Waste Less Beauty & Fashion

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Beauty & Fashion

Beauty & Fashion

Waste Less Body Products & Recipes

Caring for your body can be in harmony with caring for the environment. Using simple ingredients to make a sustainable routine allows you to care for yourself while feeling grounded and centered.

Try out these simply DIY self-care recipes that enable you to feel your very best.

Toothpaste

Jar
2 Tablespoons of Coconut Oil
1 Tablespoon of Baking Soda
15-20 drops of Mint Essential Oil

Add ingredients to the jar and mix well. To use, dip your finger or toothbrush into the jar to scrape a small amount of paste onto the brush. Brush and rinse.

DIY Toothpaste Tutorial

Deodorant

Jar
1/4 Cup of Baking Soda
1/4 Cup of Cornstarch
2 Tablespoons of Coconut Oil
5 drops of Tea Tree Essential Oil for the antibacterial properties
5 drops of Essential Oil in the scent of your choice

Add ingredients to the jar and mix well. To use, spread a pea-sized amount to your armpits, flex your muscles, and go sweat!

Purchasing Green Products

If you don’t have time to make your own, try some green products from a local, zero waste source. Silver Falls Sustainability Co. was founded in Marion County and provides plastic free, natural, and cruelty free products. Their line includes shampoo bars, sunscreen, toothpowder, soaps, and lotions. They even have insect repellant strong enough for a deep woods hike.

Waste Less Personal Care Poster

Want a fun reminder to choose Waste Less? Download our free Waste Less illustrated poster today!

Choose Clothing that will Last

Consumers are buying more clothes and wearing them less. The average consumer now buys 60 percent more clothing items a year and keeps them for about half as long as 15 years ago. In Marion County textiles makeup 4 percent of our curbside residential solid waste. With so many ways to reduce and reuse clothing, it’s our goal to reduce that number to zero.

While fast fashion has made clothing more affordable, it’s also cluttering up our closets and thrift stores with clothing made to trash. Instead join Marion County in choosing quality clothes that save money, last longer, and reduce waste. Well-made clothes are available for every budget, are built to last, and can be worn often and for years to come. Quality clothes just make sense.

Lasting Fashion Tips

Train Your Brain for Better Purchasing Power

Ask these questions when you go shopping.

Can I Really Afford It?

Do you have enough money to buy this? How many hours do you need to work to make enough money for this purchase? Does the garment have special cleaning instructions? Do you have enough money or time to dry clean or wash it by hand?

Do I need this?

Do you need this or simply want it? If you purchase this item how do you envision your life-changing? Is that what the advertising wants you to believe or will that really happen? Do you have room for this item at home? If the item was full price, would you still buy it?

Do I have something similar, can I borrow or buy it second hand?

Before buying new, consider your options. Do you have something at home that will work? Can you upcycle an item for a new look? Does a friend or relative have something you can borrow? Or can I find this at a thrift store and save money and resources?

Will I get a lot of use out of this item?

Let’s talk about commitment! Is this something that you will love for years to come or is it simply a fad item that you will need to break up with later? You can avoid the painful break up now and simply not invite it into your life.

Swaps

Swaps are a fun way to reduce waste and share the excess with others.
Check out Marion County’s Guide to Hosting Swaps for tips, tutorials, and free sign downloads.
Swap Guide 2019 (PDF)

Download Signs for your swap

Clothing Swap Signs

Jean Swap Signs

Art Supply Swap Signs

Mending

Sometimes no matter how high of quality a garment is, it wears out or breaks. While it’s a bummer to have a hole in your favorite sock or shirt, there’s an easy, sustainable solution.

If you have time, learn to repair the item yourself. Youtube provides so many helpful, free tutorials that are easy to follow. Check out our sock darning tutorial.

Learn the practice of visible mending. This movement celebrates the artistry in visible and creative stitching to mend garments and tell the story of respecting materials.

Visit a Repair Fair & Share event or clinic to get help from a fixpert or ask a friend or family member to share their knowledge with you. Many people are happy to share what they know and it’s a great way to build your skills.

Hire a tailor to help stitch a fix. You can help support the repair industry by paying a professional to fix your garment. Do a google search to find alteration experts in your city.

Donate

Instead of throwing clothing away, please donate items to a local nonprofit or thrift store.

Trashion

Have you heard of Trashion, the ultimate upcycling activity? Trashion fuses trash and fashion to promote waste-reduction and consumption alternatives through thoughtful use of reuse materials, fashion, and design. Marion County has hosted and sponsored a handful of Trashion exhibits and hopes to participate in more events. If you have ideas or skills that you’d like to put into action, contact Jessica Ramey, a Waste Reduction Coordinator today!