How To Save Water Without Sacrificing Your Self-Care
It’s surprisingly easy to use less water while still enjoying a truly nourishing and indulgent beauty regime
Think using less water will mean making some serious sacrifices to your self-care? Not so! A few small tweaks to your routine really can make a world of difference. The average American uses 140-170 gallons of water per day, with 40 gallons swirling down the drain during a 10-minute shower, and 5 gallons gushing out of the faucet as we brush our teeth. Reducing these numbers doesn’t mean swapping to less-desirable or less-effective products, or letting your hair or skin get greasy; it’s just about simple changes that make a real, quantifiable difference. Here’s how…
Be short and sweet
It’s so easy to let the water run while you brush your teeth, wash your hands, or lather up your shampoo, face wash or shower gel, but if you start making a conscious effort to keep it off until you need to rinse, you’ll instantly be helping the planet. Also try shortening your shower by a minute or two; by being in there just 60 seconds less, you’d save over 700 gallons of water in a year. Shorter doesn’t have to mean less indulgent, either. Try using richer products that work instantly and feel like a treat, like Love Beauty and Planet’s Cherry Blossom & Tea Rose Whipped Body Scrub. Your bathroom will smell like a high-end spa, while your skin will be left nourished and feeling soft in seconds.
Give your shower a PTO day
Your skin benefits from its natural oils, so extend time between showers by spritzing yourself with Love Beauty and Planet’s Coconut Water and Mimosa Flower Showerless Cleansing Mist to feel refreshed.
Try cold-water therapy
Cold water therapy is a huge wellness trend centered around the therapeutic benefits of cold water, which can range from improved circulation to deeper sleep, increased energy to a happier mood. Taking a dip in the ocean is the best way to get these benefits, but you can also, according to some experts, get them from a refreshing blast of cold water in your shower (which is handy, because cold water uses less energy to produce than warm or hot). Make the last two minutes of your shower cool – you’ll have already washed your skin and hair in the warm, then the cold blast will close your pores, helping to prevent bacteria entering and leading to breakouts, as well as closing your hair’s cuticle. This can make your hair shinier and smoother. Benefits for your hair and the planet. We’re in.
Use speedy products
We’ve done the hard work for you here, or at least our team of brilliant scientists at Love Beauty and Planet have, because they’ve designed rich, high-quality conditioners with fast-rinse technology. That means our conditioners break down immediately when they come into contact with water, so no need to hang out in the shower for it to work its magic.
Rinse with a cloth
Splashing water on your face to wash away make-up or to simply cleanse your skin in the morning can use up a lot of H2O. A more planet-friendly idea is to use a cloth or sponge. Soak it in warm water, shut off the faucet, apply your cleanser, then wash it away with the cloth or sponge. This will remove more bacteria, too; when you have a dirty dish, you don’t try to wash off the food with your fingers – you use a sponge or a cloth – and the same logic applies here! You’ll be removing dead-skin cells far more effectively too, leaving your skin clean and beautiful.
