My Favorite Eco Skincare, Haircare, and Makeup Swaps

Me? Showing you all my makeup and skincare? Who is she?

In all seriousness, I’ve never been known as a makeup girlie in my real life or my online persona. But, I do use a few products here and there to take care of my skin and hair, and I strive to do so in an eco (ish) way. Let’s get into it!

Use what you have first!

A big reason why it’s taken me this long to make this post is that I’m only just now, after living zero waste for 8 years or so, running out of my old stuff. Old foundation, powder, and eyeshadow are coming to an end. Maybe it was expired, but I wear it so infrequently that I honestly didn’t care. Oops.

So, use what YOU have first, too! You do not have to throw out all your Sephora and drugstore makeup today and buy all the brands I have listed below. You don’t have to dump your current makeup remover and face wash to buy an eco one. That’s actually NOT sustainable!

The most sustainable choice is to use what you have and use every last drop instead of wasting it. Dispose of the packaging correctly when you’re done and THEN opt for an eco option.

I’ve curated my list over the last 8 years, which also helps alleviate some of the financial burden since some of these items may cost more than you’re used to. No, it’s not a scam! Here’s why shopping small and sustainably can cost more. So live zero waste on a budget and use what you have!

Skincare

Rebrand: The FIRST eco skincare I ever tried was from Rebrand. I’ve been following Aubrey on socials since the early days of my zero-waste journey, and I loved every last drop of these products. The only reason I didn’t reorder is so I can test more brands for you all! Aubrey is a certified cosmetic chemist, so she knows what she’s doing. AND, all of the packaging is sustainable and easy to reuse! The products left my skin feeling hydrated, smooth, and luxurious.

Saffron serum from Shifting Gaia: A new-to-me serum, but I’ve been loving it! I love the gentle smell and how soft it makes my skin. I find it a bit too oily for morning time, but so luscious to use at night. Plus, this is from a zero-waste marketplace, so you can get all your eco essentials there at the same time!

Plaine Products face wash: If you’ve been around for a while, you know I’ve ranted and raved about Plaine Products for literal years. I’ve always loved their face wash, but was honestly annoyed at having to buy small bottle after small bottle and ship them back for refill time and time again. But, no longer! They now sell a full-sized bottle to make it last even longer and reduce how much they are shipping, and I’m shipping in return since they take their bottles back to refill. Again, this is a product I’ve used for years and LOVE. Check them out!

Babo Botanicals sunscreen: My tried and true sunscreen! I love how easy it is to use, the lack of whitecast, and it feels like I’m using a “normal” sunscreen, but without the environmental harm. The packaging is recyclable, it’s vegan and cruelty-free, it works, and it’s non-greasy. Another product I’ve loved for years and always go back to. Try Babo Botanicals!

My fav lip balm from Sustain Yourself: I’m a self-proclaimed lip balm addict. Well, I’m sure Dan could vouch for that title, too. Anyway, I’ve tried literally dozens of eco lip balms, and I’ve finally settled on my personal winner: Sustain Yourself! From having extremely sustainable packaging to being made by a small business in small batches to actually working, it’s a product I’ll buy forever and ever. Many eco lip balms have bad packaging or don’t actually hydrate my lips. Sustain Yourself hits all the marks!

Makeup

Axiology: The first eco makeup brand I ever tried was Axiology. I’d heard about them in my early zero-waste days and was so excited when they wanted to gift me some of their products! So yes, these items were gifted years ago, but I still have them! They last SO long, and I would 100% buy Axiology with my own money. The best part about them, to me, is that they are multi-purpose and minimally packaged. Most of our traditional makeup waste comes from excessive packaging! They reduce that while still being cruelty-free, vegan, and made with natural ingredients that are designed to be used on many areas of the face, not just one. You really get your bang for your buck here!

Fat and the Moon: Over two years ago now, I was wanting to up my makeup game with a few eco additions. First step: highlighter. I figured me, as someone who knows nothing about makeup, could easily implement this tool to feel good about myself without sacrificing the planet. To be honest, the Fat and the Moon highlighter may have been the only option I could find at that time. She’s a small but mighty highlighter that still has so much left, I think it’ll last me at least two more years! While some of these products may seem expensive, they last FOREVER! Check out Fat and the Moon!

Zerra & Co: While Zerra & Co does other skincare (like lotion, toner, etc.) I really love them for their makeup and makeup accessories like makeup remover! I had tried several zero-waste mascaras and literally gave up trying them. They were all so expensive, messy, dried out, fell off my lashes, and many more issues. That is, until I tried Zerra & Co. Their mascara works like a traditional one, except you can buy refills, recycle the glass packaging, and it works! It stays on my lashes all day, looks amazing, and is no mess. They have so many other products that make me want to go back time and again. Learn more about them here!

Elate Cosmetics: A brand I’d heard about for YEARS before finally trying them is Elate Cosmetics. The only reason I never tried them until literally this month is that I was still using my old products that finally ran out. But I am so excited to try this refillable, clean, and eco-friendly makeup brand. They sell refills in recyclable or compostable cardboard packaging, and you reuse the same palette for the rest of your life. Talk about eco-friendly! I love their variety of shades for all of their products and how well they replicate traditional products with a fraction of the waste. Try Elate!

