Why did I want to create a plastic free routine? Well let’s talk a bit about plastic. Plastic became popular in the 1950s as it was cheaper than other products, reliable and practically indestructible. Which is why it’s an issue now, even when we *think* we recycle items, but only 12 percent of 8.9 billion metric tons of plastic have been recycled – the rest takes over 400 years to decompose. WWF estimated that by 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in the sea!
Plastic-alternatives have their own issues, but when it comes to products we use daily, it might be useful to try plastic-free options.
Most of the products I tested for my hair, skin, body and makeup plastic-free routine, I already owned. But I had to purchase a toothpaste and shampoo bar. It’s difficult finding plastic-free options for everything though, plastic-free sunscreens contain zinc which generally leaves a horrible white cast. So I didn’t get one as that would be wasteful! Also mascara, which I didn’t use.
Starting from teeth products, the Stainless Steel Tongue Scraper (£3.38) is super long-lasting, I use it day and night and put it in the dishwasher once a week for a deeper clean. This aids teeth and mouth health and I find my teeth tends to be whiter when I use this.
The bamboo toothbrush (£4.95 for 5 pack) is an excellent option as bamboo is biodegradable, but I generally prefer an electric toothbrush which is silicone. This is the one I use and each head lasts for about 6 months. I used it with the Georganics Toothsoap (£9.90), a very unique toothpaste! It’s all-natural etc which I don’t particularly mind/care about but it does feel like it cleans the teeth. Also, this little pot will last ages as you add water to your toothbrush, rub it and use it. It gets super foamy!
Wild deodorant (£25 for the case and 3 refills)* is awesome, it’s plastic-free the refills come in compostable packaging and they do various scents. It is natural, but personally, I don’t use because of that, but because it’s plastic free. LastSwab (£10) is the first ever reusable silicone q-tip ear swab. You can use it for up to 1000 times and it works so well. You can just clean it with soap and water, let it dry and store it in its pretty (corn-based) case. They also do a ‘beauty’ version, which I like a lot for makeup and fixing mistakes.
It’s the first time I try a shampoo bar and I picked this Faith in Nature shampoo bar (£5.78) as it had many good reviews. I only used this once so far, but I wasn’t a fan. I didn’t feel like it cleaned my roots like my other shampoos do. I followed the instructions so not sure if it’s me or if the specific product. On the contrary the body bar by nuddy Soap Bar in mango (£4.95)* worked great, my body felt soft and the scent is amazing.
The Estrid razor (£7.95 with 2 cartridges)* works so well — it’s super soft and it doesn’t feel like it can cut your skin. It’s also plastic-free (it’s stainless steel) and you only need to change the head. Also, their soothing strips are totally vegan!
Remilia hair serum Cosmocap (£27 fo 30 capsules)* comes in biodegradable capsules (that melt in hot water) and they hold a good amount of product. Sometimes with capsules like this I need to use two, which then defeats the purpose or having them in capsules. This leaves my hair soft and smooth (there is some silicone in, which helps the smoothness).
Bolt Beauty are a new-ish company that’s I’ve featured on my Instagram in the past! Their capsules are made from seaweed so not only are they great for the environment but also, when you dissolve them you can use them to feed your plants! Their big pots of capsules are the ones you keep at home and they do refills (in compostable bags) which are also cheaper. Each pot comes with 100 capsules. I love the concept and used all their capsules for this experiment.
So for my first cleanse at night I used: the white capsule is the Filthy Clean (£35 for big pot or £30 for refill)* balm cleanser which works super well. I like this a lot, but my issue is I need 2 capsules for my whole face. I have a big face!
As my second cleanse I used the Carbon Theory Tea Tree and Charcoal Cleansing Bar (£6)* which is great for acne-prone skin. However, it’s too harsh, a little drying when used daily. So for me, this is a twice a week cleanse or used on the days when I need a deeper cleanse. It’s excellent value and can also be used on the body, though they also have an exfoliating body bar too!
Then for my serum step I used the Dew Mighty Jelly Serum (around £39 for the starter kit)* full of good oils like jojoba, olive, and squalane. This is an amazing product, it’s waterless and is activated when swiped across your face, with the heat from your skin. This is genius and it works, also I think it’s a product that will last for ages. My only concern is that it’s quite oil-heavy, so I wouldn’t personally use it everyday as I’m acne-prone and I would prefer to have less oils in my daily routine. Jojoba and squalane are good for acne-prone skin though! Unfortunately, this only ships to the US and Canada at the moment but keep an eye out if you’re in the UK, hopefully they will ship here soon! Update: they now ship to the UK and Europe for $15.
Then the blue Bolt Beauty Mad About Moisture (£35 or £30 for refill)* capsule which is Hyaluronic acid and it works well! But I do need a thicker cream personally, so I would follow this with cream. However, this is good as an HA serum especially when on-the-go!
To finish my night routine I use the pink Bolt Beauty A Game (£50 or £45 fo refill)* capsule which contains the all-star vitamin A/retinol. Retinol is part of the retinoids family and it’s less irritating than other levels of retinoids. Though I don’t think this is enough for me as I’ve been using retinols for years (and also tretinoin which is the strong, prescription-strength kid in the family). It’s the perfect amount in this capsule.
The difference in my morning routine is that I don’t cleanse in the morning, I used the Dew Mighty serum, then the Bolt Beauty Mad About Moisture and then Bolt Beauty Glow Don’t Shine (£35 or £30 for refill)*. This is great as a makeup primer if you are oily, but I find it a bit too matte for my liking. I followed with a sunscreen but there are NO plastic-free sunscreens that don’t leave a white cast so I used one I already own.
Now makeup is where it gets trickier!! There are VERY VERY few plastic-free makeup options and there is just one “type” of mascara that’s plastic-free. My foundation is the Kjaer Weis Cream Foundation (£51 or £30 for refill)* and it’s a brilliant foundation. Their whole line is refillable and their packaging is metallic. Because you refill, it’s a better option than plastic. However, it’s NOT a good option if you are planning to throw it out.
I’ve had this little pot of soap for brows by Soap Brows (£12.50) for YEARS. Yes it lasts a really long time and it comes in a metal tin, which is very helpful and more convenient than a bar of soap. I spray it with some water or a mist before applying on my brows.
Soak Sunday Lip Balm (£5.60)* is a lovely lip balm in a sleek tin pot! The brand has sustainable practices in general, so check them out! This is not super hydrating for my perpetually dry lips but it’s good to use during the day as it’s not too thick or oily.
I used the AXIOLOGY Lip-to-Lid Balmies (£29)* as a blush, eyeshadow, lipstick and highlighter. These are super creamy and have a nice colour pay-off. The box and wrapper are all compostable! You use them like crayons, so take off some of the wrapper when the balmie is getting smaller. and continue using. Plus you can blend it all with your finger, so it’s super easy!!
I didn’t use mascara, as the only plastic-free mascaras I found came in a tin pot. I didn’t think this would work for me, so on this occasion I didn’t get one.
It was fun to find and test plastic-free products for an entire day. Most of these worked well, I wouldn’t change anything in my makeup routine, but my hair felt VERY dry. I always use a thick mask when I wash my hair and this routine didn’t help my dry hair. I also need a much thicker face cream at night, so even though I like these products a lot, I would follow up with another cream.
The product that didn’t work for me at all is the shampoo bar, the rest I will continue using!
Would you try a plastic-free routine?
Here’s the IGTV of this routine experiment
