Sustainable swaps I’m making this month

When it comes to sustainability, its easy to hit the plateau moment. Reusable water bottle, check. Reusable coffee cup, check. Bamboo toothbrush, check. Stop using plastic, straws, check. But what comes next? After you’ve boxed off the initial plastic free swaps, it can be hard and overwhelming to keep momentum going and continue making a difference. Celebrating the fact you have already began your journey to living a waste free life, but acknowledging its time to kick it up a notch. Finding smaller everyday swaps you can introduce into your routine. This month I’ve been focusing on just that. Here are the sustainable swaps I’ll be sticking to in the next part of my journey to living sustainably.

Beauty Kubes – Plastic free shampoo

Beauty Kubes are a plastic free alternative to shampoo. I’d tried shampoo bars before but found that they left my hair with a soapy residue, and had to keep coming back to the classic shampoo bottle for rescue. But Beauty Kubes have been the perfect substitute, leaving my hair clean and soft, with zero waste! The small chalky cubes break down to make a paste, which rubs in to create a lather just like normal shampoo, and it washes out easily. They have different types to suit each hair type, from normal, sensitive and oily, and all products are vegan and cruelty free. The products and packaging are plastic free, and they least for up to six months. They also do conditioner and body washes in the same format, so you can create a completely eco friendly wash routine.

Even though the kubes are a little more pricey at £9.50 for a box of 27 (but lets be honest, bottles of shampoo these days are also crazy expensive) this is a cost that is so worth it for a product that works efficiently, and reduces my plastic usage in the bathroom.

Zero Waste Club – Reusable make up remover pads

I really love these simple pads, such an easy and logical change to make. Each bag contains 16 round pads with some soft pads, perfect for taking off eye makeup, and some slightly rougher pads for more stubborn makeup. The bag is super handy as when you are ready to wash your pads, you just pop them back in the bag and into the washing machine to protect them. It’s so satisfying realising that things that used to cause waste, now no longer do. Taking my makeup off, and nothing goes into the bin. They are also 100% biodegradable , and for every purchase from Zero Waste Club, a tree is planted.

Upcycle Skincare – face scrub and moisturiser

After continuing to use up the products I had, once they finally ran out I knew it was time to replace them with a more planet friendly alternative. Upcycle is a London based UK brand that repurposes ingredients that would often go to waste as by product, and creates amazing skincare products out of them. Using natural ingredients such as coffee grounds from local cafes, chai tea spices and discarded shell and fruit stones. Helping to tackle the amount of food wastage in the UK (1/3 of food produced ends up as waste!) All products are natural, vegan and cruelty free. I’ve been using the coffee scrub, which leaves my skin feeling amazingly smooth and doesn’t leave it dry. And the face moisturiser which is supper silky made with argon shells.

The only down side to the upcycle products is although its a great local company that’s focusing on reducing food waste, unfortunately the lids on their products are made from black plastic. However I ordered from an online website called Plastic Freedom, where you can purchase the products without a lid. (they have a foil covering so product is unaffected!)

Kutis – Natural plastic free deodorant

Deodorant is one I hadn’t thought too much into, as I either bought roll on in a glass bottle or spray in a can. Of course they still have plastic lids, but I’d started to realise the amount of harsh chemicals they were made from. The Kutis brand is a small business based in central Wales. Their deodorants are made from all natural ingredients, mostly organic, and they come in a 100% biodegradable cardboard sleeve. I can’t judge anything on smell, (due to a post Covid 3 month loss of smell and taste), but the texture is balmy and smooth. At first I was in doubt over the size of the product and how much it cost in comparison to just buying a supermarket deodorant. But don’t be fooled by it’s compact size, because it goes a long way!

These are just a few small changes I’ve made this month. I’m taking conscious steps daily to educate myself further on how to live a more sustainable life, and by gradually replacing everyday products (when they run out!) for eco friendly alternatives I can lessen my impact on the planet. I’m super passionate about living a life which causes as little harm as possible to myself, others and the planet, and hope to inspire others along the way!