SAVE ME from skincare, over-packaged, over-plastic, over-hyped

My name is Emma and I am a plasti-holic.

There, confession done accompanied by the relief that spilling one's guts often affords. But here is the story...

I drink a lot of fizzy pop. I only like the stuff in plastic bottles. I eat a lot of bagged salad; it tends to come in plastic bags. I stuff plastic bags into my rucksack, then go out with only my handbag and need to add yet more plastic bags to the collection under the sink. And finally I am OBSESSED with skincare; possibly the most over-packaged products there are.

I read about the worthy aims of Plastic Free world and my skin crawled with shame. Ulterior motive – I'd love to give up my 20 years or so diet coke habit and wondered if aiming to be plastic-free would make that easier... (Oh, please!)

I am here then at the start of my journey to plastic-less. Beginning with the fizzy rubbish i.e. ditching diet coke. I would also be interested to know more about skincare and toiletries that don't come accompanied by plastic wrapping, cardboard and all of the rest.

Google it and there are concerns about the use of plastic packaging and skincare in terms of chemicals in the plastic leaching into your skin cream. Yeuch. So, official advice is to choose glass packing where possible. Or you could try making your own skincare...

The best products in terms of packaging I can find (and I'd welcome suggestions) come from an American company Organic Essence which boasts biodegradable, home compostable packaging. The company isn't here yet, but it's due to arrive in the UK later this year. You can email them to ask where the products will be stocked.

Another alternative (possibly the easiest one) is to think of skincare, and especially facial skincare, as marketing hype. If you eat lots of fruit and veg, lean protein and wholegrains, drink plenty of water, don't smoke, drink in moderation and exercise, good skin tends to happen anyway.

I don't know if I'm yet ready to abandon my serums, creams, lotions and potions but I'd certainly like to find more environmentally-friendly options...

You Are Not Alone.......

While browsing the web and looking for more plastic-free resources, I came across a site that resonates well with our aim to use less plastic:

http://plasticisrubbish.wordpress.com/

Besides being cleverly written, the site contains an abundance of information and resources on how to reduce or eliminate plastic from our lives.  It cites places from which you can buy plastic-free products and even has an A-Z plastic-free index.

Three cheers for our friends from Huddersfield!

PS:  I'll try to find the film "Trashed".  If I do, who is up for a video potluck at ours?