Beauty products? This month I share eco-friendly swaps to help you switch to a plastic-free beauty regime, including things people can make at home like face masks.
What is beauty?
What exactly does that mean?
Growing up, beauty for me has changed eons of times.
Frosted lips, thick black eyeliner, my oily face caked with blusher, my gelled hair up tight in a scrunchie thinking I looked the bees knees in front boys.
My only worry was how many spots I had.
Then my 20s arrived where my skin was zapped of moisture as I travelled the world from beach to beach.
Read more: Plastic-free periods: One way you can help the environment
In my 30s it was working all day, partying all night not giving a second thought to falling asleep with my face still wearing the day’s makeup.
I’ve been through it all.
Now I am older and wiser I realise how important good skincare is. But what I also realise is how easy a good skincare routine is because…taa daa… you can make the face masks, lip balms, face scrubs and hair masks at home.
Do it yourself and go plastic-free
Money-saving, time-saving and way better for your skin than a plastic packaged product with items in it you can’t pronounce, making your own is a fantastic way to start experimenting with the kind of skincare routine that fits your life and body.
Making your own also means you aren’t wasting the planet’s precious resources on cheap plastic products.
I am not reinventing the wheel in persuading you to ditch mass-manufactured items in favour of homemade. The Greeks thought highly of keeping the skin clear and soft, and honey and olive oil were both used for cleaning and moisturising the skin.
Both honey and olive oil are used in many lotions and health care products today like Burts Bees, a successful cosmetics brand based on using natural bee materials in their products.
The five Rs and Ps
I live my life by #Refuse #Reuse #Refill #Recycle #Rot. But did you know the five Ps that it’s really beneficial for you to avoid in beauty products?
You are responsible for your body so why not give your glow the edge by making it yourself and ditching all the nasties?
Face scrub for oily skin
Take one tablespoon of oatmeal and add three tablespoons of water or more, wait for about five to ten minutes, until oats become soft.
Gently, in circular motions, massage your clean face with this scrub to exfoliate your skin; massage for one to two minutes, avoiding the eye area.
Rinse with warm and then cold water as this will help close your pores.
Vegan face mask for acne-prone skin
This DIY acne face mask recipe with banana, bicarbonate soda and turmeric can reduce breakouts.
Bananas not only act as an astringent which balances oils in the skin but also nourishes and rejuvenates the skin.
Bicarbonate soda pulls out oil and dirt from the pores and turmeric reduces inflammation and provides the skin with anti-microbial and anti-bacterial benefits.
The recipe
1 ripe banana
1 teaspoon bicarbonate soda
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
Mash the banana first before mixing the rest of the ingredients together.
Wash face and pat dry.
Apply paste onto damp skin and leave for 10-15 minutes before rinsing off with cool water.
Body scrub
1 small banana
350g golden caster sugar
Mash the banana to a smooth purée and gradually work in the sugar. Once the scrub is thick and you can scoop it up in your fingers, you can pop it a tupperware pot to use in the shower to leave your skin smooth and soft. This will keep for seven days in the fridge.
*taken from Aine Carlin ‘The New Vegan’
If you have sensitive skin it may be worth doing a patch test to see if you have an allergic reaction.
