What would you consider a waste when purchasing hair or beauty products?
Imagine you are, shopping around Target or Ulta, strolling up and down the aisles.
You need more body wash. You want to give one of the clean beauty brands a shot. You’ve been focusing on being conscious about certain chemicals that go on your skin.
There’s so many brands to choose from, though: Shea Moisture, OGX, DevaCurl, and TIGI (all great brands) to name a few. That barely skims the surface of all the cleaner beauty brands on the shelves.
You glance at the prices as you walk by- $12.49… $16.99 … $21.79 … $34.99.
Added Costs of Beauty
Now, say you made the purchase from one of the brands mentioned above. It cost you $21.79. After a few weeks of use, you notice your scalp is less irritated. Your hair looks shinier, and is more manageable. You look great, and you feel even better.
When the shampoo runs out, you recycle the bottle.
Now you look good, feel good, AND are contributing to bettering and beautifying the ecosystem.. right?
While this is what we want to believe is true, unfortunately there are more costs associated with that single bottle of shampoo.
Beauty Waste in the Industry
As the Beauty Industry continues to grow, so does the waste accumulation in landfills.
According to the Plastic Pollution Coalition, the Beauty Industry is responsible for the yearly production of over 120 billion units of packaging, most of which are not truly recyclable.
Plastics were created to be long lasting- which they absolutely are. Though durable, plastic can only be recycled so many times. Eventually, the plastic becomes weak. And once weakened, it cannot be reused. This means at some point most plastics will be making their way towards our already overcrowded landfills.
Its takes years (and years and more years) for plastics to begin their breakdown process. They are non-biodegradable.
Once they degrade, they will only turn into micro plastics.
This can actually be more harmful for oceanic, wild, or plant life and the general environment that surrounds us.
Wasted Beauty
The average client spends 2-3 hours in a salon/ spa per visit to look and feel beautiful.
But did you know, salons are one of the biggest offenders? According to Simply Organic Beauty, hair salons contribute about 150 millions pounds of trash yearly, and about a half a million pounds daily (CBS News).
From foils and plastics, to cardboard, back bar and retail products and color tubes. These will eventually end up in a landfill at one point or another. This doesn’t even take into account the water and electricity wasted (that’s for another blog article) !
Salons are notorious for the large contributions to daily waste.
It’s no easy task, but both individuals and salons should consider taking steps to reduce their beauty waste.
Taking Steps to Reduce Beauty Waste
So again, what is beauty worth to you?
Are you in search of a good price? Do you prefer clean ingredients? Do you look for a product that was made for sustainability from start to finish?
Here are some things to help reduce waste when it comes to beauty (*These are not affiliate links, I just like these products).
- Ditch the disposables and single use products (i.e. make up wipes). Stop buying travel sized beauty products. Instead, try washable make up remover pads. And you can purchase reusable travel sized bottles and fill them up from what you have at home!
- Skip the packaging altogether or opt for options with sustainable packaging.
- Reduce use of plastic. Try glass or bamboo containers. They’re aesthetically pleasing. Bamboo is natural and glass can be melted and reused.
- Only buy what you will use. This might seem self-explanatory, but with new products always coming out, it’s hard to resist the temptation of trying something new. Finish the products you have before purchasing more.
- Re-use the product packages you already have.
- Check your ingredients. My motto is, if you can’t pronounce it, it’s probably not necessary for the health of your hair or skin.
- Make your own products! There’s so many great DIYs. It helps to cut costs and you know exactly what is going into your beauty products.
Waste Not, Want Not
Sustainability needs balance. As with all things in life an equal amount of ‘give and take’ is needed to create the perfect harmony.
What good is beautiful hair or glowing skin if it leads to overflowing landfills and dirt filled communities? Are the aesthetics of inexpensive products filled with toxins worth the easy accessibility?
Sustainability creates a space for gratitude and balance. Only take from the Earth what is needed, without acts of greediness, and give back to replenish.
It’s not too late to start doing your part to reduce your beauty waste… but is it worth it to you?
