When it comes to our own beauty routines, many of us like to use the same tried-and-true products. When we find a shampoo or face wash that works for us, we don’t want to change it to try to find something better. After all, why change something that works?
But even if you don’t care much about beauty trends, there are plenty of reasons to ditch your old lipsticks, shampoos, and cleansers in favour of the newest ones. In the last few years, the beauty industry has changed quickly. This is because of new technology and a desire for clean ingredients. The newest generation of beauty products works better, lasts longer, and doesn’t put your health at risk (or the health of our planet, for that matter).
So, what beauty products should be thrown away? Here are five old beauty products you should get rid of from your routine, along with the products you should use instead.
Drugstore Shampoo
Did you know that the ingredient list on many drugstore shampoos is made smaller on purpose so that you don’t look too closely at their questionable ingredients? We don’t know about you, but that doesn’t give us a lot of faith. In reality, most shampoos from drugstores have harsh detergents or surfactants that strip your hair of its natural oils and leave it feeling dry and unhealthy. Also, almost all liquid shampoos come in plastic bottles that end up in landfills.
Replace with: All-Natural Shampoo Bar
Instead of wasting money on shampoos that don’t work well from the drug store, use a shampoo bar made from plant-based ingredients. Solid shampoo bars are more concentrated than liquid shampoos and have ingredients that are good for your hair. They also often don’t come in any packaging, which is better for the environment. Pair it with a moisturising conditioner bar to make your hair even healthier.
Conventional Lipstick
Any product that goes on or near your mouth should be looked at more closely, and lipstick is no different. Back in 2007, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics did a study called “A Poison Kiss.” In 60 percent of the 33 lipsticks that were tested, they found a worrying amount of lead.
That’s not all, either. There are also a lot of harmful ingredients in many regular lipsticks, such as petrochemicals, which are bad for people and the environment. Ethoxylated ingredients, which come from petroleum and make small amounts of 1,4-dioxane, which is known to cause cancer in people, are one of the biggest health concerns.
Replace with: A Clean Lip Crayon
Petrochemicals have been used in cosmetics for a long time, but it’s good to know that many companies are trying to get rid of them by making “clean” products that put human and environmental health first. One of these is the simple lip crayon, which is a lipstick that can also be used as a lip liner. There’s a clean lip crayon for everyone, whether you want a classic red or a brown that was popular in the ’90s.
Liquid Cleansers
There are a lot of great cleansers on the market, but most of them come in plastic bottles that are a waste of resources. In a landfill, it can take decades or even centuries for these plastic bottles to break down, and they never really go away.
Besides, liquid cleansers can be inconvenient at times, especially if you’re a frequent flyer. It can be hard to find a travel-sized version of your favourite cleanser, and with checked baggage fees going up, it’s not worth the stress or hassle to try to get liquids through security checkpoints.
Replace with: Face Soap Bars
People were taught that bar soap is bad for their faces when they were young. What else is bad for your face, though? Preservatives, fake scents, and other irritants are often found in liquid cleansers. If you’re hesitant to switch to face soap bars, know that the newest ones don’t have any ingredients that strip your skin of oil. Instead, they have ingredients that keep your skin hydrated and provide a gentler clean. Face soap bars don’t come in any packaging and are easy on your wallet.
Face Wipes
There are many reasons why you shouldn’t use your favourite face wipes anymore. First of all, they are bad for the environment. Because they are made of polyester, polypropylene, and other materials that don’t break down, most single-use makeup wipes end up in a landfill. As if that wasn’t bad enough, they also have harsh chemicals that dry out your skin, take away its natural oils, and cause inflammation.
Replace with: Reusable Makeup Wipes
Makeup wipes that you can use more than once are an easy way to save money and help the environment. There are many brands of cotton rounds, microfiber cloths, and makeup remover pads that can be washed and make it easy to take off your makeup. Just use your makeup pad to wipe off the makeup, wash it, and use it again and again.
Plastic Loofah
We hate to be the bearers of bad news, but that colourful plastic poof you have hanging in your shower isn’t good for the environment. Plastic loofahs are not only made from fossil fuels that pollute the air, but they also shed tiny pieces of plastic that go down our shower drains and into the ocean. On top of all that, they should be thrown away after just two months. Wow, what a waste!
Replace with: Sisal Soap Bag
To exfoliate your body, you don’t really need anything extra. Your skin does a great job of shedding dead skin cells on its own. Still, you might like to scrub your skin every so often in the shower and like how soft it feels afterward. If you want to be better for the environment when you exfoliate once a week, choose a soap bag made from sisal that comes from plants. These eco-friendly soap bags make your soap last longer and can also be used to gently scrub your skin. Best of all, they can be composted when they’re done, so you can use them without feeling bad.
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