On the hunt for some environmentally friendly lifestyle & grooming alternatives, which support the agenda for a plastic free World? Look no further, at Man Wants we’re all about keeping it green and with a new whole host of brands and organisations producing, environmentally friendly cosmetics and grooming products – it’s easier than ever to go plastic free.
Keep reading for some helpful tips on how to get groomed the plastic-free way – we call it Green Grooming, see what we did there?
Plastic Free Shaving
Plastic-Free Shaving Razors
Plastic disposable razors are the most manufactured type of razor in the World. Disposable razors are marketed as a convenient alternative to traditional razors but with as little as two shaves for one, plastic razor – there’s no surprise that over 2 billion disposable razors are thrown away each year. That’s 2 billion, impossible to recycle, pieces of plastic which are ending up in landfills, our oceans and our food chain.
How do I choose a Plastic Free Razor?
In a bid to control plastic use, many men are resorting to traditional, metal safety razors. This does not only eliminate the amount of waste we contribute each year but also provides better value for money with longer-lasting razors for a better, professional shave. We really like the Earnest Jones Safety Razor and Benny’s of London Double Edge Safety Razor for a clean shave.
Plastic Free Razor Blades
Razor Blades are often packaged in ridiculous, plastic-mad packaging. It’s so unnecessary, so many brands are reducing packaging (and cost) by packaging razor blades in wax-paper. We recommend Derby 100 Extra Shaving Blades. At under £10 for a 100 blades, you can see how going disposables often isn’t the cheap and convenient way to shave.
Plastic Free Hair Care
It’s recommended that the average man should shampoo three times a week, for healthy, manageable hair and with 610 million bottles of shampoo and conditioner, produced each year – that’s a whole lot of plastic waste to be aware of. Shampoo and Conditioner are often packaged in plastic bottles, which sometimes use up to three different types of plastic – making it virtually impossible for the finished product to bio-degrade.
Plastic Free Shampoo & Conditioner
Recently brands like Faith In Nature and Sea to Summit have produced shampoo and hair-wash, which is packaged in a recyclable bottle. However, other brands like Lush, Pure Chimp and J.R. Liggett have produced practical shampoo bars – completely cutting out the need for plastic. These solid shampoo bars can be lathered into hair and last lots longer than your average liquid shampoo. Most are made with natural products like Coconut and Argan Oil, so they’re great for hair and skin and don’t incorporate any nasty pollutants.
Plastic Free Cleansing & Exfoliating
We’ve previously discussed the benefits of a good skincare regime to protect your skin and prevent ageing. Men’s cleansers, moisturisers and exfoliators are all available on the mass-market but often come packaged in heaps of plastic. We’re big fans of taking it back to basics and a good skincare regime, doesn’t mean spending a small fortune on big names and fancy branding. Natural ingredients work the best on all skin types and are often packaged in less brash, organic packaging.
If you visit Etsy, Amazon, Lush, Holland & Barret or your nearest market, you’ll find more accessible skincare products to keep your skin in check without contributing to a landfill. Take your pick of these alternatives:
Instead of a chemical cleanser try an activated charcoal bar – an excellent cleanser for tired and problematic skin. We like the Bricknell Men’s Purifying Charcoal Soap Bar for Men.
Instead of plastic sheet masks, try a natural, fresh face mask to draw out impurities. Lush do a complete range of face masks which use natural ingredients and they come in a fully recyclable pot. Once you’ve finished, take the pot back to store and they’ll fill it up with a fresh one. Alternatively, three used pots = one free face mask.
Plastic Free Dental Care
We have become so accustomed to plastic that we don’t realise how much we invest in disposable, plastic tools and utensils. It is estimated that over a billion toothbrushes are discarded in landfills each year. Toothbrushes made from plastic, crude oil and rubber are accountable for a huge portion of plastic waste across the World and it really needs to stop. It is suggested that anything we can make from plastic, can also be made from versatile bamboo. Bamboo toothbrushes are quickly replacing their plastic precursors. Plus! Unlike plastic, Bamboo is completely anti-microbial, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial.
You can get a four pack of medium bristle, bamboo toothbrushes from Earth to Earth for a plastic-free bathroom. We also recommend the Georganics Natural Silk Dental Floss, a bio-degradable alternative to traditional dental floss for pearly whites!
Deodorising
Regardless of plastic pollution, aerosols have many adverse effects on the environment including contributing to smog and global warming. With this recent shift in cutting down plastic too, many excellent brands have brought our deodorants which are not only kind to the environment but our skin too.
Swap an aerosol based deodorant for an effective natural deodorant like the Ben & Anna Soda Deodorant in Nordic Timber or Biork Real Organic Natural Deodorant without the plastic from Energy Balance.
If you have any more plastic-free recommendations for an environmentally friendly, grooming regime – then please comment below or get in touch on our social media channels!