How To Become A More Eco-Friendly Beauty Consumer

Happy Earth Month, beauties! The month of April is all about celebrating our Earth. It's also a great time to take a look at our daily habits to see if we can make some eco-friendly improvements. To make it even easier, here's a list of some simple changes you can make to your beauty and skincare routines to will help minimize your effect on the environment. And don’t worry, none of them involve giving up your love for all things skincare!

Before we jump in though, it’s important to understand how your beauty and skincare routines can impact our Earth. To put it simply, your impact on the environment as a beauty consumer comes down to your personal habits and the products you purchase. Your habits include everything from how long you let the water run when you wash your face, to how often you shower, how long you shower, whether or not you use makeup wipes, how quickly you go through beauty products, your shopping habits and more! When it comes to the beauty products and skincare products you use, everything from ingredient sourcing to lab formulations, printing and packaging, storage, shipping and more affects the Earth. Keep reading for a few simple changes you can make that will benefit both your beauty routine AND the earth.

Aim to use less water in your beauty routine

One of the easiest ways to minimize your environmental impact is to look at when and where you’re using water during your beauty routine, and brainstorm some ideas for how you can reduce that amount in a realistic way. Here are some tips: 

• Turn off the water while you brush your teeth and wash your face.
• Take showers instead of baths (make sure to be mindful of how long your showers last too!)
• Try multitasking in the shower — shave your legs while you shampoo your hair, wash your face (with warm water, not hot!) while your conditioner sinks in, etc. Our high priority cleansing foam is packaged in BPA-free plastic so that it's safe and easy to keep in the shower! 
• Turn down the temp! Hot water has a greater environmental impact since it needs to be heated up. It can also irritate your skin.
• Consolidate the number of days each week that you wash your hair to reduce the amount of hot running water you use.

Unplug any devices that aren't in use

Styling your hair with hot tools like blow dryers, a straightener or curling iron can really add to your environmental impact. Try air drying your hair which will reduce the amount of electricity you use, even if you still straighten or curl your hair afterwards. Your hair will probably also thank you for giving it a break from all of that damaging heat too! And when those devices aren't in use, make sure to unplug them!

Consolidate and simplify your beauty routine

Quick question – how many products do you currently have? Make sure to count everything in your beauty routine from skincare products and makeup to hair products, body products and even nails. Do you have three options for a facial moisturizer? Tons of difference facial serums? Two types of body washes? Five different body lotions? It can really add up, huh? Now ask yourself, how many of those products are you actually using? And how many of them could you probably do without? 

Aim to simplify your beauty routine by using products that multitask. Instead of applying three ingredient-specific serums before your moisturizer, choose a daily moisturizer like our high five facial moisturizer that packs all of your skin’s needs into one. BioCanna® in combination with CoQ10 and Vitamin C inside high five will help boost cellular turnover, protect with potent antioxidants and brighten while an aloe juice base delivers hydration. Not only will simplifying your beauty routine benefit the environment, it might help you save some money too. 

Upcycle your empty containers

Is your beauty cabinet full of half or barely used products? Instead of throwing away your empty beauty jars, turn them into something new! Empty high beauty glass containers can be upcycled into jewelry holders, candles, succulent planters, travel containers and more. Simply save your empty glass containers and wash them out. Then, get creative! Use them to store jewelry or cotton pads, or turn them into candles, succulent vases or oil diffusers. The possibilities are endless - head to our pinterest for more inspiration. 

Shop smarter

Did you know that not all plastic is recyclable? How about that aluminum tubes are lined with plastic that often contains BPAs on the inside? The easiest way to become a more environmentally friendly beauty consumer is to do a little bit of research now so that when it's time to purchase, you can feel confident about your decisions. We recommend using a trustworthy resource like the EWG's Skin Deep database.

• Look for recyclable packaging that is reusable too! Think glass jars and zip bags made from cloth that you can envision yourself reusing for other purposes. If you don't plan to upcycle the packaging, it's a good idea to make sure that it's recyclable. And if you choose to purchase a product packaged in plastic (because let's face it, they're hard to avoid), make sure it’s recyclable and BPA-Free. Likewise, keep an eye out for packaging made from 100 percent post-consumer content, FSC-Certified paper and printed with VOC-free vegetable inks. These are all great choices!
• Choose products formulated with clean, natural and organic ingredients when possible. Did you know that the ingredients that go into a product's formula can have a massive environmental impact? Everything from how ingredients are manufactured or grown to how they are sourced and tested before going into bottles has an effect.
• Purchase from brands whose values align with yours. Is the brand committed to the environment? Do they have ethical practices? Are they vegan or cruelty-free? It can be difficult to know which products are actually organic and which ones aren’t because of current labeling laws. We recommend using a resource like EWG.org.

Recycle, Recycle, Recycle!

Recycling is a given, but it's not as simple as just tossing your empties into the recycling bin. What can be recycled often depends on where you live. Each city and town has its own recycling requirements, so make sure to check in with your town's official website or at Call2Recycle.org to find out more.

You may also want to consider signing up for a recycling program like Terracycle which helps consumers recycle all brands of skin care, hair care, and cosmetic packaging in an eco-friendly way.

There you have it! With just a few simple changes to our daily beauty routines, we can all minimize our effect on the environment and become more environmentally-friendly beauty consumers. Do you have tips of your own you'd like to share? Let us know on social @highskincare!

Want to learn more about High Beauty? Check out more articles like this on the High Beauty blog, learn about the science behind High's skincare formulas, or visit our FAQ page.