It’s that time again. While going to the gym every week, travelling more or taking up a new hobby are all amazing changes to be making for yourself, there may be one very important new years resolution you’re skipping over. A resolution that, unlike your soup cleanse that lasted 2 days, can certainly be kept (for a lifetime). While cheap, quick, unsustainable and without a real thought or care for consumers seems to be the motto of most industries, plastic products take up to a thousand years to decompose, and so this along with unhealthy ingredient lists are a huge huge concern. It therefore goes without saying that trying to live more sustainably, reduce our waste contributions and be kinder to ourselves and the planet should be at the top of our resolution lists this new year.
If there’s anything we learnt from the High School Musical hit stick to the status quo, it’s that changing what we’re used to is always daunting and a lot of people won’t get it, especially when it involves spending money and not knowing whether it’s going to be worth it. But it’s so important and, luckily for you, I spent 2020 swapping my own products and searching out some of the best and most affordable sustainable ones so you can shop and swap with a bit of confidence. Now I completely acknowledge that a sustainable lifestyle is a privilege, and in fact I absolutely resent that fact, but that’s another story. The point is, a lot of these products are investments that will ultimately save you money in the long run, but are not viable for a lot of people who need items that are quick and affordable in the short term, and I don’t think we should feel bad or shame anyone for that. However if you do find yourself with a bit of spare cash at any point, even just making one of these swaps really makes a huge difference and should be a priority for us all. There are actually soo many options out there once you start looking and of course not everything works for everyone, these are just some that I’ve tried tested and recommend, along with some of the reasons behind why these swaps are so important. From the kitchen to the bathroom to personal hygiene products and clothes, there is a product revolution happening and you might wanna get in on it.
1. Love your skin and the earth – Makeup removal and product application
How many make up wipes / pieces of cotton wool do you use a day? It seems minuscule and irrelevant when you’re auto-piloting your day to day routines, yet if you really stop and think about how much of it you use – especially when one or even two bits never seem to be enough to get everything off – and deep how much that adds up to being thrown away in a year that is not at all cute. I really despair when I think back to how I used to use three or four make up wipes trying to get everything off properly – scrubbing at my face and ruining my skin, not to mention sending about 1000 of the things to landfill a year. Turns out a reusable sponge and a bottle of micellar water was one hell of a tactical purchase; immediately so much noticeably gentler on my skin which has led to it being brighter and healthier, I waste so much less product (one bottle of makeup remover now legit lasts me about 6 months) and its so much kinder to the planet. There’s plenty of options that can be found quite easily for this one, but my favourite for taking my makeup off has been this microfibre make up remover cloth (!on sale at the moment!). For a deeper slightly exfoliating type clean, I love Dr Hauska’s face sponge, – this one is also the more affordable short term option if that’s a priority for you. These both work perfectly just with water, but I like to rub Garnier’s Micellar milky cleansing water all over my face with my fingers then dampen my sponge/cloth and wipe off. You only need to do it once to get everything off effectively before washing your face – and it’s enough that on lazy nights I’m not too worried about my skin if I just do that. For product application (e.g exfoliators and toners etc) as well as being great spares for when friends staying over need them, these reusable cotton pads or these are also amazing and actually softer than your regular single use cotton wool pads. The cutest way to bare faced babedom.
2. A sustainable shave sent from goddesses
Let me introduce you to my soulmate Estrid, we met back in September and I’ve never looked back. This Swedish owned brand is really changing the shaving game; the days of uncomfortable shaves with disposable razors are over, and days of far less waste, no pink tax, goddess shaves and baby soft skin are here. The subscription service begins with a £7.95 starter pack that includes your handle in one of 4 colours, a wall mount for it and two razor heads. After that, you get 4 fresh razor heads as often as you’d like for £10. I’d say for the enhanced quality and ease, this is pretty affordable compared with your average disposable plastic razors. Each razor head lasts I’d say about 3 full body shaves + the top ups in between (as long as you’re rinsing it properly each time of course), and with a surprisingly weighty and ergonomic lifetime handle made from steel (none of your slippy flimsy plastic over here thank you) and 5 quality blades on each razor head, encased in cocoa butter, aloe vera & shea butter, get ready for a firm grip, zero cuts or scrapes and soft baby feel as this treasure glides across your skin. I literally have no complaints about this one as I love everything about it, from the perfect shave to the cute ass notes that come in every package, and if that seems too good to be true to you, try it out and see for yourself. If there’s anything you deserve to treat yourself and the planet to after the shit show of 2020, it’s this.
