10 beauty hacks. Most products come in plastic or have lines of unpronounceable ingredients. So save your health and money with my tried and tested beauty hacks below!
1. Scrap your usual face toner and use apple cider vinegar instead
That’s right, apple cider vinegar is your friend! It balances the natural PH of your skin and breaks up the bond between dead skin cells- so it’s great for natural exfoliation! Plus it’s antibacterial so can help prevent pimples and improve skin tone. I like to dilute the ACV with 50% water into a small spray bottle. I then spray onto a reusable face wipe and apply all over my face and neck after washing my face. It leaves skin feeling clean and fresh!
2. Trade face wash in for Dermaklear acne sulphur soap
This amazing cleansing soap lasts for months and comes in a box (only a tiny bit of plastic around the bar). I use it to wash my face with a face cloth, the best way to remove makeup. I love that it lasts for a good 6 months, is natural and cleanses your skin so well.
3. Use a natural loofah exfoliating sponge over the plastic ones
I love my loofah sponges! I have a small one for my face and bigger one for my body. They are awesome because they are all natural and help scrub away dead skin on your body and face leaving you feeling fresh and smooth. Once you’re done with them you can simply compost them! Better for you and for the planet.
4. Ditch your dry shampoo and use corn flour instead
Fun fact- dry shampoo is basically corn flour with some other unnecessary fragrances and chemicals. Yep, don’t you just feel ripped off when you realise this? Talk about waste of money and resources! Plus all the waste in those little plastic bottles or spray cans that don’t last very long. Grab some corn flour (or if you have brown hair like me, cocoa powder works just as well!), put it into a reusable container and voila! I put mine in a reusable silicone bottle and empty some onto my hands before dispersing it into my hair roots. Brush through to blend it into your hair and absorb the oil. Look fresh and save having to wash your hair for another few days.
Corn flour in my reusable silicone bottle
5. Make your own moisturiser with just TWO ingredients!
This one is my favourite! After suffering from eczema my WHOLE life until about three years ago (yay me, blog post on that to come soon), I tried every moisturiser under the sun. Every. Single. ONE. Most of them left me itchier and worse off. After some research into the harmful effects of many ingredients in moisturisers, I realised the only way around this was to make my own. So all you need is 200g Cocoa butter and 200g Coconut oil! Melt them together then freeze to let it harden a little, around 20 minutes. Once firm (but not too solid), beat the mixture until soft peaks form. That’s it! Put it in a jar and you’ll have soft smooth skin that smells like chocolate! Absolutely divine!
Coconut oil & cocoa butter moisturiser
6. Use jojoba oil as a face moisturiser
Similar to the situation above, I found many face moisturisers with too many harmful ingredients and they would irritate my skin severely. After some research, I found jojoba oil to be the closest oil to our natural sebum and light enough for use on our face. So grab a bottle of jojoba oil and use as your regular moisturiser. I hardly ever get pimples and my skin is soft and smooth!
Jojoba Oil
7. Use olive oil to remove waterproof mascara
Don’t waste your money on expensive makeup remover, olive oil works just as well! To remove waterproof mascara, put a few drops of olive oil on a reusable makeup wipe, press against your lashes and hold for a minute then wipe off! Too easy right?
8. Use Bentonite Clay for face masks
If your skin is sensitive like mine then you probably can’t use regular face masks that have many unpronounceable ingredients. Bentonite Clay will be your new best friend! You can buy it in bulk so it will last forever as you only need a small amount once a week or two. The clay pulls all the oil out of your skin leaving is silky smooth!
Bentonite Clay
9. Make your own deodorant with just five ingredients
Many deodorants (especially anti-perspirants) contain many harmful ingredients that get absorbed into our skin (such as aluminium and parabens which can mimic our hormones). Perfect solution- make your own with five ingredients! Combine two teaspoons of shea butter and two teaspoons of coconut oil in a pot. Gently melt together then combine this with four teaspoons of arrowroot powder, 1.5 teaspoons of baking soda and 1/4 teaspoon of the essential oil of your choice! I personally love bergamot & lime or geranium & lime. Put the mixture into a small glass jar and you have yourself your own deodorant paste. If this seems too hard, you can purchase deodorant paste too- my fave is a brand called Schmidt’s. They come in glass jars in a variety of scents or unscented. You can also collect the empty jars and reuse them or send them back to the company for a free deodorant!
10. Refill your bottles at your nearest zero waste store
A lot of people don’t realise that zero waste shops offer all sorts of things to refill! Generally soap, dishwashing liquid, laundry liquid, shampoo & conditioner can all be refilled at your local zero waste/green store! Save that plastic waste.
Did you enjoy my tips? What are your zero waste beauty hacks? Share them below!
