Six months ago I gave
my medicine cabinet an overdue cleaning. Aside from Sustainable Sam complaining
that I had too many products lining the shelves, I also knew there were plenty
of products filled with chemicals, close to expiration and some that I just no
longer used. Sentiments got the best of me, and I kept the majority of the
products. I kept thinking I might have a need for the hair products or body
lotion, despite my consistent chemical free beauty routine.
This time as I
approached my medicine cabinet I meant business. I took every single product
off the shelves and evaluated each one; if it was expired, filled with
chemicals or if I hadn’t used it since my last medicine cabinet purge, then it
was out. I wiped down the shelves and started sorting.
As I placed products
back into my medicine cabinet I set the bar high for what I would let back in.
All products would need to be as natural as possible, with the majority
vegetable based. If it was vegan, organic or gluten it was a bonus. Chemicals
that would not be making an appearance would include sulfates, parabens,
phthalates, paraffin, mineral oil, and synthetic colors and fragrance.
I started thinking of
all the other places beauty products might be hiding that also needed to be
tossed out, like my night stand, car and even my desk drawer at work. I made
sure to replace these with natural products in glass containers.
Since I’ve been trying
my best to reduce waste, I started to think of how products are packaged. Could
the container be recycled? Was there excess packaging? Was it made in the US,
or even locally? Was it something I could make myself? For the products I made
myself, I chose reusable jars when possible or BPA free bottles to hold
products in the bath.
Skin care and beauty
products shouldn’t cost a fortune, our health or compromise sustainability out
of convenience. Magazines, TV and radio advertisements are filled with new ways
to get perfect hair, skin, nails, and teeth. The question remains; why do we
rely on chemicals for perfection when there are plenty of natural options that
work just as well, if not better?
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