Top 10 Eco Friendly Beauty Care Product Swap | Reduce Plastic and Balance Your Hormones

Top 10 Eco Friendly Beauty Care Product Swap

Reduce Plastic and Balance Your Hormones

Ever walked into your bathroom or stood by your dressing table and wondered how many things come in plastic? How many bottles, packages or wraps you have to recycle? Did you know for proper recycling every item needs to be washed and dried or it gets dumped on a waste zone?

Understand that plastic does not only harm the planet, but it also harms you by causing havoc in your hormonal system. Reducing plastic waste from your personal skin care or beauty care routine would be ideal for long term wellbeing.

I am trying not to be a preacher here but just sharing information, as I too sometimes struggle with reducing my plastic use – especially in beauty care. So let us take these steps together and inspire each other to make changes.

In one of my previous blogs I mentioned 12 products that can reduce plastic in your daily life and improve the health of this planet. For this particular blog I am super excited to share with you 10 eco-friendly products that can change your beauty regime and give you an eco-lift that will make you more beautiful as you care for the planet. Make these swaps along with you daily Yoga Regime and you are all set towards making a healthful pursuit.  

These products are mostly available on the following AMAZING websites including this one om Canada,

1. Well.ca
2. Amazon.ca
3. Etsy.com/ca
4. Conscioushealt.net  

1. Buying Products in Glass Containers: I know this can be expensive and/or heavy on the shopping bag. However the single best way to reduce plastic from your beauty care regime is to swap it with buying products that are organic and sold in glass jars and bottles. As a Canadian I love the following companies for skin care products

1. Skin Essence Organics :Beautiful products made in Canada using amber glassware. These products are made in small batches with fair-trade, organic and plant based ingredients. The products also do not contain any fillers or preservatives. They are organic certified with both USDA and Ecocert. I love their Facial Cleanser for dry skin, Ocular for puffy eyes and Nourish which is their anti-aging facial moisturizer.
2. Living Libations : If budget is not an issue and you get intrigued by magic and alchemy, this is the brand you were looking for. I cannot really say which is my favourite product as I have tried many of their products over the years and have fallen in love every time. They have everything from organic chocolate, face oil, moisturizer, natural perfumes and essential oils.  

2. Recyclable and Biodegradable Toothbrushes or Miswaak: Age-old and best natural sticks derived from the Arak tree. Best part: Miswaak sticks are fully biodegradable therefore have low impact on environmental waste. Miswaak is a great alternative to toothbrushes as they kill germs and help in the prevention of gum disease. It contains numerous antibacterial substances. The natural fibres in Miswaak work better than a toothbrush.

Another option is a bamboo toothbrush. They are ergonomic friendly, biodegradable and have comfortable soft bristles which are gentle on your gums and enamel. These toothbrushes are perfect for anyone who wants to keep using a brush and keep the plastic toothbrushes away from oceans and landfills.

3. Eco-Friendly Toothpowder: It has been 12 years since I bought or used any toothpastes. I make my own toothpowder with neem, clove and cinnamon. You can buy the tooth powders from my website or buy any toothpowders from health food stores. Buy powders in glass bottles to lower the impact on the environment. In my personal opinion toothpastes are waste of money as they offer very little healing ingredients for oral health. I carry four distinctive flavoured tooth powders – the Ayurvedic Herbal Neem Toothpowder – which was my first creation have been sold to over 500 people. Bentonite Clay Detox Toothpowder was specifically created for those who have sensitive teeth and do not want salt or baking soda in their toothpowders. Lastly, I created Activated Charcoal with Herbal Blend Toothpowder , for anyone who loves using charcoal but does not want to miss out on the benefits of the herbs at the same time.

4. Ditch the Mouthwash with Swishing Oil: Moving from a mouthwash to a simple swishing oil ensures an ingredient in your washroom cabinet that is alcohol-free, preservative-free, fluoride-free, and artificial color free. Oil swishing is a unique oral detox method that strengthens the gums and whitens the teeth. Oil swishing has a long, rich history in Ayurvedic medicine.

5. Bamboo Hair Brushes or Wooden Combs: Throw away your plastic combs and brushes and replace them with wonderful, long lasting and eco-friendly wooden hair brush and comb. The brushes help detangle, massages scalp, improve blood circulation to the brain. The hair brush helps to improve the health of your hair by minimizing split ends, breakage and damage. I always notice it improves hair shine and adds volume after shampooing. One thing I do (my secret) is that I leave on a small amount of rosemary essential oil on the wooden comb to promote circulation and hair growth. This you cannot achieve with a plastic comb.

