Simply Chic Ways To Green Your Bathroom Cabinet & Embrace Zero-Waste Personal Care

Even if you choose vegan beauty products packaged in glass or recycled materials, your beauty routine can still be unintentionally hurting the environment. Here are some easy ways you can make your beauty routine better for yourself, and the environment. Let’s dive in!

Reusable cotton face pads

According to the WWF, it takes up to 20,000 liters of water to produce one kilogram of cotton! Now imagine how many cotton face pads are used daily around the world. Face pads are a necessity for many beauty routine steps—face toners, removal of makeup, or maybe even applying serums. Ditch the cotton face pads, invest in some bamboo fibre reusable pads. Your bank account and the planet will thank you for it later.

Organic Cotton Reusable, Machine-Washable Rounds

Zero-package soap bars

Instead of buying your body and face washes in plastic bottles, why not head to your nearest LUSH (or equivalent shop) and buy some soap bars instead. You can get some great soap bars for your face and some for your body too, plus they put them in paper packaging afterwards. An added bonus, on top of not contributing to the unnecessary plastic pollution going on #saynottoplastic.

Odacité Shampoo Bar

Reusable silicone earbuds

In case you haven’t heard, cotton earbuds are actually really bad for you. In fact, doctors supposedly hate them because they just push wax and other dirt deeper. So why not save some money, save the planet, and improve your ear health all in one with silicone earbuds? They can be bought in multi-packs of around three to four, and they can be so easily cleaned once you’ve used them. They also remove dirt better, and they won’t end up pilling up in your bathroom bin, looking all nasty.

Here are some silicone earbuds to check out.

Reusable underwear liners

It’s no secret that single use underwear liners and tampons are bad for the environment, and it’s even worse to know that they can take ages to break down once they’ve been used. Not to mention, some women still flush their pads and tampons down the toilet (which is a huge no-no). Of course, hygiene is hugely important during both your period and on the daily when you’re out and about. If you’re any good at sewing, try making your own reusable underwear liners, or buy some eco-friendly and sustainable liners that can be washed every week and can last up to a year (maybe even longer, if you take very good care of them).

Bamboo bristle brushes

I use an electric toothbrush (unfortunately it is made of plastic), only because it cleans my teeth the best, and I genuinely think they are the best kind of toothbrush with regards to the cleanliness of your teeth. But if you’re looking for a sustainable toothbrush, try a bamboo brush. They last you ages, and you can usually get them in multi-packs. I’ve also seen cool hacks over the internet where you can use them to label your garden plants once they’ve been used for your teeth long enough.

[Editor’s note: bamboo brushes are *not* 100% biodegradable as the bristles are still made of nylon. In order to compost your wooden stick, you have to rip off the bristles—it’s not super complicated, but it does take a little effort. It’s clear that we don’t have a perfect solution yet. However, for the hundreds of thousands of marine animals and birds that die from plastic ingestion each year, there is a big difference between swallowing a full plastic brush and swallowing a nylon bristle (a microplastic).]

Use toothpaste tabs

Toothpaste can be expensive (depending on the brand you buy, and how much you use daily) but, the plastic tubes can also build up in your bin faster than you might expect. Instead of buying toothpaste in tubes, why not give toothpaste tabs a go? Buying them in plastic free packaging means they’re cheaper in the long run, and you’ll use the same amount each time. Toothpaste tabs are really easy to use, just chew until they’re a paste and brush away! If you also buy vegan, eco-friendly ones that are as natural as possible, that’s even better.

Vegan zero-waste toothpaste tabs by The White Teeth Box

Biodegradable Dental Floss

I’ve spent years frustrated that there wasn’t a single biodegradable floss in a non-plastic packaging in the market. Dumplings, be frustrated no more! This corn straw floss is completely vegan, coated with candillia wax, and biodegradable. It also comes in a clear, plastic-free glass jar.

The White Teeth Box Biodegradable Corn Straw Floss