Fashion

5 Ways To Save Water In Your Beauty Routine

by Katharine McEntee

According to the Drought Monitor, almost 47 percent of California is under not-so-great drought conditions. While my water usage may not directly affect the drought in California, the numerous articles regarding this matter have made me reevaluate my water footprint. With that said, I’ve come up with five ways to save water in my daily beauty routine, because even if I’m not living in a drought, it doesn’t hurt to be mindful.

While it may sound easy to turn off the water while brushing your teeth, or to wait till the dishwasher is full to run it, it’s not always that simple. I find that some of these things are habits — bad habits — and that they are hard to break out of if not constantly reminded.

So, instead of mindlessly mulling around in the morning and taking super long showers, I’ve become more thoughtful about my water usage. In fact, I’ve found cutting down my water usage has been good for both my beauty and fashion addictions. I now spot clean my shirts, which makes them last longer, and I opt for baths over showers, which — if you put coconut oil in them like me — can be both hydrating and relaxing.

If long showers are what you look forward to, it doesn’t mean you have to give them up, though. There are plenty of other ways to decrease your water usage. Slide down and see the five best and easiest ways to save water right now!

1. Wash Your Hair Less Often

Hair always looks best the day after you wash it, but it also has more oil in it, which is helpful for styling purposes. If you tend to have oily hair, try dry shampoo — it hides the grease and makes it look like you just got a blowout.

2. Turn Off The Water While Brushing Your Teeth

I'm sure you heard this plenty of times as a kid, but leaving the sink on while brushing your teeth (or even when cooking) is a bad habit that wastes a lot of water.

3. Take Shorter Showers Or A Bath

Baths are a fixed amount of water, unlike showers that have a constant stream. So either take shorter showers, or a bath! I'll take a shower if I'm in a rush, but I, unlike most people, prefer to take a bath. It's both relaxing and essential to my beauty routine. I even add coconut and rose oil to the water for hydration, put on a face mask to calm down my skin, and do a hair treatment to repair my damaged ends. It's the perfect at home spa!

4. Spot Clean Your Clothes

Sometimes I am not the most graceful and spill stuff all over my clothing. Instead of running them through the wash, I have started to spot clean my spills. I've found that it doesn't wear out my clothes like the washer, so they can be worn for a lot longer.

5. Wash Full Loads Only

Sometimes the item I want to wear is dirty, so I throw it in the washing machine alone to get it clean before I need to wear it. If you are anything like me, why not just throw it in the laundry pile and wait to clean it till you have a full load? You probably have something else equally as awesome to wear anyway!

Images: Fotolia; the_file, intothegloss/Instagram; Giphy