Night time routines not only get you ready for bed, they help you reset for the next day. By removing makeup, dirt, and grime from the day you're wiping the slate clean for yourself and your skin. Removing your makeup every night and washing your face helps prevent breakout and signals to your body that it's time for bed. Below is my zero waste skin care routine.
What is Zero Waste Skin Care and Why is it Important?
Zero waste is the absence of using plastic and other single use materials that contribute to clogged landfills and polluted oceans. It is finding other alternatives that are good for the planet and good for you.
We are at a time where beauty and skin care industries are making a killing off the consumer wallet. Many of these skin care and beauty companies market the best products to their buyers without thinking about the packaging of their products and what happens to those plastic and paper materials long after the product that promises to get rid of under eye darkness or acne scarring is all used up.
Zero waste skin care is creating mindfulness in the heat of consumer mindlessness. It's a reminder that a product shouldn't just serve you in the moment because, often times, that plastic container will have a life much longer than the 1-2 months it's in your medicine cabinet.
My Night Time Routine
I've curated a zero waste night time skin care routine based on products I find tried and true. These are products that I love and that love me back!
Step 1: Removing Makeup/Grime
Think refreshing, moisturizing, gets the job done.
To be quite honest it's taken me a while to make the switch from makeup remover products that come packaged in plastic. I was addicted to Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water for the longest time, so when I was considering how to make the switch to zero waste I considered a number of concoctions that had similar ingredients to micellar water. What I settled on was making a product of my own that contains witch hazel, moisturizing olive oil, and good 'ol water! I've been using it for over a month and it seems to be doing the trick perfectly!
Step 2: Cleansing
Think creamy, smooth lather and fresh feeling skin.
I've been using this cleansing bar for over a year now and it hasn't steered my wrong no matter the condition of my skin in whatever season! The calamine and lavender are a great combination for rebalancing oily skin in humid weather and keeping it moisturized/not stripping the natural oils of the skin in colder, drier weather. I've found that this product has very simple ingredients that my skin loves and has been great for clearing up my acne scarring when paired with vitamin e!
Step 3: Toner
Think an extra layer of moisture, extra refreshment, extra skin balancing.
Although I still haven't come across the perfect zero waste toner I find that Thayer's is a great, recyclable find. ...Okay so maybe this blog isn't completely zero waste...but I'm trying my hardest!
This is a product sold in multiple fragrances, but I truly enjoy the rose petal scent. I use this after cleansing my face because I find that it does a good job of giving my skin back some moisture. Also who doesn't love the feeling of spritzing a refreshing scent on their face? Witch hazel is also a great product when paired with calamine and vitamin E because it helps significantly reduce acne scarring. The black bottle is what I've up-cycled from a similar Lush product I bought when I was living in Switzerland.
Step 4: Eye Cream
Think night time shininess = morning time glow
This product has done so much for my skin. I originally bought it on a whim from Whole Foods because I felt like buying something cheap from what's pretty much considered a luxury grocery store...I wish I was lying. But I didn't have a lot of money at the time and this product was only around 5 or 6 dollars! After buying it I thought to myself...Well great what do I do with vitamin e? So I googled it. And I found out that vitamin e is a great night time eye serum because it helps prevent free radicals from penetrating the skin. Free radicals, by the way, are what lead to aging of the skin and, in extreme cases, even cancer. In addition to preventing wrinkles around my eyes, it also helped grow my eyelashes crazy long. Love, love, love vitamin e and definitely recommend. It's such a light and soothing oil on my face and my skin loves the deep hydration.
Step 5: Night Cream
Think rich hydration and soothing smell
As a person with combination skin I pretty much never know what I'm going to get with my skin on any given day. For that reason I find it important to be consistent with the products that I use. I like all natural ingredients because they don't strip my skin and I appreciate knowing what's going on my face. For this reason, I love Burt's Bees skin care products. They are on the pricier side, but their night creams are the only all natural and zero waste (mostly zero waste because the cap is plastic) products that have consistently worked on my skin. This night cream is the perfect way to lock in moisture after washing your face and I find it to be very soothing for my skin when it gets irritated.
Step 6: On the Spot Treatment
Think your go-to product for getting rid of zits
So at this point you might be wondering what all of these products do for your skin in the event or a breakout? And, although I have found that consistency with my skin care is key even in the midst of a pimple outbreak, I love a good dot of tea tree oil on a zit in a pinch. This is an all natural ingredient and has multiple uses if you're into the Ayurvedic benefits of essential oils. But when I get the occasional breakout on my face, or even my back and shoulders, this product is tried and true for seeing over night relief. I can't stress enough how important it is to not get this in your eyes or mouth because it does not taste good and it will be harmful to the delicate skin around your eyes! For people with more sensitive skin, I would recommend diluting this with another carrier oil such as coconut oil or even vitamin e to make it less harsh on your skin.
And that's my skin care routine! With all of that being said, again I do have combination skin and experience oiliness in my t-zone and dryness on my cheeks. For my skin type I find these products work really well for me. The majority of them are designed for all skin types and should be safe for all skin type use because they're natural products. I hope you're able to give some of them a try and take this small, but crucial step, to living a life that's more mindful. :)