Mascara

Facts:

• All these colorful and alluring products are nothing more than future landfill, with 120.8 billion units of cosmetic packaging being produced each year!!!! SOURCE
• Plastic mascara products are not recyclable, and worse, a lot of these commercial mascara ingredients are harmful, both to you, and the planet!

So, without further ado, let’s talk mascara.

Image Credit https://www.theguardian.com/

There are literally hundreds of mascara recipes available on the internet. Some seem more successful than others. Personally, finding all the materials listed on many of the recipes seemed difficult. That I would be creating more waste gathering the ingredients, some only coming in plastic packaging, than just getting a regular thing of mascara.

Many of the recipes included activated charcoal, and putting that near my eye made me weary. Though I couldn’t find anything specifically adverse about this listed online, my ophthalmologist advised against it, and that was good enough for me.

DIY Mascara Recipe (No Charcoal!):

However, we did locate a charcoal-free recipe that Fillgood.co patron highly recommended, you can find it at https://draxe.com/homemade-mascara/

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 teaspoon coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon aloe vera gel
• 1/2—1 teaspoon grated beeswax
• ⅛ teaspoon castor oil
• ¼ teaspoon black mineral powder
• ⅛ teaspoon bentonite clay
• 4–5 drops lavender essential oil
• Clean mascara container

Directions:

1. Place the coconut oil and grated beeswax in a small saucepan on low heat and stir until they are completely melted.
2. Add the castor oil and the aloe vera gel and stir.
3. Add the black mineral powder and continue to blend.
4. Then, add the bentonite clay and the lavender essential oil.
5. Remove from heat and blend.
6. Using a small plastic bag or cake decorator with a small tip, place the mixture into the bag.
7. Push the mixture into the corner with the hole, then place that corner into the mascara tube and carefully push the mixture into the tube.

Source: https://draxe.com/homemade-mascara/

Zero Waste Mascara Products

Photo Credit: TheHealthSite.com

Then I found a few well-rated companies on Etsy that have created their own toxic-free mascara, and sell it in adorable glass or tin containers.

All these products are 100% Vegan:

Clean Face Cosmetics

Liquid Mascara – Dab Herb Cosmetics

Powder Mascara – Dab Herb Cosmetics

**Note** If products come with a plastic mascara wand, sellers are happy to ship your mascara completely plastic-free. Be sure to request that when purchasing, and simply wash and re-use your current mascara wand going forward (I hand wash mine with dish soap and hot water, towel dried, then let air dry for a day).

What to do with old mascara wands:

Donate them to Wands for Wildlife!

Many wildlife organizations accept used mascara wands, 
click for more info

One last note:

Euphemistic language is a virus to a free-thinking society. (Think I am kidding? Watch HBO’s 2001 film Conspiracy).

Words are often used to scare consumers. All-natural and Non-GMO does not mean organic, non-GMO is not necessarily a good thing, and don’t fear the word ‘chemical.’

A few days ago, a woman at a kiosk shouted at me, “You know you put 5,000 chemicals on your face before you leave your home?”

I was a little startled by her approach, but the science-lover in me had to inform her, “Ma’am, oxygen is a chemical. Water is a chemical. Everything you are selling on your display are technically chemicals.” And it’s true.

Another fun fact? Everything in excess is poison. Water, air, everything in excess is harmful. So don’t be scared of words, be scared of euphemistic language.

More Resources:

An interesting thread on Zero Waste Mascara

We’re killing the world’s coral reefs with SUNCREAM and mascara

Eyes Wide Open: The Story of Makeup Packaging

https://draxe.com/homemade-mascara/

What are positive feedback loops?

Hidden dangers of euphemistic language

**This article was revamped from the 2018 Plastic Free July Challenge by ZWC and fillgood.co