Plastic Free Beauty Products
Two things we know about winter: It’s getting colder and it’s getting drier. This means there is never a better time than now to be taking care of your skin (and your planet!). This Plastic Free July we are highlighting some of our favourite ways to keep your skin glowing without the pesky plastic packaging.
DIY facemasks - There are so many nourishing, naturally occurring ingredients you might already have in your house. Mix oats with water to form a paste and combine with honey, avocado, yoghurt and banana and gently apply on the face (1)
2. Homemade body scrubs - Perfect for exfoliating and smelling great - you can make your own scrub from home with coffee grounds and coconut oil. Dry out old coffee grounds, add a scoop of salt or sugar, a tablespoon of coconut oil (or other leftover oils) and combine (1).
3. Hair mask - Stir ½ an avocado, 1 tbsp of olive oil, 1 tbsp of honey and 3 drops of essential oil of choice together until fully combined, then apply to wet hair with your fingertips. Wrap your hair into a bun and cover with a shower cap. To help activate the ingredients, blow dry your shower cap-covered hair for 10 minutes. Let it sit for another 20 minutes, then shampoo (2).
4. Hand and feet soaks - Pour 3-4 cups of milk into a microwave-safe container. Heat milk until slightly warmed but still comfortable to the touch ( 1 ½ - 2 minutes). Add honey and vanilla extract; gently whisk until combined. Pour the milk mixture into a container large enough for both feet. Submerge your feet in the mixture; let soak for 5 minutes. Sprinkle baking soda over your feet, gently scrubbing any rough patches of skin. Let feet soak for an additional 5-10 minutes, then rinse thoroughly (3).
Plastic free brands - Australians purchase and throw away around 179 million empty bottles of shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, deodorant and other personal care products every single year (4) Brands like baresop offer plastic free refillable bottles and product concentrates that you fill and mix.
What about all the skincare or haircare packaging you already have? We collect them to be recycled! We take shampoo and conditioner bottles, make up bottles, moisturiser bottles and more! Check out our “what we collect'' list here.
SOURCES:
McLennan, A. (2021) Waste Not, Want Not (Part 2): Skin Deep Beauty with Food Scraps, Bud Organic Club
Price, D & Cheng, A (2020) 14 DIY Hair Masks That Actually Work, Good Housekeeping
Meredith, D. & Rabideau, C (2023) How to Make a Soothing Milk Bath for Your Feet, Taste of Home
Ridding the body care and household products industries of single-use plastic (2023), Zero Co