3. B.Y.O.B (Bring your own B.O.) – Natural Deodorant
I dunno about you but I tend to go through a significant amount of deodorant every month let alone in a year, and the packages are pretty much never recyclable, contributing to a huge amount of throwaway waste. While rumours that the aluminium in your deo can cause cancer have been pretty much debunked, I’m still not exactly comfortable with the idea that plugging your pores with such a chemical, along with everything else that’s in there, is such a healthy thing in general. On my adventures through sustainable and more natural products, I found WILD; a subscription deo service with a refillable lifetime case, all natural and vegan ingredients, aluminium free, and compostable/recyclable plastic free refill pods in 6 different scents which you can mix and match and change as you go. They’ve already stopped over 14 tonnes of plastic deodorants going to landfill since launching in April this year, as well as planting 35000 trees; a huge feat for such a young brand, and hopefully this will only increase exponentially.
Until 31st January Wild are giving you your case free (usually £10) and all you have to do is buy your refills; just use the code WILDCASE at the checkout. For me who was using pretty expensive Mitchum this hasn’t been much of a price increase; I use less than I would have before, it’s better for me and the convenience of knowing I will never run out unexpectedly and be stuck stinking is so worth it. The roll on isn’t sticky at all like a lot of them can be, but unfortunately does sometimes leave white marks, these wipe off really easily and don’t stain though so is a small sacrifice to make. Please do note as well that without aluminium or silicones, this is not an anti perspirant which is what most of us are used to, and so get ready for an adjustment period (this was about 6 weeks for me) where you may notice yourself seemingly sweating and stinking slightly more than you’re used to as your body stabilises to this new product. Please don’t be put off by this and write it off prematurely, it does subside and become normal again – if not better as I’ve found personally. And luckily for peace of mind, Wild cases are light and discreet so can be carried round for deodorising top ups throughout the day. Seeing as we’re in lockdown again too, now may be the perfect time to invest and get over your smelly stage in isolation x
4. Period with (even more) pride with these pads
Periods are nothing to be ashamed of or embarrassed about. The way most companies make our sanitary products however is definitely something THEY should be ashamed and embarrassed about. The Woman’s Environmental Network (WEN) for the London assembly on single use plastics in 2018 found that conventional disposable menstrual products are made from 90% plastic, and the average woman who menstruates throws away 200kg of tampons, pads and applicators in a lifetime, this equates to a huge total of 200,000 tonnes of waste altogether per year, a disturbingly large amount of which ends up in oceans and on beaches as figures from the Marine Conservation Society revealed (Source). And it’s not only the environment these products are killing, but possibly us too. Regular pads and tampons are full of dangerous and possibly carcinogenic chemicals, what’s worse is that it’s very hard to know exactly what’s in them as companies aren’t required to explicitly list ingredients. This means all sorts of shit is being absorbed by our vaginas every single month. Because of this, it’s definitely worth the investment to make a swap and buy some reusable pads; by doing this you’re being kind to your vagine as well as reducing your carbon emissions by up to 40x.
I’ve found these pads from ecobravo to be not only so cute, but actually so much more comfortable than regular pads due to their soft material, and I have never had irritation from them like some regular pads have given me in the past. Due to personal reasons I can’t use tampons but friends who use it rave about the diva cup and it’s surprising comfort and ease of use as well. I understand that it may be uncomfortable at first using reusable products as we’ve been conditioned to think stuff like that is unhygienic – this is something I had to get over too, once you actually try them though you find it isn’t at all weird; they are so easy to rinse out, go in fine with your regular washing loads and come out just as new. They also dry really quickly so can be washed mid period and ready to use again almost straight away. On the down side, while they will ultimately save so much in the long run, these are certainly a huge investment as the pads are seemingly expensive when first buying. Having said that, I also keep some pads by TOTM on standby for friends or other emergencies, these are single use only they don’t contain plastics, are biodegradable and organic so aren’t bleached or full of nasty chemicals, and these might also be a great option if you’re concerned about making a swap but unable or even not wholly comfortable to branch out to reusable ones quite yet.
5. Toilet Roll – If I told you you could save the world by going to the loo would you believe me?
Not only does toilet paper wipes out approximately 27,000 trees a day (source), the plastic it’s wrapped in also contributes to significant amounts of landfill waste. This year I found Who Gives A Crap, who make their toilet paper and other products from recycled paper or forest friendly bamboo and have eliminated plastic, instead using cute recyclable and/or reusable wrapping that looks pretty as shit stacked up in your bathroom. They don’t use inks or dyes or scents that mean you’re basically wiping your bum with chemicals, they deliver right to your door, and best of all, they donate 50% of their profits to building toilets and sanitation systems around the world. I was surprised at how not uncomfortable using this roll was – usually when you think of recycled tp you think scratchy and harsh, but with who gives a crap’s 3-ply rolls it has been a pretty pleasant experience so far. However, the downside to buying in bulk is that you need space and some disposable income for it. While I managed to stuff my spare rolls out of the way into a suitcase, it is daunting trying to work out how you’re going to store so much toilet paper, and at £36 for 48 rolls or £24 for 24, it is definitely a lot to spend in one go. It is so worth it though if you have the spare cash at any point or can maybe split it with other households, especially when you consider these rolls are double length and so work out at only 18p per 100 sheets (you’re average supermarket rolls can be anywhere between 15p – 40p per 100 sheets), as well as their impact, and the fact that you’re highly unlikely to have to run out in a poo panic to get a refill any point. There are also now supermarket recycled toilet paper which are still wrapped in plastic and work out more expensive in the long run, yet as a short term alternative and to save trees, it is still a great switch.
