A study of 2,000 Brits revealed just how much plastic the average family is throwing out, solely from their haircare regime – including shampoo, conditioner, hairspray, hair gel and heat protector.
As well as the countless bottles used for cleaning and styling their mane, households will also go through 24 bottles of shower gel, 24 tubes of toothpaste, 12 bottles of moisturiser and 108 loo rolls each year.
However, they only recycle an estimated 60 per cent of this plastic waste – leaving the rest to go to landfill – with a third of Brits admitting they don’t even consider the environmental impact of their haircare and beauty regime.
The study, commissioned by Swiss precision beauty company, RÉDUIT, found 11 per cent simply ‘can’t be bothered’ to make more sustainable changes to their hair and beauty routine.
While one in 10 admitted they ‘don’t care’, nearly a fifth don’t know how to and 23 per cent wouldn’t know where to start if they were to make a change.
CEO of RÉDUIT Paul Peros said: “Taking care of our hair and appearance is just part of our routine, and we often forget about the impact it can have.
“Our study has shown how people will mindlessly use and bin plastic products, and not think about how they could make small switches which have a huge impact.
“It can seem quite daunting at first – trying something new – but there’s lots of ways you can make more sustainable changes with your hair and beauty regime.”
The study also found that 41 per cent didn’t know that chemicals from hair products going down the drain and hairsprays are bad for the environment.
In fact, a fifth of Brits will even flush things like cotton buds, face wipes or sanitary products down the toilet.
And a further 38 per cent didn’t know that most commercial face and baby wipes contain plastics.
It also emerged that the average adult will shampoo their hair four times a week, and use conditioner three times – with men using more product to care for their hair than women.
But 13 per cent refuse to make more sustainable haircare regime changes because they are afraid that switching products might damage their locks.
Nearly three in four admitted they don’t really know what the true impact is of their hair and beauty routine on the planet.
Yet 61 per cent feel guilty about the amount of plastic bottles they get through as a result of their hair and beauty products, according to the OnePoll data.
More than half do try to be more eco-friendly in their way of living, but admitted they are less strict when it comes to what they use to take care of their appearance and their hair.
In fact, just three in 10 have already looked to make a change in buying eco-friendly beauty products, with three in 10 making such purchases once a month.
But a shocking one in five wouldn’t even consider switching to products which are kinder to the planet.
Paul Peros added: “It’s a shame that so many are unaware of what impact their beauty regimes are having on the planet which is why at RÉDUIT we are bringing the solutions to the forefront to reimagine our beauty and haircare options for a more sustainable future.
“Many of the eco-friendly hair and beauty products out there aren’t just good for the planet, but have lots of other benefits.
“They often last longer because of the way they are designed and are much easier to take away with you because they don’t always consist of liquid shampoos and conditioners – so no more pesky spillages in your suitcase too.”
The number of products used by the average British household each month:
2 bottles of shampoo
2 bottles of conditioner
2 tubs of hair mask
2 cans of hairspray
2 tubs of hair gel
2 bottles of conditioner spray
2 bottles dry shampoo
2 bottles of styling spray
2 bottles of heat protector
2 bottles of shower gel
2 tubes of toothpaste
2 bottles of hand soap
A bottle of moisturiser
2 bottles of bubble bath
2 bottles of mouthwash
2 bottles of toilet cleaner
2 cans of deodorant
9 toilet rolls
6 cotton buds
7 cotton balls/pads
7 face wipes
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