Eco-Friendly Health & Beauty Swaps with a Disability

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It’s 2021 we should all be doing our bit to make eco-friendly swaps by now. One person’s actions will not save the planet but the over 7 Billion people in this world can. Which is why it’s important we are all making eco friendly swaps.

Sustainability When You have a Disability

The disabled community has been targeted a lot over the last 2-3 years. Yes, save the planet. Yes, Save the turtles. Do not blame or take away resources that disabled people need to survive.

I have made many eco-friendly swaps and I dedicate space in my life to continue learning. Although controversial whilst there isn’t perfect solution I will not completely stop using disposable plastic straws. They are a necessity to me and many other disabled people. Similarly to items such as pre-cut fruit and veg as well as medication packets.

Don’t Create More Waste

When we start a more eco-friendly and sustainable lifestyle there’s a common mistake we all make. We create more waste! I can hear you thinking ‘Holly that doesn’t sound right’ but hear me out.

When we begin our journey we often get caught up in replacing all of our products and items. We jump into purchasing better eco-friendly versions. However, all this does is create more waste! Maybe you’ll donate them but depending on the item you are most likely going to throw them in the bin.

Use up what you’ve got before you purchase a new item.

Use up your tupperware until it is no more. Slowly purchase products along the way if you do need new ones, ensuring you’ve done your research first.

If you’re considering reorganising your kitchen cupboards reuse what you have. You can also do this when shopping at your local zero waste store. Use tupperware or my personal favourite old jars. Wash out your old jars from jam, nutella, pasta sauce and you’ve got instant, free and good looking cupboards. Not everything needs to be Pinterest aesthetic, that comes with time if you want it.

This relates to every product or item you use or own. For example, I am a pretty big makeup addict. I was probably purchasing 2-3 new items per week at one point. At the end of 2019 I began my own project pan style challenge. This meant I couldn’t purchase a new product until I had finished the previous one. You have no idea how long it’ll be before I can buy a new lipstick.

Eco-Friendly Swaps

There are many eco-friendly swaps we can discuss, for now I’m going to share the ones I’ve already made. The next post in this series will discuss the swaps I plan to make in the future.

Here is a categorised list of eco-friendly swaps I have made as a disabled person.

Health

Recycle Your Medication Packets

If like me you take a lot of medication you will be painfully aware how much waste it causes. Until recently I have only been able to recycle the cardboard boxes my meds come in. I’ve found it awfully tricky to know where to properly recycle medication/blister packs.

Inside a orange carrier bag is a big pile of empty medication packets. Each packet has a silver foil on the front and white plastic underneath. There is a slight hue to them from the bright orange bag.

As part of The Little Packs Big Impact, Buscopan and Dulcolax have partnered up with TerraCycle. This means you can now recycle your empty prescriptions and blister packs in one of their dedicated recycling bins. They are in Superdrugs nationwide as well as in some local pharmacies.

A cardboard shelving stand for products. On the side it says Superdrug with brands of medications below. There are medictions on sale on the stand as well as a bin for old medication packets.

Reusable Period Products

There are a wide range of eco conscious period products available. Including tampons and pads to reusable products such as menstrual cups, pads and period underwear.

Menstrual Cup

The menstrual cup is pretty self explanatory. It looks like a miniature cup with a short stem. You then place this into your vagina. I have a review on this coming soon. Overall I liked the menstrual cup, it was difficult for me to use.

OrganiCup (affiliate link)

Reusable Pads

I personally wouldn’t recommend a reusable pad as I found them tricky to keep in place. I didn’t feel secure or comfortable. It may require finding the right brand or fit for you.

Period Underwear

An absolute must try in my opinion – review coming soon! Period underwear uses design technology to create layers that are anti-odor and ultra absorbent. To prevent leaks and keep you dry and comfortable throughout the day.

A blue material background. On top are two pairs of black period knickers. One is folded. The other lay partially on top of the folded pair. The sun lights bounces off of both. You can see the absorption layer which is a thicker layer of material.

