Hello Dear Readers,

The planet, unfortunately, is suffering as a result of humanity’s wasteful and unconscious living. In America alone, we produce over 254 million – MILLION tons of trash each year. According to The Earth Counts, we need 1.76 planet earths to absorb the waste we currently have on the planet. The beauty industry, especially haircare, is one of the worst offenders when it comes down to harmful and toxic waste production. The chemicals found in many of our products damage marine life (also some of the chemicals are damaging to humans as well) and the packaging is often hard to recycle and simply ends up in a landfill, which is terrible for our beautiful planet earth. Making the switch to a more sustainable, eco-friendly lifestyle takes time for the modern person. Little switches each day add up to positive wins for the environment and humankind.

Now, I said earlier that haircare is the biggest offender when it comes down to sustainability. To go through our routines (special shout out to all of the natural hair peeps who spend hours just to get our hair to act right) takes plenty of energy and water. So, what can we do to make our haircare routines more eco-friendly and sustainable? Well, dearest reader, today I will share 3 easy tips to make your haircare routine eco-tastic!

Tip #1: Conserve, Conserve, Conserve Resources

Water

This tip is number one for a reason. As someone who has thick, kinky afro- centric hair, I can tell you that I easily waste 2 -6+ gallons of water just washing my hair alone. Now, I wash my hair every week. Let’s do the math. That shit adds up to about 24+ gallons of water wasted every month. Multiply my usage by others that use a similar or more amount of water per shower and you get too much wasted water.

Since making an active effort to watch my consumption of water, I opted to do two things:
– Use a bucket to catch excess shower water
– Turn off the water spigot when I am lathering/rinsing my hair.

I use a 5 gal. bucket from Home Depot and place it in the shower with me. My shower tends to take a minute to heat up so I let the bucket catch the cold water. When I am ready to start my hair washing process, I let bucket catch the water and then turn the spigot off once I start lathering my hair. The water I catch is then placed outside to let the sun change the chemistry of the water and then I use it for my plants! You can also use the water to hand wash small items, wash dishes, flush your toilet, and a host of other things.

Energy

Flat irons, hot combs, blow dryers, etc. use a plethora of energy and electricity. The best way I’ve cut down on my usage of energy in my haircare routine is to opt for styles that do not use/need electric styling tools. For my hair texture I do twists, braids, or wash n’ gos. For someone that has curly, straight, or relaxed hair, this might mean ditching or limiting the use of your daily, electric tools and rocking a style that utilizes non-electric tools.

Tip #2 Use Eco-Friendly Hair Products

A lot of products on the market now are not safe for marine life. When we wash our hair, all of the goop and debris goes down the drain and dumps into the ocean. As conscious consumers, we have to think about our aquatic friends.

The upside is that more and more companies are getting hip to becoming more eco-friendly. They are making products that are overall better for the environment. Before you buy a product, take a minute and research whether or not it is ocean friendly. There are plenty of products available in your drugstore and online that are affordable, eco-friendly, natural, and conscious. To save you a little bit of time, below are a few brands to check out:

• Love, Beauty, and Planet – You can find this brand in drugstores, grocery stores, and Target
• Ethique
• Lush
• Etsy. com – There are plenty of small businesses that make excellent, eco-friendly hair products. Plus you are supporting a small business. Double Win! 🙂

Tip#3 Tried and True – Reuse and Recycle

I don’t need to reiterate again how wasteful our haircare products are. If you have recycling in your area and you choose to use products that have plastic packaging, please make sure that you dispose of your products properly. If you don’t have plastic recycling, opt for products that are still affordable and contain reusable packaging or are package-free like the items found on Lush or Ethique. Check your local area to see if your landfill recycles and allow patrons to drop off recyclables. Also, see if any of the stores near you accept recycling. I recommend checking out this article here for recycling advice.

All of the items above are tips and tricks I am integrating in my day-to -day life. Overall, moving to a more eco-friendly life is a major mind and lifestyle switch. While at first it may seem inconvenient, it’s a necessary thing we must do to protect and show gratitude to our planet earth. Every little step we each take makes one heck of a difference. 🙂

If you have any more ideas, let me know in the comments! Check out our social pages and give us a follow! 🙂