With the increasing news of wastage and pollution of water bodies, air, and land, some of us are more mindful of our actions, or at least we’re aware that our actions have multiplied reactions on the environment. Has it ever ached you when you used a plastic straw? Or when your skincare bottle is empty so you reach out to discard the bottle? Or maybe when a product doesn’t suit your skin so you believe you need to get rid of it? We’re here with a few handy solutions to help you ease this pain and repurpose your skincare products and packaging.
What does it mean to repurpose your skincare products?
It’s exactly what it sounds like. With growing awareness of a sustainable lifestyle, we now know better how to consume products and produce less waste. Many brands have moved towards recyclable packaging and even reduced the use of plastic in their packaging. We at Sublime Life use zero plastic packaging for all our orders too!
Repurposing skincare doesn’t mean just repurposing the boxes and bottles that the product comes in, it also means using the product for reasons other than the obvious ones. Face oil can be used as body oil and lip oil too. Or an eye cream can be used as a lip balm and eyebrow gel too. Repurposing skincare forces you to think before discarding skincare products just because they are not working.
How can you repurpose a face wash?
The reason why our face skin and body are treated differently is that our facial skin is delicate than that of our body and faces external stressors every day. But in case your face wash isn’t working out for your skin, then you can use it to wash your feet and also wash your beauty brushes and sponges. Face wash needs to be picked and used keeping your skin type and ingredients in mind. For example, for the dry skin type, you need to pick a nourishing face wash whereas, with the oily skin type, you need an oil-balancing face wash. In case you end up picking the wrong one then it can strip off the natural oil off your face and yet not clean your face well.
Learn more on how to pick the right cleanser for your skin type!
Sublime recommends Suganda Centella Green Tea Facewash that has Panthenol, Green tea, Centella Asiatica, and Glycerin to maintain your pH and cleanse your skin without stripping off the moisture from your skin.
How can you repurpose face oil?
Face oil is a tricky pick. Not all face oils will suit our skin since a lot depends on our diet too. It is also upon the hormones to accept or reject face oils. During the menstruation cycle, our hormones may lead to excess production of sebum and that is why face oils may not suit well during those times. However, for some women, it does not affect much. Someone rightly said that every skin is unique and that is why certain ingredients may not work for our skin. If that is the case, then don’t throw away the product just yet. You can use it as a night lotion on the areas of your body that are dry and have stretch marks. Oils are rich in fatty acids and this is why they can be an excellent pick to massage away your stretch marks.
Acne-prone skin so not sure of facial oil? Read here to smartly pick face oil.
Sublime recommends Ras Luxury Oils Radiance Beauty Boosting Day Face Elixir. We won’t say much about why you must try this but if you do, we’re sure you will want to thank us!
How can you repurpose an exfoliator?
Exfoliators should be used only after patch testing since some could rash your skin and some could dry your skin. Physical exfoliators, especially, need to be applied and massaged gently since they can break your skin due to abrasive grains in them. On the other hand, chemical exfoliators can effectively slog off the dead skin.
Learn more about AHA, BHA, and PHA which can be used as a chemical exfoliator!
However, you need to be a patch test and ensure that the chemical exfoliator isn’t strong enough to burn your skin. Just in case the patch test reveals that the exfoliator won’t suit your skin, use it to exfoliate your feet or even use it as a scalp exfoliator. Using it as a scalp exfoliator is a great idea for those who are facing dandruff.
To use it as a scalp exfoliator, make sure you’re diluting the exfoliator with water. Pour this solution on your scalp before shampooing. Massage for 5 minutes and rinse your hair. This pre-shampooing ritual can effectively remove the gunk or at least loosen its grip from the scalp so that shampoo can do its job easily with a lesser amount of shampoo. In case you have a damaged scalp leading to dandruff, greasiness, or crusty scalp then you must visit a dermatologist before opting for this method.
If you have a physical exfoliator for your face, then we suggest that you repurpose it instead of continuing to use it as a face exfoliator. To repurpose a physical exfoliator, think of using it on accumulated dead skin when you might need a little more massaging to get rid of the dirt. Areas like feet with hardened skin around, hands where you see dead skin around the nails, or even on your butt if you see accumulated dirt due to sweating.
