ONE STEP I'M TAKING TO REDUCE WASTE | DIY COTTON ROUNDS

Today on the blog I wanted to share something I've been doing to reduce my waste footprint on the planet. One thing I love about the beauty community is how much more conscious we are becoming as consumers. A couple months ago I came across some handmade cotton rounds on Etsy and immediately thought "WOW. What a great idea!". Then I thought about the amount of cotton rounds I've been using for years, you know, the ones that come in those plastic sleeves, usually in a pack of 100 or so, and I felt sooooo guilty.

In all the years I've been using skincare products, I never once thought about how using cotton rounds contributed to waste. Now don't get me wrong, cotton does biodegrade (although some rounds aren't even made out of cotton, so they don't biodegrade), but that usually takes 5-6 months and not only that, but cotton production takes a lot of energy and water. For something that I use once and then throw out, it seems so wasteful to me.

So for the past few months, I've only been using these handmade muslin rounds. They were super easy to make, and literally took no time at all. All I did was trace out circles in the size of a normal cotton round, put two circles together, and sewed all the way around. I have a serger machine, so that made the process a lot easier. I wanted mine to be round, but I've definitely seen them DIY'ed in squares too.

In terms of cleaning, they're so easy to clean and reuse. All I do is put the used rounds in a drawstring bag and when it's laundry day, I throw them in my washer and dryer and they're good to go! I don't know why I haven't thought of this before, so not only am I reducing waste, I'm also saving money by reusing my cotton rounds. 

What do you guys think of this idea? I know it's a small step to reducing waste, but I think the smallest things can make a difference. I'd love for everyone to try this out, and even if you don't sew, there's actually quite a few independent companies that are making these if you wanted to purchase them from a local vendor. 

Cheers,
Nancy