Plastic Free July gives you a chance to reassess your relationship with plastic. How much plastic comes into your home in the form of beauty products, groceries and general household items?
The beauty industry is particularly bad when it comes to plastic in the form of packaging. If the product itself isn’t plastic, the outer packaging usually is. According to eco-friendly store Biome, the global cosmetics industry generates more than 120 billion units of packaging per year.
“The booming $500 billion per year global personal care industry relies heavily on plastic not only for containing formulations but for packaging too,” said Biome Eco Stores founder, Tracey Bailey.
“Almost every beauty product contains some form of plastic whether it’s the bottle, cap, lid, packaging, applicator or apparatus.
“Not too long ago, personal care items we’re not packaged in plastic. Soaps came in bar form, perfumes were packaged glass bottles, and hair care products consisted of powders or pomades in tins or jars.”
Starting your waste-free beauty journey is just that — a journey. Phasing out plastic won’t happen overnight but there are small changes you can begin making in order to lighten your footprint on the earth. We’ve rounded up a few products you can begin to invest in once you’ve used your current stash.
— Opt for compostable deodorant packaging
Biode is an environmentally responsible body care range that features compostable and biodegradable packaging. While most deodorant is sold in plastic packaging, the Biode Deodorant is housed in planet-friendly that can be composted.
The Deodorant itself has been formulated with natural and certified organic ingredients from the earth that are safe to return to the earth. While the switch to natural deodorant can take a few weeks, you’ll be making a change that’s better for you and the environment.
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— Swap plastic shampoo and conditioner bottles for bars
The vast majority of shampoo and conditioner products are housed in plastic bottles. While many of these can be recycled, there are waste-free options to completely replace the need for plastic.
Bar None’s Hydrating Shampoo and Conditioner bars are completely plastic-free but leave your hair feeling just as clean and soft. You simply wet your hair and the bar, rub the bar onto your hair and lather on the same way you would with liquid shampoo and conditioner.
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— Swap your plastic toothbrush for a bamboo one
Swapping your plastic toothbrush for a bamboo one is an easy step towards creating a plastic free bathroom. While plastic toothbrushes are sent to landfill at the end of their life (where they will sit for hundreds of years before it disperses into synthetic contaminants), bamboo toothbrushes can be buried or composted when you’re finished with them as bamboo will return to organic matter in the soil.
Biome’s Bamboo Toothbrush comes sizes for kids and adult and you can choose between soft and medium bristles for adults. This toothbrush should last you two to three months and at the end of its life, simply remove the bristles with pliers (as they can’t be composted) and bury or compost the handle.
If you haven’t used a bamboo toothbrush before, it’s honestly not that different to a plastic one when it comes to its ability to clean your teeth.
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— Invest in a reusable razor
Opting for a reusable razor instead of disposable ones means you’ll be sending less plastic to landfill every year. Once you invest in a safety razor, you keep the body for life and just have to replace the blades.
It can feel daunting to switch from a plastic disposable razor to one that requires you to insert razor blades but once you get the hang of it, it really does give you a superior shave and results in less irritation.
The range of Parker Safety Razors stocked at Biome caters for everybody and there’s a number of different razors to choose from. We love the Parker Safety Razor in Rose Gold, as it’s sleek and super light which allows for easier maneuverability when shaving.
When using a Parker Safety Razor, go slow and simply guide it along the area — you don’t have to put much pressure on it like a plastic razor. Once you’re finished with it, give you razor a rinse and leave it to dry. Keeping it dry between uses will also help to prevent rusting.
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— Ditch plastic cotton buds for bamboo
Plastic cotton buds aren’t recyclable and have to be chucked in the bin when you’re finished with them. Much like toothbrushes, bamboo cotton buds can be composted when you’ve finished with them as can the box they are housed in.
These Bamboo Cotton Buds by Biome are a great plastic free alternative as they’re made from Moso Bamboo, which isn’t the preferred food for pandas so it doesn’t endanger the panda population.
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— Say no to disposable makeup wipes
Purchasing one reusable makeup wipe is far better for the environment than multiple packs, which will sit in landfill for many years to come after you’ve disposed of them. A reusable wipe like Face Halo is a great way to reduce the amount of waste you create as one Face Halo can be washed around 200 times.
Simply wet your Face Halo with cold or warm water and it removes makeup, impurities and pollution on the skin thanks to the HaloTech fibre strands.
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— Opt for bar soap over shower gel
Minimising plastic consumption can also be as simple as buying a bar of soap for the shower instead of shower gel that is housed in a plastic bottle. Soap bars have previously gotten a bad rap for being drying on the skin and while this is true for some, there are many nourishing options available these days.
Biome’s Hemp, Shea & Clay Body Bar is filled with olive oil, castor oil and shea butter to moisturise skin, while the addition of pink clay exfoliates the skin. Hemp and vitamin E is also good for acne and eczema, should that be a concern for you. This soap is also handmade in Australia, so you can feel good for buying a local product.
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— Try plastic free toothpaste
If you’re willing to go a step further, you could also attempt to ditch your plastic toothpaste tube in favour of a powdered toothpaste that is housed in glass. Love Beauty Foods Tooth Powder is a natural product that gently polishes and cleans teeth while leaving your breath feeling fresh and clean.
Made from Australian bentonite and kaolin clay as well as organic sodium bicarbonate, this Tooth Powder naturally strengthens enamel. To use, simply wet your toothbrush and dip it into the powder and gently brush your teeth and gums.