Contrary to popular belief, it would actually be better—for our skin, for nature and for our pockets—to go minimalist. Here are easy tips on how to simplify your beauty regimen and decrease your carbon footprint:
Invest in multipurpose products
Beauty brands tell us to buy and buy until we find our drawers filled to the brim with products we don’t really use. Save bucks and those extra five minutes in the morning with products that do a lot for you, like shampoos that double as cleansers, and argan oil. Argan oil, or liquid gold as the enthusiasts call it, is produced from nuts from the argan tree, which only grows in Southwestern Morocco. It’s pricey but it’s worth it: It can function as a moisturizer, toner (add a few drops to rose water), lip exfoliant (add to fine brown sugar), leave-on conditioner, overnight hair treatment, and cuticle and heel softener.
Wash your face only once a day
Beauty experts, dermatologists and even The Wall Street Journal say so. Unless you have a skin condition like acne, you only really need to wash your face once a day—at night before you sleep, when makeup, pollutants and oil have collected on the skin.
Overcleansing and overexfoliating can cause sensitive skin to react by producing more oil to compensate, thus speeding up the skin aging process by thinning the outermost layer; and it is actually one of the causes of fine lines and wrinkles. Stick with just water in the morning, especially if you have dry and sensitive skin.
Learn beauty tips online
Many body scrubs contain beads made of polyethylene, a form of plastic that clogs pipes and pollutes water systems. Instead of buying a branded body scrub, opt to make your own. There are a lot of sources online you can learn from. You can use hair conditioner as shaving lubricant and eye makeup remover, turn old eye shadow into nail polish and de-pill worn fabric with a razor.
This story was originally published in Northern Living, May 2014.