6. Face Cloth or Face Sponge for Exfoliation:

1. Konjac Sponge for Face Care: This is an incredible product that is reusable and biodegradable. This cleansing sponge is soft when wet and feels like soft touch to the skin. The texture does not irritate the skin. Konjac sponge is made from the vegetable fibers of the konjac plant. In Chinese medicine konjac sponge is used in face cleaning for its anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties. This natural sponge is soft enough to gently exfoliate dead skin to reveal glowing, youthful skin underneath. With continued use of konjac sponge, your skin texture will improve, soften, smooth and reduce blemishes.
2. Reusable Hemp Face Cloth or Bamboo Cottons: Hemp is a super absorbent, mold and mildew resistant (fungal resistance), soft, durable and biodegradable fiber. This is very soft and smoothing to the skin. Look for organic hemp cottons to ensure there is no pesticide and no chemical fertilizer. It is a strong fiber that is twice as absorbent as cotton. Sometimes face clothes made with hemp has a mix of bamboo cotton as well.

The bamboo cotton pads or clothes are also washable, tear resistance, extra absorbent and reusable for countless times. The bamboo clothes can also be used for removing make or face masks.

7. Package Free Soap Bar: Yes! These are available and you do not need to look too far! In Canada most of the Health Food Stores and Specialty Organic stores carry products from Soap works. They have a HUGE selection of soaps with affordable pricing. According to their website – for over 30 years, they have been offering the widest selection of affordable all-natural specialty soaps that are uniquely formulated to help people cope with all their particular skin sensitivities. The soaps are vegan friendly (apart from the Emu Oil/Bee Pollen), cruelty free, comes without packaging, phosphate free and sodium lauryl sulphate free. Some of these soaps are used for shaving and shampooing. Some of them are also non-irritating, works like an antiseptic (Tea Tree) and anti-fungal. There is also the Guelph Soap Company who makes similar soaps and Alberta Soap Company that makes the most delicious smelling, organic and packaging free soaps.

8. Package Free Shampoo Bar: Soap works and Unwrapped Life are two great companies who are offering 100% packaging free and all natural shampoo bars.

9. All Natural Deodorant: If you ask me if they work? I would answer 100% they do! And I am so proud to announce one of the BEST deodorants on the market with all natural ingredients is made in Canada by this company called Routine. Most deodorants that come in glassware are the cream deodorants. The bases used are oils, clays and beeswax. There are some beeswax free options to make them vegan-friendly. However, if you are used to deodorant sticks, it may take some time to get used to applying a cream deodorant. For women this is especially important as these deodorants are free of cancer-causing toxic ingredients that will effect their breast health and overall hormonal health.

10. Attars or Natural Perfumes: If this is the first time you are entering the world of Attar then welcome! And if you already know what I am about to share, get excited as I will share a few authentic sellers of Attars. Attars are scents and aromas that have been distilled for many days and sometimes months to capture the essence of the material and infused it in an oil base (wood base oils such as sandalwood and Agarwood). Currently essential oils are used as a base to create an attar. Attars are made from the essences of flowers, scented woods, resins, herbs and spices. Most popular attars are oud (derived from Agarwood which is now becoming extinct), musk, sandalwood (also becoming extinct), rose, heena, amber, jasmine and lotus. I will soon put out a new post on attars. For now, I have found some good attar companies in North America. In Canada, Living Libation sells my hubby’s most favourite oil called the Mitti Attar and the ever so exotic Rose Attar .  The company also carries Petal perfumes and other exotic scents. I am currently waiting on my recent purchase from Rising Phoenix Perfume on Etsy. Rising Phoenix Perfume has 757 five star reviews on Etsy and award winning (Finalist 2016, The Art and Olfactory Awards) Musk Rose Attar – that makes it a must check out!

I really hope the information in this blog, “Top 10 Eco Friendly Beauty Care Product Swap“ was some help to you.

The companies I have mentioned did not approach me to do this. I have been working in the wellness industry in Canada for over 8 years. I have worked at retail stores, distribution companies, alterative health clinics, schools and at a meal delivery company. Mostly I do know my products. Therefore I only wanted to share with you all what I have come to love.

Let me know if you have any products that you love and  think should have been on my list.

Please share this blog post with those you love and care for so they can become aware and learn about some wonderful swap ideas. And of course it helps me as a blogger too.