Pretty in Green

Although I am a firm believer in leading an environmentally-friendly life,  I am first and foremost a college-aged woman.  And what does that mean?  It means I am absolutely unwilling to look ugly just for the sake of the environment.

After doing a little research, however, I discovered that being green does not mean being heinous.  In fact, it means quite the opposite.

Here are my favorite green tips that also make you hotter.  Read on, pretty lady…

Ditch the dryer: Using a hair dryer for only 5 minutes a day for an entire year uses enough energy to power a basic light bulb for 3,259 hours.  And guess what?  You don’t really need it!  Drying your hair frequently can crack the hair’s cuticle and withdraw moisture, leaving you with dry and brittle strands.  Naturally drying your hair even just a few days a week can save your strands and save the environment.  If you just can’t live without your daily drying, opt for an eco-friendly one.  The Go Green dryer is made from recycled materials, is printed with soy ink, and uses 26% less energy than a normal dryer.

Turn down the scalding shower: Not only do long, hot showers waste water, they are also a huge energy expense.  Cut down your shower time and the temperature, and you can save tons of money on your monthly bill.  Plus, cold water is good for your bod!   Hot water can have very drying properties, both to your skin and your hair.  Taking a colder shower leaves your hair silkier and your skin softer, all while increasing circulation and bumping up your immune system.  Now how’s that for a morning routine?

Drink tap water: If it’s really that gross, then invest in a Brita filter.  Water bottles cause tons of unnecessary waste every year, much of which ends up in landfills instead of in the recycling.  Plus, delivering water bottles across the world burns fossil fuels, contributing to global warming.  If that doesn’t convince you, consider the health effects.  Most bottled water does not cross state lines, making them exempt from the Food and Drug Administration’s standards for drinking water.  Tap water, on the other hand, is highly regulated and contains more of the teeth-strengthening mineral, floride, than bottled water.  Plus, simply filling up an aluminum water bottle instead of purchasing a bottle for $1 a pop, allows you to save money while drinking more water, so you can put that money to better use (i.e. on yourself!).  Everybody knows that water does a body good by making your skin clearer, aiding digestion, and hydrating the skin, so drink more of it… from the tap.

Steer away from chem lab cleansers: Look at the ingredients list of any common beauty product and you will see a plethora of science-babble words that not even Bill Nye could understand.  Most of those ingredients are synthetic, requiring energy and emitting toxic waste to produce.  And guess what?  What’s bad for the environment is also bad for your skin.  Harsh facial cleansers, such as toner, astringent, and acne washes can actually make acne even worse.  Drying out the oil on your face causes your skin to go into “panic mode” and produce even more oil than before, leaving you with more acne than you had when you started.  Instead, try to use products with natural ingredients.  A good rule of thumb that I like to use is to not put anything on your skin that you wouldn’t want to put in your body.