6 simple sustainable beauty swaps…

1. Toothbrushes– switching from your plastic toothbrush to a bamboo or beechwood toothbrush is probably the easiest eco-friendly change you can make to your beauty routine and the first step I made. It is recommended by dental practitioners that you should replace your toothbrush every 3 months, this means that 265.6 million toothbrushes are disposed of every year within the UK, with the majority ending up in landfill or in the ocean.

2.Cotton Buds– Ditching the plastic cotton buds for bamboo alternatives is another simple change as the plastic versions take up to 300 years to decompose and many ending up in the sewers and oceans. During 2018, 22 cotton buds were found within every 100meters of UK beach surveyed which has several harmful effects on sea life.

3. Soaps and Shampoo Bars– Traditionally when you think of soap bars, you think of dry, tight skin, this was due to the harsh foaming agents used to formulate these soaps, however, now there are plenty of great facial soaps and body soaps that are kind and nourishing to our skin making them great for everyday cleansing. Additionally, switching to a shampoo bar can help save the use of shampoo bottles, the UK alone uses 13 billion plastic bottles every year. Only 7.5 billion are recycled. The remaining 5.5 billion are landfilled, littered, or incinerated.

4. Safety Razors– It is estimated that disposable razors are only meant to be used 6 to 9 times before being thrown away. In the early ’90s, the US Environmental Protection Agency reported that America produced 9 billion disposable razors. Unfortunately, the plastic used to create disposable razors is normally made up of several different materials making it near impossible to recycle. Safety razors, however, can be used time and time again, with the blades being easily recycled.

5. Plastic-Free Beauty Accessories– Traditional beauty accessories such as disposable wipes and cotton pads are very useful in our skincare routine, however, they have been found to have a damaging effect on our environment. Unfortunately, most disposable wipes contain plastic fibres that end up as microplastics in our oceans harming and even killing its wildlife, especially as over 8 million tons of plastic finds its way into the ocean each year. A recent UK study showed that disposable wipes were responsible for 93% of all blocked sewer pipes! But don’t worry, there is a solution! Tabitha Eve has produced a range of re-usable makeup and beauty accessories. These will not only help save the impacted planet but will also save you money in the long run as they can be reused.

6. Switch some of your skincare products– There are now some great plastic-free skincare brands on the market, covering everything from moisturisers to toners or some of the easiest changes can be as simple as a lip balm.