If you want to know which could be the right exfoliator for your face, then here’s your guide!
How can you repurpose an eye cream?
The reason why eye creams were created was that we understood that our skin near the eyes and lips is the thinnest and hence needs more moisture and care to keep it safe. So the eye creams are usually heavy on moisturising properties but they can be used on your lips and dry elbows as well. With this trick, you can save those bucks on lip balms and get the same results as that of a lip balm. You can even apply them to nails to improve your nail’s strength.
Read more about eye cream here!
Sublime recommends Juicy Chemistry Organic Damask Rose & Coffee Eye Cream that has Fig oil, Chia, Coffee, Damask Rose, Grapeseed oil to nourish and repair your delicate under eyes.
How can you repurpose a moisturiser?
A body moisturiser cannot be used on the face since you do not know if it will clog your pores. However, face creams are crafted keeping in mind that they must not be comedogenic or react with external stressors to clog your pores. But let’s say a face cream is not working for you then you do not need to throw it yet. It may work excellently on your body especially to reduce stretch marks. Repurposing face creams for multiple purposes like this can even help you pack light and yet maintain your skincare regime. So we’re totally signing up for this!
Sublime recommends Swisse Manuka Honey Glow Boosting Moisturiser With Vitamin C + Grape Seed Oil. It has Not just Manuka Honey but also stabilised Vitamin C and Shea butter to keep your skin bright and moisturised. This could be handy as a mask for your underarms as well to treat pigmentation.
How can you repurpose a toner or an essence?
Toners are usually the distilled water and essential oil obtained naturally from flowers, herbs, etc. One of the most common toners that we swear by is Rosewater toner. Toners like Rosewater and Rice water are gentle and with no side effects so they can be used in DIY body masks, and hair masks too. We 10/10 recommend including these toners in your hair regime as well. Other toners like Vitamin C-based toners and essence can be used as a pre-shampoo ritual to gently exfoliate your scalp.
Learn more about toners here!
Sublime recommends Ras Luxury Oils Rose Nectar Face Mist & Toner. You might be addicted later on since this formulation not just has pure Rosewater but also Lavender to boost your mood. This can be excellently used in face masks and hair masks.
How can you repurpose Retinol-based products?
Retinol is an active ingredient that can be used only at night and often shows purging while your skin is adopting this new ingredient. It is majorly because Retinol slogs off the dead skin and increases cell turnover. If you have less dead skin then you may not experience purging. However, if you’ve used the wrong concentration or used it on a damp face then it may not sit well on your skin. In case, you’ve just begun with Retinol then you must know that it needs to be introduced to your skin slowly. In the initial days when you don’t know if your skin can tolerate this new ingredient, opt for sandwich method application. Instead of applying Retinol directly on dry face, first, apply a layer of moisturiser, then Retinol and pack it with another layer of moisturiser. This helps you avoid drying the skin.
Read more about the Retinol mistakes that you must avoid!
Retinol can be used on stretch marks since it increases cell turnover. It can also be used on the chest, neck, and hands to avoid sagging of the skin. If you’re using Retinol then make sure to slather sunscreen in the morning since Retinol makes your skin sensitive to UV rays.
How to repurpose skincare product packaging?
Skincare brands have been conscious and mindful about not just the product formulations but also the packaging and it is all thanks to woke consumers like you who choose clean beauty brands curated on our platform. These recyclable and paper packages can still be further put to use. You can stack multiple boxes to make one solid pen/pencil stand. Paint it with the colors of your mood and you have a cute little unique pen/pencil stand. Even the big box in which all your goodies come in can be used to store something. Your skincare station will finally start looking clean and you will know which box to look into for skincare and where to look for makeup.
Just to help you further be a better consumer, we’ve started this program wherein you can send us your empties and we will reward you with points that you can redeem in your next purchase. Save money and the environment!
Know more about this program here to sign up now.
Takeaway
To sum up, we’d say think before you throw and think before you pick. Smart consumers like you need to be the leader and spread the word about how we can repurpose skincare and its packaging. Because sustainability is the way forward to save our Earth. Keep opting and searching for a mindful way of living and before throwing away, think of how the artist in you makes it a usable piece for you. Here’s to all of us who say a big fat yes to sustainable and mindful living!
-Divya Salvi