Haircare

Hair serum from Feord: I know, I know. I have blue hair. But that doesn’t mean I neglect it! I still want to take care of it! The first step in my haircare routine is this eco-friendly serum that I got from Feord, a one-stop-shop zero-waste store. I apply this hair oil on the day I’m planning to wash my hair and it leaves my hair, especially my dry ends, feeling hydrated and soft.

Bamboo hairbrush with hairbrush cleaning tool: After my hair is fully dry, do I brush it. I’ve been using bamboo hairbrushes for years, but honestly, this may be the best one I’ve tried, and I just got it at my local natural food store. I’ve tried some in the past that just fell apart, and it fell apart quickly. But, of course, you don’t need a bamboo hairbrush. You can just use what you have!

Though whichever brush you stick with, be sure to take care of it to make it last as long as possible. I’ve tried so many methods to clean out hairbrushes, but truly, I stand by this bamboo and metal hairbrush cleaner that I also got from Feord. It works like a charm and gets every last hair and bit of debris out of the brush. A great zero-waste tip: take care of the items you already have!

Shampoo and Conditioner: I have to admit, this may be the least eco-friendly area of this list for me. What it comes down to, though, is to use what works for you. You don’t have to use brand X or Y or Z just because some influencer likes it. It may not be best for your hair type! So, do some research and read reviews before purchasing and trying dozens of brands.

For me, it’s important to make my blue color last as long as possible so prevent me from having to dye it so often. That means finding a shampoo and conditioner that doesn’t immediately strip the color right out. That’s why I had to stop using Plaine Products on my hair. Don’t get me wrong, I will immediately go back to Plaine once my natural hair comes back in. In the meantime, I was mostly using Love, Beauty, and Planet, a greenwashed brand owned by Unilever, so I didn’t love that.

Around this time last year, I started to use Babo Botanicals conditioner, and it worked so well! But the shampoo that I tried this fall was stripping the color too. Thankfully, I found a color-friendly shampoo bar from Kitsch at my local soap store! But, shampoo bars don’t work well with cold water, which I use to preserve my hair color.

Sigh…colored hair is a lot of work, so I just simply do my best! For now, I’m using the Kitsch shampoo bar and Babo Botanicals conditioner until they run out. Both of which last a long time! Then, I’ll reevaluate!

Air dry/towel dry: Post-shower, I almost always let my hair air dry. Only if it’s super damp do I use the hair dryer for a few moments. Otherwise, it’s towel drying with my Quince towels and air drying before bed. This saves energy as well as protects your hair by reducing how much heat you use on it!

Heat protectant: Though when I do use heat on my hair to curl or straighten it, I use heat protectant spray. No, it’s not from an eco-friendly brand. If you have eco recs for heat protectant, let me know! But for now, I’m using this bottle that’s going on 1.5 years old. I make it last as long as possible since I don’t use a ton of heat on my hair to begin with. But I do wish to keep my hair healthy, so this is a product I don’t mind buying.

Damage-free hair ties: Eco hair ties that also protect your hair? Say less! I first tried Kooshoo scrunchies early on in my zero-waste journey and LOVED them! They were my go-to for putting my hair up (unless I was still in the Air Force, then I had to use neutral colors and small items, but anyway). This year, I also tried their regular hair ties for the first time, and I’m honestly not that impressed. Yes, they’re eco, and it’s true that they don’t damage my hair, but the hair ties themselves are not holding up. They stretch out easily and are starting to warp along the edges.

Though for hair ties instead of scrunchies, I tried Pina sometime last year and was quickly obsessed. They are made from pineapple scraps, which is so unique, and they work so well. They are so durable. I use them every day and have noticed no wear and tear. If anything, they’re better after time as they get softer! They are truly my favorite, and I reach for them every day. Check them out!

Wash less: Washing your hair less can benefit your hair AND the planet by conserving many resources! I often aim for 1-2 times per week, but every person is going to be different. And it takes “training” your hair to be able to go for longer periods, as well as it depends on the products you’re using in your hair and how greasy they make it. But regardless, this can be an eco and haircare tip wrapped up in one.

Eco dry shampoo: On those days, though, when you cannot be bothered to wash your hair, you may want to reach for that dry shampoo. Most dry shampoos are hard to recycle and made with not-so-eco ingredients. So try some eco dry shampoo! There are many options out there on sites like Earthhero or Package Free Shop, but you can also make some yourself with basic ingredients like cornstarch, baking soda, and cocoa powder for color! I don’t have an official recipe, but let me know if you’d like me to make one!

That may conclude my personal skincare, haircare, and makeup routines, but there sure are many more amazing eco-friendly bathroom products out there, so be sure to share yours below!

Thank you for reading along. I hope you found this valuable! I’ll catch you in the next post, until then, remember that your small actions make a big difference in the long run :)

Emma