Growing up on the East Coast, water conservation was never really something I thought about. After living in Australia and California though, it's become undeniable how precious of a resource it really is. The reality is that there are around 1.1 billion people around the world who lack access to water and it's only getting worse. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, our existing water usage habits could cause at least 40 states to experience water shortages as soon as the year 2024. So, whether we like it or not we're all going to have to start thinking more seriously about water conservation.
When it comes to protecting our planet and environment, we believe no act is too small. In honor of World Water Day on March 22, we want you to feel empowered to make mini changes to your daily routine that have a major impact — starting with your beauty regimen. Here are a few ways to rethink how you use water in your life:
Don’t wait for the water to get hot
This is tougher to do in the morning, especially on cold winter days, but in some homes, it could take a few minutes of running the water for it to finally get warm. Washing your face with cold water can even be good for your skin as the cold water will constrict the blood vessels on the surface of your skin, therefore reducing redness and inflammation. It can even minimize the inflammation caused by acne — reducing the size so making them less noticeable — and make pores temporarily appear smaller. If you absolutely need to use warm or hot water, consider capturing that cold water in a large bucket to use for watering the plants, cooking, water for your pets, etc.
Reduce & Reuse Shower Water
The average eight-minute-long shower uses about 17 gallons of water. Contrary to popular belief, taking a bath doesn’t necessarily save you water, either. A standard half-full tub uses about the same amount of water.
Replacing your shower head: Switching out your shower head for one with a lower flow rate can save you up to five gallons of water each minute.
Use a water flow restrictor: If you’d rather hold onto your current shower head, there are restricting devices that will help slow down the pressure so you can save water. Instead of using up five gallons a minute, restrictors slow it down to about three.
Shorten your shower time: It’s tempting to dilly dally in the shower, especially if it’s the first thing in the morning and you’re still waking up. Put a small clock on your vanity or set an alarm on your phone to remind yourself to limit your shower time.
Turn it off when it’s time to lather up: Whether you’re applying your body wash or massaging in your shampoo, turn off the water. Also, if you’re shaving your legs, consider keeping a small bowl of water on the floor of the shower to rinse your razor so you don’t have to constantly keep turning the shower head back on.
Make use of dry shampoo: Daily suds sessions can be stripping for many hair types, so throw on a shower cap and save your shampoo step in the shower. Use a Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Dry Shampoo to soak up excess oil and revive your hairstyle on no-wash days.
Reuse shower water. Put a bin or bucket in your shower to collect extra water you can use to water your plants or wash the car.
Rethink how you wash your face
Before washing your face make sure you've removed your makeup first. We love using a cleansing oil and a reusable face cloth to do the heavy lifting for taking your makeup, dirt, and grime off your face. Then when you're ready to wash you just need to dampen your skin and make sure you have the faucet shut off while you’re massaging on your face wash. You also easily have the ability to control the water pressure of your sink faucet so make sure that you’re not keeping it on full blast when you do turn it on. Likely, half the pressure is all you need to cleanse your face.
Use Beauty Oils
Face oils. Body oils. Hair oils. If you haven’t yet tried oils in your daily rituals, now’s the time to start experimenting! Not only are they formulated without water—making them ideal for conserving water in a beauty routine—but they outperform traditional lotions and creams. Why? Consider that lotions and creams are formulated with up to 90% water. That means that they contain only 10% of all the ingredients purported to care for your skin and address your skin concerns. Oils are highly concentrated—so you need less to achieve your desired results, making them last longer (hello, money saver!)—and oils are made of smaller molecules, so they can penetrate skin deeper than lotions and hydrate your skin from the inside out. Try our Everyday Glo Oil for an unbeatable planet friendly glow.
Try Waterless Beauty
We're calling it now: Waterless formulas are the next big innovation in sustainable beauty. Did you know that most face washes, body washes, and shampoos are about 80% water? You're essentially paying more for a bigger container full of water & a concentrated formula. Now think about where you're using these products- in your shower or at your sink with... you guessed it, more water! This is where waterless beauty comes in with concentrated formulas that you just need to add water to and voila! You've got a super sustainable product that uses no water in production, smaller packaging, and more concentrated formulas means you can save money by getting more bang for your buck. We're working on an incredible waterless product that we can't wait to share with you so watch this space!
Head to a water-saving salon
One of the best parts about going to the hair salon is getting that mini-massage while the stylist shampoos your hair, however, the full hair washing experience probably takes a good 10 minutes of constant running water. This year, L’Oréal has come out with a device called the Water Saver that allows their salons (and by 2022, people at home) to conserve water by making each water droplet 10x smaller, which allows for 80% less water usage. You don’t feel any difference in water pressure, and the system allows for L’Oréal and Kérastase hair products to flow directly into the stream of water.
If you’re going to a nail salon, ask them to skip the water soak for your nails. It may seem like a small step in the grand scheme of things, but every little bit helps. Plus, when your nails absorb water it can cause them to expand, which leads to chips and cracks in your nail polish as it dries.
Comments