Happy Earth Day folks! I like to think of myself as the kind of of person who’s fairly environmentally-conscious – I recycle, reuse things in new ways (I’m a take out tupperware keeper), and reduce energy and resource consumption. Our natural hair makes us use a lot of things: time, hair products, water, etc. Here are 10 tips for how you can be earth friendly in all aspects of your life, from your hair and beyond.
Hair
- Detangle your hair outside of the shower – To save water, don’t detangle your hair in the shower, because it takes at least 20 minutes and you’re wasting so much water! Though it might take more time, it is more eco-friendly to detangle outside of the shower, especially with a hair steamer like the QRedew.
- Don’t throw away products you don’t like – Rather than throwing products in the trash, swap them with a friend or at a meetup, or supplement them to make them work better (ie, add oil to your conditioners and shampoos).
Beauty
- Recycle old makeup – There are lots of ways to recycle your makeup, namely handing it down to your younger cousins. But companies increasingly have recycling programs that allow you to get a free product if you bring back empty containers, like the Back to MAC program.
- Neutrogena Naturals Cleansing Towelettes – Rather than waste water by washing your face everyday, replace one face wash session with cleansing towelettes or makeup remover wipes. These ones by Neutrogena are made from 100% renewable fibers, and don’t have any harsh chemicals, parabens, sulfates, etc. I’ve been using them for weeks now, and even went 3 days using them both day and night for Neutrogena’s #WipeforWater challenge. My face felt clean, fresh, and light! You can see more about the wipes in this review video I made.
*I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.*
Food & Wellness
- Eat meat-free sometimes – Meat consumption leaves a pretty huge carbon footprint, so having one or more days out of the week where you don’t eat any meat helps the environment! It can also be healthy for you too.
- Buy locally-grown produce – I’ve talked on the site before about buying vegetables from Corbin Hill, which is a farm share initiative that brings produce grown in New York to neighborhoods like Harlem that don’t have the best vegetable offerings at an affordable price. Buying locally not only ensures you eat less processed food, but you add to the environment by reducing transit costs and the environmental harms associated with packaging and transporting food.
- Walk a little more – The NYC MTA fare hike for some reason has got me walking all over the darn place, because it makes no sense to pay $5.50 to go to and fro to the gym. Whether it’s walking an extra ten blocks to and from work, or just
Life
- Recycle – It is ridiculously easy to put aside your plastics, glass, and paper disposables in a separate bag. If you’re not doing this, shame on you! Look beyond the normal recyclables, and give your clothes to places like Salvation Army when you’re done with them so they can find new homes.
- Upcycle – I’m all about reusing things, big and small. I reuse food containers in all sorts of ways, from pantry and cookware storage to drinking glasses. My dresser/TV console, the staple furniture piece in my apartment, is a spray painted and jazzed up version from my childhood bedroom. My dressing room vanity and chair used to be in my mom’s bedroom, and were also spray painted to fit my decor. My point, old things can find new uses!
- Use menstrual cups – I plan on singing the praises about menstrual cups in another post, but they are a much more environmentally friendly way to get through your time of the month. Rather than going through 15-20 pads, tampons, pantiliners, etc in a cycle, 1 reusable menstrual cup does all the heavy lifting, or rather catching, for you.
What steps do you take to help take care of the Earth? Does your natural hair hinder that process?
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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
I recycle trash,plastic and cans for garbage everyday. I used plastic storage containers a lot and bag for food storage. I am environmentally friendly.