13 eco-friendly personal care products to help you live a more sustainable life
We all have to start somewhere right?
The phone pings with excitement. The day has finally come. ‘Flash Sale! 30% – 50% off sitewide!’ reads the banner in big bold letters. I put in earplugs to muffle the cries of my bank account as I fill up the shopping basket. Adrenaline coursing through my veins as I pop in one face serum after another, topping things off with three new nude lipsticks, all scheduled for next day delivery.
I’m not an aspiring beauty guru. I just can’t resist a sale. I’m certain that Amazon’s algorithm also knows that. That’s why I keep getting advertisements on every possible social media platform about the latest drops.
It’s a little harmless retail therapy, that’s what I keep telling myself. To soothe my soul through the past year, I’m fully stocked up on everything from sunscreen to toilet paper, extra scrunchies and coasters for non-existent guests.
I track my packages with the prowess of an apex predator stalking their prey through the Sunderbans. But the rush of a new shopping spree dies out as quickly as it floods my system with happy hormones. Treating myself temporarily improved my mood but then the guilt sets in. After ripping through the multilayer packaging, cardboard boxes and fancy wrapping, the new products take up less than one square foot, but my living room is littered with plastic and paper waste.
I’m part of the problem. Our country produces plastic waste at a level that my mind can’t even comprehend. The Central Pollution Board (CPCB) report 2018-19 pegs the number at 3.3 million metric tonnes. That’s roughly 9,200 tonnes a day.
After every shopping spree, my guilty conscience treats me to at least one nightmare featuring polar bears lying sadly on garbage islands instead of ice and snow. Experts will tell you that the largest contributors towards climate change are the big corporations flooding the oceans and air with pollution and waste, not everyday citizens like me and you using a plastic straw instead of a paper one. But even the little things can add up. Why contribute to a landfill when you can make small changes and opt for more sustainable home items and eco-friendly personal care products?
I’ve learnt that the switch to eco-friendly personal care products can start slow. Swapping out everyday essentials, especially the single-use items, with either reusable options or ones that use greener ingredients in their composition. This requires less water to produce and prevents harmful chemicals from leaching into the ocean.
It can be toilet paper made from bamboo cotton instead of the usual store-bought ones, or handmade soaps and shampoo bars instead of the plastic-bottled alternatives. Or even making your monthly period cycle more sustainable with a cup and reusable pads.
We all have to start somewhere right?
Eco-friendly personal care products that will soothe your conscience
All your personal tissue needs
I know what you’re thinking – should I be worried that it’s brown? Good Karma’s products are free from bleach and artificial dyes, retaining the natural brown colour.
They can fulfil all your tissue needs for personal care from toilet paper to kitchen towels, napkins and a bedroom tissue box. They make their products by recycling unprinted, pre-consumer waste paper. I recommend the personal hygiene pack that comes with 5 toilet paper rolls and 4 boxes of facial tissues
Menstrual cup
Menstrual cups allow you to have a sustainable period without compromising on hygiene or comfort. They sound a lot more intimidating than they are. It just takes a bit of practice. But once you’ve got the insertion and removal technique down, you’ll wonder why you didn’t try it sooner.
As long as you keep them clean and sterilised, menstrual cups may be the most cost-effective option among the bunch.
They’re just as safe and effective as sanitary pads and tampons – public health studies have verified it – while also reducing waste and water usage. A municipality in Kerala was even giving them out for free.
₹299 (currently on sale, please check which size is suitable for you )
Biodegradable and reusable sanitary pads
If you’re not ready to make the switch to a cup, I suggest trying one of these. These aren’t as easily available as just going down the road to the chemistwale bhaiya. It takes extra planning but it’s worth it.
Sanitary napkins such as the ones made by Pee Safe tap into the benefits of natural fibres. They’re free of bleach and irritating fragrances, without compromising on hygiene and effectiveness.
They also employ organic ingredients to create reusable sanitary pads. These are great if you’re looking to switch to eco-friendly personal care products but you also need to be a little mindful when using reusable sanitary napkins.
Make sure you wash and dry it properly and follow the usage instructions. Some can be used for up to three years, while others advise being replaced after one year.
Biodegradable sanitary pads for ₹199 (pack of 10 regular, currently on sale) and reusable sanitary pads for ₹399 (3 regular pads + 1 night pad, currently on sale)
Hemp pouches
When the products start gathering around your washbasin, it may be time to store them away for safety.
These pouches by Akiiko are multi-purpose, you can use them to store pretty much anything given that they come in different sizes. Use them as storage for skincare, the stationery you somehow keep hoarding or extra wires and phone accessories.
They’re made using hemp, which is considered a more eco-friendly fibre because the processing into pulp involves fewer chemicals. It’s not bleached, can grow pretty much anywhere and is non-irritating on the skin as well.