Beauty

Reusable Cotton Pads

Reusable Cotton Pads, I don’t know where to begin! They completely changed the game for me. I cannot imagine how much money I’ve also saved since making this swap. Use micellar water, coconut oil, and cleansing balm to remove make-up. You can use it with toner too. I also use them whilst I’m doing my make-up because I tend to make a mess.I’d rather use a reusable cotton pad than a dozen tissues or make up wipes.

After I’ve used one I put it into a delicates bag. I wait until the bag is almost full and pop it into the washing machine.

The Body Shop – Tea Tree Skin Clearing Mattifying Toner (affiliate link)

Grey background with a wooden ledge. On top sites a clear bottle with a pink lip of micellar water. Next to it is a green bottle with black lid that says tea tree. Two circular reusable make up remover pads. On the right is a glass jar with a label which says make up pads with pads inside the jar.

Shampoo & Conditioner

I have used both shampoo and conditioner bars. As well as refilling my shampoo and conditioner at my local zero waste store. Honestly I have enjoyed both however, I am not currently using either of these.

The lush shampoo and conditioner bars were great, I tried a few different ones and I really enjoyed them. They’re great for travelling, were easy to pack when I go swimming and my hair always looked great after use. I have a carer that helps with washing my hair. I noticed that none of my carers had gotten on well with the bars. As the bars don’t work in the same way as regular products. The shampoo never lathered up as you’d expect. The conditioner was very solid which made it difficult to see how much product you’d put on the hair. For these reasons I decided to try an alternative. I began to use a refill option from my local zero waste store.

I chose smaller bottles to start with to avoid making a big commitment. If you live in Cardiff I recommend heading over to Ripple on Albany Road. They had a few to chose from and the one I chose worked wonders for my hair. It worked well for my carers too.

One difficulty I have found with more eco-friendly beauty swaps is the lack of variety. After having my hair coloured I spent a lot of time trying to find the right product. Something to help maintain my colour whilst being as eco-friendly as possible but I didn’t have much luck. Unfortunately I am now back to using regular bottled products.

Body Wash

I stopped buying body wash, before you think that I don’t wash, I do. I noticed that I had a tendency to accumulate a lot of body wash. A combination of being gifted things as well as seeing something new and wanting to give it a go. Similarly to using up my make up, I started moving this into all of my skincare and body care.

Once I run out I will be reusing the large bottles I had from the body shop. I will either fill these up at Ripple or look into the body shop refill stations.

Toothpaste & Mouth Wash

I swapped to the Georganics toothpaste and mouthwash. Primarily because I find regular dental products to be too strong in flavour for me.

I especially like the mouth wash tabs as they’re easy to use on the go. They also don’t feel like they’re burning my mouth. Both products also come in jars versus plastic. I can see myself reusing the jars for other things once I’ve finished them.

Grey wall in the background with a macrame plant hanger and a green plant flowing out. Georganics toothpaste jar and mouthwash tabs are being held in a hand where an arm is outstretched wearing a dark purple knitted jumper.

Razor

I looked into purchasing a safety razor however, I decided this wasn’t for me and decided to try Estrid. Razors are something I have always been picky about. Disposable razors were the best I had found. However, I didn’t feel comfortable with the amount of waste it was creating.

Their subscription works well for me. I don’t have to remember to order new heads they just arrive at my door. All their packaging is recyclable and honestly they’re probably as cute as a razor could get. I’ve always had difficulty holding onto a razor although I do have help with this now, Estrid is by far the best I’ve used. Personally I experience less pain and subluxations with it.

Their razor handle is made from steel and is designed to last. The razor blades are made from steel and plastic. Although there isn’t a recycling program for these yet they are dedicated to finding a solution to this.

What Changes Have You Made?

Remember, one person doing everything ‘right’ will not make the change we need. Billions of people making better, more eco-friendly choices and creating better habits will make a real and visible difference.

Don’t forget to check back for part 2 soon on Household, Kitchen and Shopping sustainable swaps.