6. Food Storage Saviours – Reusable food bags
I recently invested in these amazing reusable food storage bags. The days of frustratingly trying to get the air out of your bags and tie them up in a way that is secure but easy to undo again are over. Welcome to air tight, strong and durable food bags, that hold anything from sandwiches to leftover baked beans (yes they hold liquid no problem). They have ziplock seals which mean that while it takes some (wo)man power to undo, they’re completely air tight and secure and way better than those tricksy knots we tie both our bags and ourselves in usually. As we probably all know, plastics clog up oceans and landfill for thousands of years, and plastic bags in particular can be extremely damaging to wildlife as they can choke, suffocate and strangle them. I used to try and reuse my single use food bags for as long as possible because I was so loathe to throw away so much unnecessary plastic, now instead my mind is at rest and my food is well stored and preserved. Kitchen stuff seems to be the most affordable place to start with the sustainable products too, with these being only £14 for ten on a BOGOF offer at the minute. The only qualm I do have, besides wishing I could find some bigger ones too, is that, while they’re pretty easy to wash they’re annoying to dry if you don’t have a dishwasher as you need to keep them open in order for the water inside to drip out/evaporate and this can take some time too. Again though, this is a small price to pay; I tend to put them round the top of cups on the draining board and this works okay for me.
7. Disco worthy silicon straws
I’m sure we all know by now the danger and evil of plastic straws, particularly on aquatic life, so I’ll keep this short and sweet. While regular reusable straws are pretty cheap. and easy to get hold of, I’ve always found issue with not being able to easily carry those around with me. As an answer to my qualms, I got this Gosili silicon straw in my Christmas stocking this year (shoutout Mumsy) and I think it’s amazing; affordable, lovely to drink out of as well as coming in a pocket size tin and being easily bendable – ready to be carried everywhere with you without the worry of getting your stuff sticky or sucking up fluff that it’s picked up from your bag (yes this has really happened to me, not cute). The perfect investment to show off once the bars and pubs open again.
8. Sustainable clothing that doesn’t break the bank
This is a really important one, as I mentioned in a blog before we cannot go on the way we have been with fast fashion. The problem with sustainable fashion is the off putting and intimidating price tag that often comes with it. Although it usually has to be in order to be fair to the workers and fair to the planet in the way items are made, and as demand goes up prices will hopefully start to go down. However, if you look closely enough you find that your every day high street brands have started to get on the wave and improve their practices. Now I haven’t shopped in New Look for YEARS, and have always assumed it’s just as bad as the fast fashion I hate. By chance I ended up going in with my sister in law back in August and was so surprised to find that they now actually have their own sustainable line. I ended up picking up some shorts, tops and a gorgeous denim one piece that are all beautifully made, use less water, less chemicals, are 100% cotton and were pretty much just as affordable as the rest of their clothes. Since then I’ve found H&M have their own conscious range along with the likes of Pull and Bear’s ‘Join life’ line (my personal favourite so far in terms of style). Although they may have their flaws and not all the way there, this has been amazing to see as it shows we are going in the right direction and brands are catching on to how important ethical fashion is for a lot of customers, and they’re making commitments to start meeting these needs. And so, if nothing else this 2021, when shopping for your next outfit why not check your favourite brand and see if they have their own sustainable line you can buy from, or check out the ones I mentioned – if you’re anything like me you might surprise yourself at how much of it you actually like.
While this list isn’t as extensive as I’d have liked it to be, I focussed on products that were a priority for me and that I could realistically budget in over the year. With the beauty and bathroom industry being such huge waste contributors, this is where I started, but my journey to eliminating waste is far from over, and I will certainly be back as I continue to try out new stuff. For now, I’d love to hear from anyone reading this. Have you found any other sustainable products you’d recommend? Have you found this helpful and will you be joining the product revolution with me and investing in any of the things I’ve listed? What kind of other products would you like to see tried out and reviewed? Despite its rocky start I hope we all have a fruitful 2021 full of love and happiness, understanding and respect, as well as sustainable choices wherever possible so that we can have many more New Years to come.
LIFE OF JACKO 
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