I wrote a daily skincare routine in April 2018, but since switching to low waste living, my routine has changed considerably, and I thought it was time for an update on my low was skincare routine!
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
Firstly, I get up about half an hour later than I used to (6:25-6:45) and my commute is much more bearable! I also have more time in the evening to enjoy a skin cleansing ritual.
SPF: I still use The Body Shop SPF. Most zero-waste and natural sunscreens I’ve come across are chalky and zinc-based. This just doesn’t work for my face, although I’m willing to try them on my body. I use SPF as a face primer from around April/May through to September. Otherwise, my BB cream has SPF for winter. If you have any recommendations for organic and eco-friendly facial SPF to incorporate into my low waste skincare routine, let me know!
Hand Lotion: I still enjoy The Body Shop’s shea hand cream, but it isn’t an environmentally-friendly product.
What changes have I made to make my routine lower waste and more eco-friendly?
Morning Routine
In the morning, I cleanse my face with water and a washable cotton pad. These cotton pads were purchased from Etsy from Gillyanna1 and Leave No Trace Ltd.
Although I really did love The Body Shop’s rose toner, once that was finished I decided to make my own toner using aloe vera gel and rose water. It smells amazing and does a great job tightening my face.
For the longest time my primer was the Superdrug Vitamin E serum. Undeniably, my makeup applied well when I used it, but this product has so many chemicals in it, it comes in a plastic container, and the low price point makes me question the ethics of its production. I had to quit the primer.
I now use Lush’s face serum bar. The one I currently have is a priming version with lemon grass. It smells amazing and makes my face feel tight and fresh! The problem with it is that it sucks as a primer in the summer. I find my makeup slips all over the place after a few hours. I probably won’t re-purchase this specific serum bar, but might try one of the other types at Lush.
I then go on to apply my makeup.
Evening Routine
In the evening, I have a shower and I wash my body and my face with package-free soap that I get from Etsy, markets, and health stores. Sometimes I will use my DIY honey cleanser, which does a great job at removing makeup. The recipe for this can be found here: DIY Skincare.
I still use my It’s Magic! Makeup Remover cloth, as well as my HailiCare facial massager. The magic cloth removes my mascara with just water much more efficiently than a face cloth, and the massager is an alternative to a face scrub.
If I still have stubborn eye makeup, I rub my eyes with some coconut oil and then rinse with water. I also tried Lush’s solid oil cleansing balm which smells of lavender. I wouldn’t repurchase as I felt it didn’t cleanse my skin.
Lotion:
I always apply a lotion or an oil to my face before bed. I finished my Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate, so now I use jojoba oil.
As much as I love Olay 7 effects night cream, I stopped buying it. The plastic container was problematic to recycle, it isn’t a cruelty free brand, and it isn’t ‘green skincare’ in the slightest. I’m now using night cream from Etsy shop Back2DRoots that came in a glass jar. It smells really nice, and is moisturizing in winter.
I ended up developing patches of eczema under my eyes so I’m trying out calendula eye cream to see if I can treat the dry, raw patches. I’ll keep you posted if it works.
I use Lush solid lotion or body butter. I bought one that looks like a bee and smells fantastic (like honey). I used this for ages as a body butter and then realised it has grit and is a shower body scrub (oops!). I preferred it more as a body butter, but you can’t use it once it gets gritty, and using it in the shower makes the tub slippery. I probably won’t repurchase, but would get this scent in a different product.
I’m now using a Lush naked solid lotion and it smells of citrus and is lovely. Would 100% recommend.
Lip treatment
I’m still using up a tub of lip treatment I bought on Amazon. It’s fine, but I wouldn’t re-purchase. I’m also using some chapsticks I got from a friend as a bachelorette party favour!
Face mask
I still use the Palmer’s cocoa butter clay mask (read about it here), and I expect it will take me ages to use up since I only do a face mask every few months. It’s really nice but not organic or package free.
That’s all for my updated low waste skincare routine. If you’ve got low waste or DIY favourites, let me know as I’m always looking to try new things!
