Glam Slam: Green Week — Green Your Beauty Routine

The 40th anniversary of Earth Day is tomorrow and to honor that we continue our week long celebration of all things Green. Today, it’s all about making some easy changes to create a more eco-friendly beauty routine.

For that, we went to one of the most eco-conscious companies around, LUSH Cosmetics. The company, which has donated more than $1 million to charity, (supporting environmental conservation, animal protection and humanitarian causes) makes products by hand using fresh ingredients, doesn’t test on animals and works to protect the earth. Over 70% of LUSH products are sold “naked” (unpackaged), solid and preservative-free.

Mark Constantine, founder of LUSH (which is a fave of Gwen Stefani, Simon Cowell, Britney Spears and Blake Lively) gives his top ten tips on how you can make steps to green your beauty routine.

1. Think about what you actually need. Check the ingredients to see if there are any that you don’t like and what effect the product will have on you. Also, don’t be afraid to ask for samples to enable you to try a product for a few days and if you like the results then go back to purchase.

2. Use soap instead of shower gel or liquid soap, use shampoo bars instead of bottled shampoo and use solid massage bars instead of massage oil. These are all better for the environment as there is little or no packaging and solid products contain no water, and therefore, need no preservatives. Consider this: if the entire population of North America used a solid shampoo bar, which is the equivalent of three 8oz bottles of shampoo, then it would save 122 million plastic bottles from being produced and ending up in the landfill.

3. Avoid products that are heavily packaged or remove the packaging and leave it in the till to send a clear message to the retailer. Be aware that sometimes the contents often cost less than the actual packaging of a product!

4. Check the product for a use-by date. No use-by date means that the product is heavily preserved, which means more preservative going down the drain – and that’s bad for the environment.

5. Try to buy locally produced cosmetic products. Check the label – have they been made in relatively close or air freighted in from afar?

6. Buy products that last as long as possible, like toothbrushes that have a disposable head so that you only replace the head and are not throwing as much away.

7. Explore water-recycling systems for your bathroom. Around 60% of the Japanese population filters, recycles and reheats bath water. When you do have a bath, make the most of it! Take at least 45 minutes out of your schedule to relax and unwind. Try recycling your bath water to water your garden or share your bath with your partner!

8. When you clean your teeth, remember to turn the water off while you are brushing.

9. Recycle any plastic bottles, but make sure that you wash them first. If you don’t they will contaminate the rest of your recycling and end up in landfill.

10. When you go shopping for cosmetic products, take your own reusable bag and walk or cycle to the shops if possible.

In honor of Earth Day, LUSH Cosmetics grouped six of those green goodies together in a limited-edition Naked Kit ($20), which contains a solid shampoo bar (using one bar saves 3 plastic bottles and lasts for 70 washes), massage bar, body butter, soap, toner tab and facial cleanser in a biodegradable box. For more info go to www.lush.com.