Always find yourself wasting your favorite beautifiers? There are a few easy changes you can make to break the cycle and even make your beauty products last longer!
You would think a natural and organic beauty routine would be enough to tick off another eco box, but converting to the green side doesn’t rid you of that one thing all eco-conscious folk feel–waste guilt.
Want to quit throwing out products (and money)? Discover some of the ways you can do just that and streamline your beauty stash in the process.
1. Buy Less, Waste Less
It sounds simple enough, but buying more than we need is probably the beauty sin we’re all most guilty of doing.
One of the biggest perks of natural beauty products is the fact they go further. Whereas a conventional jar of moisturizer may last you four weeks, the waterless, organic equivalent could keep you going for four months, so resist the urge to stockpile. By the time it’s time to top-up, that bottle you bought when you thought you were being ultra-organized may be close to expiring.
2. Mixology
Can you count the number of times you’ve used that $30 lipstick on one hand? There’s nothing wrong with wanting to stay on trend, but when you makeup color palette extends beyond the visible spectrum, it might be time to rethink your cosmetic needs.
Instead of buying this season’s hottest shade (every season), get creative! Cast your mind back to art class and figure out how you can recreate it using what you already have at your disposal. Brown and gold eyeshadow? Voila, bronze!
Non-toxic, cream based formulas also give you a little extra room to play around they’re far easier to mix than powders. Try RMS Beauty which has lip, cheek, eye, and highlight colors all in easy-to-blend cream textures. If you catch onto a winning combination you could even pre-mix your chosen shades in a sample pot!
3. Try Before You Buy
Some products just won’t work for you, and usually, you find out when it’s already made itself at home in your beauty cabinet.
Avoid the heartache by getting your hands on a sample first. The Detox Market allow you to build a kit of five samples for under $10, whereas Integrity Botanicals offer free samples with every order. Added bonus? They make great travel buddies.
4. Think Outside the Box
Or at least what the box says. Every natural beauty knows oils are multitasking miracle workers, but we don’t always put that knowledge to use. Just because something is designed to be a great body oil doesn’t mean it won’t do wonders for your hair, too!
Start to take note of which carrier oils do the job best for all-over use, and put them to work. Just a few include jojoba, coconut, almond, and grapeseed oils. Look out for products that champion these, and there should be no reason why you can’t
Balms are always fantastic for taking care of multiple beauty needs, too. A makeup remover, moisturizer, lip balm, and hair tamer all in one jar? Minimalism at its finest.
5. Keep Them Funk-Free
Ever opened up your favorite body sugar scrub got a whiff of something not-so-sweet? Natural beauty products have fewer preservatives, which can be a double-edged sword at times.
While it’s great to avoid synthetics, it also means the shelf life of a lot of your favorite plant-based beautifiers is short – especially when compared to conventional products. As well as keeping an eye on expiry dates to make sure you use them up in time, you can get smart and store them in a way that maximizes their lifespan.
When it comes to formulas that are completely preservative-free, you want to keep water out at all costs. That means keeping that scrub out of the shower, and in a cupboard! Heat and light can also damage the structure and potency of botanical ingredients. The lesson to make them last longer? Keep your products in a cool, dark and dry place when possible.
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