Whether you shower in the morning or at night, bathing is a necessary, and often favourite, part of one’s self-care routine. But our bathing habits can also have a significant impact on the environment. Luckily, though, it’s also one of the easiest areas to reduce that impact. Here’s a few things you can try.

Cut down your water usage

A very common debate when it comes to reducing water usage is whether you should shower or take a bath. Naturally, the answer to this question isn’t as simple as it might seem. It all depends on how long you shower for, what type of showerhead you use, how much you fill your bathtub and how big your bathtub is. To put it simply, though, if you prefer to take long showers it may be best to have a bath, but if you can cope with a short, 4-minute shower, this is the best option.

To further reduce your water usage (or allow yourself a longer shower), a low-flow shower head might be your next solution. Depending on the type you choose, these either have smaller holes or mix the water with air to give the impression of a higher flow rate while still saving water. And because no-one likes a weak shower, both types still produce a powerful pressure.

Consider your skin

While it feels great to step under a steaming hot shower, this requires extra energy to heat the water and can actually be bad for your skin. This is because it damages the keratin cells on the outer-most layer of skin, preventing them from holding moisture and causing your skin to dry out. While there are also benefits to hot showers, like helping encourage muscle relaxation, lukewarm showers are ideal. If you’re feeling brave, a cold shower can also have a wide range of health benefits and use even less energy—just avoid them if you’re sick or already cold.  

Surprisingly, some conventional soaps can also be too harsh for your skin, and choosing more environmentally friendly options may be better for you and the planet. Consider swapping out your commercial soap for a milder handmade or eco-friendly option, like these hand and body soaps from WØRKS. 

Sustainable products

Many of the bathing and cosmetic products we use are produced in a manner that’s harmful to the environment or include harmful ingredients. Some of the most common ingredients, for example, are BHA and BHT preservatives that can kill fish and aquatic mammals, triclosan that can be toxic to algae, and microbeads that get into waterways and can be consumed by fish and other aquatic life.

To choose more sustainable products, look for brands that use no, recycled or recyclable packaging, and avoid products that have harmful ingredients. Ideally, it’s also best to buy as few products as possible and reuse or recycle the packaging when you can. Purchasing from small businesses that use locally sourced ingredients and have shorter supply chains can be the easiest way to do this—and you’ll be supporting small businesses, too!

The towels you buy will also have different environmental impacts. For luxurious, organic cotton towels that use less water, land and energy, and produce fewer emissions than conventional cotton, check out our store.