It’s that time again! Time to check in on what I used up in the month of May. This is part of me tracking what I use up for Project Pan, actually learn what I like versus what is trendy/ if I am being influenced by social media, and keep track of my plastic waste production for non-food items. My food-related plastic consumption is definitely higher living here, I do the best I can, but there would be a lot of foods that I would have to completely avoid and even entire food groups (mainly proteins, there are no meats, tofu/seitans, beans or pulses that I have seen that aren’t packaged) that I would have to cut out to eat plastic free here. Although, I think the farmers’ market opens this weekend so I’m really excited for that!
This is everything that I finished in May. Overall, I don’t think it’s very bad. Yes, it is mostly plastic packaged, but it is all single material packaging. I.e. just plastic or just glass, there are no plastic-lined metals or papers. This means that it can actually be recycled more easily than combined products.
That’s also why I try to avoid products with pumps, the pumps are generally plastic with metal parts inside for the pump mechanism. These different materials are very different to separate, the insides of the pump are also very, very difficult to clean. That also makes them impossible to recycle. They are also all “hard” plastics, this makes them more likely to be recycled in standard municipal recycling.
Okay, I loved this product. I have it in my Sephora cart to repurchase the bigger size. It takes your makeup off so easily and I feel so clean when I use this as part of a double-cleansing routine. I don’t think you could use it as your only cleanser because it is pretty oily, maybe if you had really dry skin. But 10/10 obsessed. Also, I like that it is a scoopable product rather than a tube or a pump, so hard plastic = more likely to actually be recycled.
This was totally an influenced product, I can’t remember if it was Grace Atwood or Lindsay Silberman, but 100% influenced to try this. And it was worth it!
And per usual, my assortment of contact wearing items. The little lids from the contact tubs are actually garbage, they are that metal mixed with plastic that I was talking about above. I am also trying to be better about following the recommendations for switching out your contact cases after reading some scary articles last year during contact lens health week. Also, the best contact solution. I have waxed poetic on it before.
So this deodorant. This was the first natural, plastic free deodorant I ever used and liked. I really, really liked it and have used it for probably 4 years now. But I think something is different about me here, or the water, or something but it does NOT seem to work for me anymore. I still have a nearly full jar to use up, but I actually caved and bought an antiperspirant this past weekend because I can’t deal. Summer is just getting started and the first phase of reopening starts this weekend and I can’t have re-entering society anxiety and be worried if I smell all the time.
I’ve been having some issues with chest acne. I have been trying different bras, washing my bras more often, following Jonathan Van Ness’s advice and doing my skincare routine from my forehead to my nipples, but nothing seems to be working. Except, this mostly. It’s not perfect and I’m considering going to the doctor to see if I should be wondering about something stronger, but for now I think I’m going to buy another bottle of this until I can get into the town’s one family doctor. I don’t know if I’d use it on my face, but it did feel gentle enough. I applied it with my reusable cottons pads, so no waste from those!
The one area of my “beauty routine” that I have been struggling with, after years of never painting my nails, and completely eliminating it from my stash of products. But I have been really wanting to paint my toenails and I don’t think nail places are opening up for like a month, and I don’t think there is a nail place in town lol. I haven’t bought any nail polish yet because mostly I haven’t wanted to spend the money, but buying nail polish also means buying remover, and then deciding if I want to use my reusable cotton pads to remove nail polish (probably not, I don’t think it washes out), and then needing disposable cotton pads. This is probably way overthinking nail polish, but hey, welcome to my brain!
Laura
Thoughtful Millennial 