Ecological/reusable make up pads

Cotton growing is one of the most polluting cultivation in the world. 2,5 % of cultivated areas on earth are used in that purpose. It seems to be much but it is nothing compared to the quantity of pesticides used: 24% of all the pesticides used in the world, to which one may add herbicides and fertilizer.

Because of this heavy ecological impact and human victims of cotton growing it is very important to look for alternatives for all throwable cotton-made items such as make-up pads, diapers, baby wipes, Q-tips, feminine protection and so on.

Buying organic-cotton items is a good start but as any thowable items that need to be replaced again and again, it requires more and more ressources.

I have already given reusable alternatives to sanitary towels and tampons and to Q-tips. Today is all about make-up pads.

I made - or to be more precise I knitted - some pads for christmas to offer with home-made make-up remover. I used cotton yarn I had found in a second-hand shop. If you were to buy it new, rather buy organic with regards to the first paragraph of this article. For pads made with non-organic cotton wash them before use so as to cleanse out all the chemicals (the same applies to new clothes, especially child clothes, underwears and bedsheets).

Cotton yarn is soft enough on the skin and if you know how to knit it's really not complicated.

Another solution is to use fleece. You just have to cut squares and that's it (no wild wires); it's even softer than cotton on the skin. If you reuse an old fleece jacket for example, it's even more economical.

Once you've made your pads, you don't need to buy some more so you save money.

A piece of advice when washing them in the washing machine: put them in a net or a sock so you won't find them stuck where they shouldn't be.

See also:
- Reduce/suppress waste in the bathroom
- Menstrual cup, feminine and environmental revolution

Comments

Eco-take care of your skin, that's easy & cheap

Oil is your best friend! (see below) Are you sick of using creams you don't understand half of the ingredients (usually not a good sign), and which your skin does not seem to appreciate? Here are easy solutions to replace them. You can first decide to buy organic cosmetics, but since it's rather expensive I understand why many people give up. But at least you know that stuff you put on your skin are healthy. You can also decide to make your own cosmetics yourself ; it is not that hard to find raw material but it doesn't mean it's easy to to make a high quality cream. That requires knowledge on your type of skin, on the ingredients you use, on chemistry (a cream is an emulsion) and on hygiene precautions. The great advantage is that you know exactly what's in it and choose the ingredients according to what you really need. On this blog I will only speak of easy stuff to make, like lip balm for example. But as regards skin care, I like simplicity, wh...

How to recycle a fleece jacket?

Fleece is a very useful material and there are many things you can turn an old jacket into, like make up pads ( see previous article ), baby wipes, dusters and so on. Every piece of fleece is reusable, so the first step is to remove all the threads. It's even more interesting because where the fleece was folded (hemline) or inside the pocket, the fabric has remained very soft, perfect to use on the skin. I think, other parts, more "exposed" are still soft enough. You might see the different textures by clicking on the picture. Once the fleece is ready, there is nothing easier: you just have to cut the shape you want, and it's done. Small squares for facial pad s, bigger pieces for baby wipes ...or duster . I didn't expect it the first time I tried but fleece is a very efficient dust catcher. As efficient, maybe more than microfiber cloth . That's why I use it to clean the floor too. I cut a long rectangle so I can tie it on my specia...

Menstrual cup, feminine and environmental revolution

Initially published on 8/06/2011 Today I wanted to tell you about what helped me to reduce (or suppress) my biggest source of waste. Each woman uses about 10 000 tampon or sanitary towels in her life. It's a lot of waste, of money but also of pollution if you include the production of those sanitary protections. A menstrual cup or "menskopp" in Norwegian is a feminine protection that you place in your vagina so that it collect the menstruation blood. You just have to empty it - which is not as disgusting as one could think - twice a day and reuse it again and again. Environmental-friendly When I first heard about the menstrual cup, it was completely - accidentally - on a forum that was not even dedicated to it. I already cared about environment at the time but I had never really thought about this, or neither knew there were other solutions. I immediately liked the concept, especially because there was no waste anymore, at all! ...

The Green touch

Search This Blog