Is leading a more sustainable lifestyle one of your goals for 2022? Then, you can't miss this blog post. In it, we're going to talk about how to continue evolving in the zero waste world. Let's delve a little deeper into this concept.

DO YOU ALREADY HAVE THE BASICS?

You may already have the zero waste basics that we all start with:

• Shopping bags , whether for transporting or for making bulk purchases.
• Bottles and Reusable cups to consume your drinks
• Wooden toothbrushes and natural toothpastes
• Loofah sponges andscrubbers
• Solid soaps and shampoos
• Food carriers or wax wrappers

These are just a few examples. We'd love to know what your zero waste essentials are . If you're up for it, please share them with the world on social media and tag us so we can see. It may seem like a silly gesture, but when we do this, we're showing other people sustainable alternatives that they may not have thought about before.

If you want to continue moving towards a more sustainable lifestyle, we are going to suggest a series of changes that can help you evolve.

MAKE YOUR OWN HYGIENE, COSMETICS AND CLEANING PRODUCTS

If you've been following us for a while, you'll know that we're big into makeup. In fact, we have a section on the blog called 'Alma Eko's makeup' , where we show you recipes for hygiene, cosmetics and cleaning products that you can make at home, always with natural ingredients . We'll leave you with the latest makeup at this link . You'll see that at the end of the post you'll find the links to all the others.

In order to make your own homemade recipes, you will need some basic ingredients . If you check out the posts we already have, you will see that many ingredients are repeated from one recipe to another. That is why, with just a few ingredients, you will be able to make a lot of different preparations .

But we don't want to put pressure on you. Don't worry. We suggest that you choose a recipe, get the ingredients and then see what other recipes you can use up what you have left over. We don't want you to accumulate products in your house that you're not going to use . That's not sustainable! We want the opposite, for you to buy wisely and make sure that you're going to use what you have.

We leave you a list of the products that we ourselves use to make these preparations. For us they are already basic, but you can start with much less:

• Essential oils

They are great for giving a pleasant aroma to your preparations and also adding healing properties . We tell you all the details in this guide to getting started with essential oils.

• Vegetable oils

Coconut oil is essential for us. and shea butter . But we would also like to take this opportunity to recommend one of our latest additions to our catalogue, avocado , sweet almond , castor and jojoba oils. We look forward to telling you what we are doing with them in future publications.

• Natural cleaning products

Of course, baking soda cannot be missing here . It is the most basic and has the most uses. But if you combine it with sodium percarbonate and citric acid , you can do a lot of things.

We cannot resist mentioning the cleaning soaps , which are also multipurpose and all handcrafted.

And another option is washing nuts , which you will find in different formats and which, in combination with guar gum and the ingredients mentioned above, will also give you multiple solutions.

GOING OUT OF THE HOUSE

When we leave the house, whether for work, errands or leisure activities, it is easy to fall into consuming unsustainable items . When we leave our home and are not accompanied by our belongings, we may need something and end up buying options that are not environmentally friendly.

Here, a little planning is essential . Taking things that we already have at home will save us money and not generate waste. We don't want you to become a snail, with the house on your back. We just want you to implement the habit of thinking a couple of minutes more, before leaving home, or even the night before, about how you think your day will be and identify what objects would be good for you to take with you. In this way, you may decide to take your own food (which will surely be healthier than what you can buy somewhere) and accompany it with light cutlery and reusable, and even transport it in plastic-free thermoses orlunch boxes .

We want to encourage you, within this section, to switch to reusable tissues . Especially if you are a person with allergies, this gesture will not only free the planet from a considerable amount of waste, but your pocket will notice it.

Finally, when it comes to leaving home, we want to emphasize that everything that involves traveling has an impact on the environment. We reflect on this in this post in which we present the option of traveling by van or caravan as one of the most sustainable and, in addition, safest in pandemic times.

PERSONAL CARE

This section could be summed up as: 'do it for the planet, but also for your health' . When we switch to organic or bio products for personal care, the health benefits come hand in hand and are unquestionable. What if you choose one of the following proposals to be more sustainable in 2022?

• Natural deodorants

If you haven't yet switched to non-toxic, plastic-free deodorants , we urge you to make this the next step in your zero waste lifestyle. Finding the right natural deodorant for you right away is sometimes not so easy. That's why here is a short guide in which we explain the different options that exist and delve into the benefits they have for your health and that of the planet.

• Sustainable menstruation

This step is really important and requires doing it when you feel ready. If you think you are ready, we encourage you and we are at your disposal if you have any questions. This post can help you decide where to start. If you take the plunge, you will see that it is not only better for you and the environment, but it is also a journey of self-discovery.

• Makeup made from natural ingredients

If you wear makeup, making changes to this section can be a great idea. It is a category in our home that easily fills up with products that we do not use, that have expired, that have deteriorated over time...

We challenge you: go through your makeup products, get rid of what no longer works, and identify what new products you need. Think carefully. What things do you really need in this section of your bathroom or vanity?

If you already know what you need, look for sustainable options to fill your drawer. Here are plenty of options made with natural ingredients and packaged in environmentally friendly materials.

• Deep oral hygiene

You probably already use wooden toothbrushes and toothpastes made with natural ingredients. We encourage you to perform a more thorough oral hygiene, and to continue to include natural ingredients and plastic-free products. You can achieve this withdental floss and mouthwashes . You can find detailed information about this in this post .

• Natural cosmetics

Although we encourage you to try making your own homemade cosmetic products, the truth is that it is not so easy to find the right formulation for your skin type. If you do not feel like experimenting or making homemade recipes is not your thing, cosmetic brands are there for you. At Alma Eko we have a wide variety of cosmetic products always made with natural ingredients , packaged without plastic and made in an environmentally friendly way , for the most part, by hand.

If you ask us to recommend a specific brand, our first choice will be Matarrania products. It's a safe bet. You just have to detect your needs well, identify your skin type and choose your products based on that. And, of course, if you have any questions, ask us.

Oh, we have more things left in the pipeline that we would love to recommend to you, but we will leave it here so as not to go on any longer. Above all, we would like to talk to you about the basics and not so basics for a zero waste kitchen. Would you like us to address this topic in the blog soon?