SOME OF OUR favourite Irish beauty influencers are attempting to go greener with reusable cotton pads. 

Listen, a quick search on Insta, Etsy or the likes will throw up tonnes of results – reusable cotton pads are not a new concept. However, my interest was piqued when I saw Laura Young – AKA Laura’s Views – using them on her Instagram Story.

The concept is simple: instead of contributing waste by buying disposable cotton pads, you buy reusable ones (for a little more dollar, natch, but you should end up saving over time), washing as you go. Alternatively, if you’re the kind of person who actively uses Pinterest, you might be interested in making your own.

Can’t see the video? Click here.

Ok, but … How the feck do you clean them though?

Good question. If you use them, not only will the pads be covered in last night’s face, but they’ll also be covered in all the germs from your face. Pleasant, right?

Well, all you need to do is throw them in the wash, supposedly. Some companies give you a special laundry bag to put them in. Otherwise, throw them in a wash bag with your delicates and voila – they should be good as new.

(Others recommend straight up boiling them on the hob to kill the bacteria – that’s at your own discretion.)

And just how cost-effective and beneficial to the environment are they?

Another great question – and one that depends entirely on what brand you buy. For example, Boots Essentials Cotton Wool Pads are going to set you back €1.89. That works out at less than a cent per pad.

When it comes to the reusable kind, you can buy a pack of 10 for €10 on littlegreenshop.ie. That works out at €1 per pad (quick maths!)

Seems pricey, right? Let’s break that down though. Say you use one pad per eye and two to cleanse your face (in the event that you have a regular-sized face – my moon aghaidh cannot relate.)

That’s four gone immediately from your pack of disposables. However, you’ll get loads of washes out of four of the reusable ones, if you take care of them (some people say theirs have lasted them YEARS!) And even when they do meet their end, you’ve another six left then out of your packet. 

On the other hand, if you were to make them yourself, a metre of cotton works out at somewhere between €1 and €3, leaving you with loads to make. It would probably work out closer in price point to the disposable ones without the added environmental impact (that is, unless you also have to buy a sewing machine and the likes – that might shoot the cost up.)

Would you be up for trying reusable cottons pads?

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