I am a little behind on my magazine reading. I have previously confessed that I am a total magazine junkie. I wish that I could give them up. . .to be green AND to save green. . .but I jus t love my magazines. Anywho. . .Gretta Monahan had some great tips in this month’s issue of Rachael Ray’s Everyday magazine. With a few small changes, you can make a big difference!
1. Skip the plastic body loofah. It is wasteful, plus, did you know that it traps bacteria? Gross! Just use a washcloth instead!
2. Wash your make up sponges instead of tossing them out. I actually wash mine with my face soap after every use because I am terrified of getting some god-awful germ in my eye (causing pink eye) or on my lip (causing an oh-so-attractive cold sore).
3. Use bars of soap instead of body washes in plastic bottles. Clearly, this is a no-brainer!
4. If you must use body washes, or simply for your shampoo and conditioner — buy gallon or “economy size” bottles rather than standard ones to cut down on trash. Typically, you get a good price break too. And you can always refill your smaller bottles for convenience if you don’t like the big daddy sizes!
5. Purchase organic cotton balls to use with toner and nail polish remover.
6. When traveling, use old contact lens cases to hold a few days’ worth of hair gel or face cream. This will save you having to buy a travel size and also fit into the air travel safety guidelines for liquids.
7. If you do use travel size products, don’t continually buy new travel sizes. Refill your old ones when packing for a trip.
Interesting fact: According to NPD Group, 71% of women are interested in trying green beauty products, but only 26% actually have. If you are one of the 71%, here are Gretta’s “must haves” for under $15: Physician’s Formula Organic Wear tinted moisturizer, Burt’s Bee’s sunscreen SPF 30 (a Going Green Mom fav too!!), Jason Natural Lavender shampoo, and Alba Cocoa Butter Hand & Body Lotion (Going Green Mom actually loves the Very Emollient Unscented Original Body Lotion).
Just remember that going green with your beauty products doesn’t mean toss everything and start over. . .why not start out with trading in one daily product like deodorant or moisturizer. Going Green Mom now uses Tom’s deodorant and Burt’s Bee’s moisturizer. And as you saw with Gretta’s pics. . .going green beautifully doesn’t have to cost a fortune. Your favorite drugstore lines are probably getting on the green bandwagon as we speak, just do a little research. And, finally, try to buy products that come in packages made from recycled materials and don’t forget to recycle your bathroom products just like you do with the cans and bottles in the kitchen!
I would love to hear if any of the 918moms have favorite “green” beauty products, so leave a comment if you have tried them, good or bad, and help your fellow moms become more gorgeous and environmentally responsible at the same time!