How To Adopt A Sustainable Grooming Routine

We all know by now that the planet is experiencing a climate crisis. Whilst some weather events are natural occurrences there are certainly others that have been caused as a result of human actions. The more people have consumed the more co2 is released and more waste is generated too. Most industries now need to reduce their emissions, energy or waste to meet climate change targets.

One of the biggest sources of waste, is often the packaging that our products come in. From plastic wrapping to Styrofoam, much of this waste is either hard, or impossible to recycle. The world of male grooming has been as much of a problem as every other industry on the planet. It’s an industry that has rapidly expanded in the last decade and shows no signs of slowing down.

There are however, a number of steps we can take to reduce the impact our grooming regimes have on the planet and like every other aspect of our lives, we need to be prepared to make a lot of changes to our current habits.

The obvious place to start is with the packaging itself. Try and buy products that don’t use excessive packaging, especially the type that can’t be recycled easily. As an alternative, look at package-free or “naked” alternatives. There are now many different brands in this niche, producing everything from deodorant bars to beard conditioners and the range of products is rapidly increasing.

If you use a razor as part of your grooming, consider using one with disposable steel blades rather than the plastic types. Not only does this reduce the amount of plastic waste, but you’ll probably get a much better shave! A good razor combined with a naked shave-soap bar and you’ll wonder why you ever used a plastic razor!

Packaging isn’t the only problem though. Sometimes it’s what’s in the product that causes the environmental problems. Palm oil has made its way from food products to our grooming products. It’s well noted that palm oil has a negative impact on the environment on multiple levels, so check the ingredients of your grooming products to see if there are more sustainable swaps.

There are a growing number of organic grooming products on the market and if you want to help the environment, this is probably a good way to make an almost instant impact. Organic products use no pesticides and they are grown in conditions that support not only wildlife, but also soil conditions. Buying organic coupled with less packaging or “naked products, will go a long way to a more sustainable grooming regime.

It’s worth singling out microbeads for particular attention too, as they’re cropping up in a lot of grooming products these days. These tiny beads are minute plastic particles and are often added as an exfoliant. Because they’re so small, their impact is not as obvious, but they are literally choking the life out of water systems and the wildlife that relies on them. Thankfully, there are now many natural and organic alternatives that we can use instead of microbeads, so again check the ingredients on products you buy.

It’s fair to say that making the change to a more sustainable grooming regime could cost you a bit more than regular products however, the products are often a better quality  and you’ll probably notice that you get better results by switching from mass produced products.

Be more vigilant when you’re buying toiletries and check out the reviews before deciding if they match your environmental criteria. Every little change in our daily routines takes a bit of time to adjust to and more natural products can feel very different to what we’re used to. Every small change we make can help can make an impact on our environment.