Eco-friendly laundry detergent
Your kit of eco-friendly personal care products should include laundry detergent that’s kind to the skin and the environment.
This one by The Better Home uses plant-derived surfactants and is great for people whose skin tends to have bad reactions to regular store-bought products.
It’s safe to use with different fabrics and you can use it in your top or front load washing machines or when you’re doing a bucket wash of your intimate wear. They even let you sign up for a subscription, after choosing the frequency, you’ll get one regularly dropped to your home without worries of it running out.
Reusable bamboo pads
It’s time to replace your disposable cotton pads with bamboo ones. Taking off stubborn eye make-up or applying a hydrating toner, these pads can be used for anything.
They’re made using bamboo cotton and comes with a mesh bag you can drop them in and run in the washing machine. ONEarth says that one pad can be used up to 200 times.
Breastfeeding mums can also use these as nursing pads to soak any accidental leakages.
Shampoo bars
It seems we’re going back to whence we came. Shedding the plastic-bottled shampoos for eco-friendly shampoo bars that cleanse the scalp as effectively.
Not only effective, but they also come infused with ingredients that imbue your scalp and hair with their natural benefits.
I love this one by Earth Rhythm that comes with the cleansing and nurturing powers of shikakai, reetha, amla and curry leaves which clean your scalp without drying it out. Your grandmother will vociferously agree with the ‘superfood’ tag that amla has. Rich in vitamins, minerals and amino acids, the label is for good reason.
If your hair is on the drier side of the spectrum, then opt for Tweak editors’ favourite weDo No Plastic Shampoo with argan oil and shea butter.
weDo No Plastic Shampoo Bar for ₹1,200 and Earth Rhythm Shikakai, Reeta, Amla & Curry Leaf Bar for ₹519
A bathroom bundle
Almitra Sustainables did us a solid. Creating a bundle out of their eco-friendly personal care products makes swapping a lot smoother.
You get a bamboo toothbrush that’s infused with charcoal which some believe can bind to acidic components in things like coffee, tea, and wine and remove the stains they can leave behind.
There’s a copper tongue cleaner, neem wood comb to replace your plastic brushes, a loofah made from natural fibre, bamboo cotton earbuds and a bamboo razor.
This also makes a great gift for someone looking to make the switch.
Natural deodorant
If you live in a hot and humid city like me, then you go through deodorants faster than probably any personal care products. So it might be worth trying out the more natural, organic deodorants that are cropping up in the market.
The ones by Juicy Chemistry also come in eco-friendly packaging to prevent adding waste to overflowing landfills.
I know, natural deodorants aren’t for everyone and they take some getting used to. Given the overpowering scents of our regular deodorants, these may seem like they aren’t working at all.
They need to be applied to dry skin and then massaged in to prevent any staining on your clothes. They come in different scents, though we’re partial to the grapefruit and peppermint one.
These do contain essential oils, so always do a small patch test and track for possible adverse reactions and irritation.
Handmade soaps
There’s something very satisfying about bathing with a bar of soap. Most handmade soaps are made up of glycerin — often removed in the processing of its commercial counterparts — which is a humectant, drawing hydration to the skin. Its moisturising capabilities have been tried and tested for maintaining a healthy skin barrier.
Handmade soap also tends to be gentler on the skin barrier with fewer detergent ingredients that can leave you dryer than a day-old chapati. Switching over from bottled shower gel may seem like a small step in sustainable living, but your shopping gets some good karma along the way.
Bamboo soap dish
Since we’re switching over to soaps, we’re going to need a dish to keep it in.
You can ditch the plastic trays for this bamboo one by Geosmin which is handmade, durable and is compostable as well. Geosmin states that there’s no chemical treatment done on this product, but it also can contain the growth of bacteria and microbes while in use. That weird white gooey thing that forms on your soaps sometimes, that’s also less likely to happen.
Who doesn’t like a pretty and ornate ceramic soap dish? But when things are wet and slippery in the shower, you want something that’ll survive the constant drops without snapping.
Special mention
Now that you’ve made the switch and opted for eco-friendly personal care products, what about the empties?
Restore deserves a special mention for what they’re doing. They’re partnered with several beauty brands and home care brands to bottle and recycle their products in sustainable packaging.
The reusable containers are made of aluminium, stainless steel and glass. As a customer, you can shop directly on their website, pay a small deposit for the containers and the product gets delivered to your doorstep. Once you’ve run through the product, instead of dropping it in the waste bin, Restore will pick up the container and return your deposit, or if you enjoyed the product, refill it with the same and you get the item on a discount.
While they’re currently only working in Mumbai, I hope to see them expand soon.