In case you’re looking out for the entire pleasurable of glitter, with out the microplastic-based litter, then I’ve purchased loads of eco-friendly alternate choices to glitter in an effort to try. Whether or not or not it’s for craft initiatives or cosmetics, there are heaps of sustainable alternate choices in the marketplace.

Glitter has prolonged been a staple in arts and crafts and cosmetics. Whether or not or not it’s together with a bit little bit of shimmer and sparkle to our faces or our artwork work, for years we’ve all been reaching for the glitter.

However, standard glitter is usually composed of microplastics. These are teeny-tiny gadgets of plastic that when washed off our arms or our our bodies can be harmful to ocean and aquatic life.

Along with being considered a microplastic, most standard glitter is fabricated from a mixture of aluminium and a plastic known as PET. PET can break proper right down to launch chemical compounds that disrupt hormones throughout the our our bodies of every animals and folks. These hormones can in flip set off essential ailments.

It’s arduous to think about that one factor so pleasurable and seemingly innocuous as glitter would possibly harbour such environmental destruction. Nevertheless it does all whereas forsaking a shiny path. In response to these concerns, in October 2023 standard glitter was banned all through the European Union.

What About Biodegradable Glitter?

Biodegradable glitter might sound like a promising completely different to traditional glitter, however, it’s not all it cracked as a lot as be.

Analysis have found that biodegradable glitter causes the similar harm to rivers as customary glitterso it’s not one factor I prefer to suggest.

12 Sustainable Alternate choices To Glitter To Try

In case you possibly can’t keep in a world with out glitter, nonetheless don’t want to harm the environment then fear not. I’ve twelve eco-friendly glitter alternate choices for your whole sparkly magnificence and crafting needs:

Sand & Meals Colouring

Together with meals colouring to sand is no doubt one of many best sustainable alternate choices to glitter. Merely add just some drops of liquid meals colouring to play sand and depart it to dry in a single day. By morning, you’ve purchased a naturally sparkly supplies for every type of craft initiatives.

I’ve tried this technique sooner than with my kids and situated that coloured sand works very nicely for crafting. What I did uncover is that you just do wish to make use of liquid meals colouring. The gel meals colouring that you could be buy merely doesn’t work along with the liquid stuff. It’s quite a bit easier to get a superb coating with the liquid colouring.

Sea Salt & Meals Colouring

Sea salt that’s been dyed with meals colouring moreover makes for a sustainable glitter substitute. In case you want to give it a go, then proper right here’s a helpful DIY to make glitter from sea salt and meals colouring.

I’ve moreover tried this system out. What I’d say is that using sea salt as an eco-friendly glitter completely different is straightforward to make, nonetheless I consider is best suited to kids’ craft initiatives. It merely doesn’t sparkle pretty like widespread glitter. Nonetheless in case you occur to easily want one factor vibrant for teens to stay onto a drawing or a creation produced from the contents of your recycling bin then it does the job utterly very good.

Epsom Salts & Meals Colouring

Epsom salts may additionally be used to make sparkly glitter that’s sort to the environment. The Dancing Cleansing cleaning soap Dish has a really useful tutorial on make this glitter using Epsom salts.

Raw Sugar & Meals Colouring

Sugar moreover makes for an superior eco-friendly glitter substitute. Whilst you ought to make the most of any type of sugar, I’ve found that using raw sugar (additionally known as turbinado sugar) gives the best outcomes. It’s an entire lot further sparkly, plus it doesn’t dissolve as merely as refined sugar. This means it does preserve up a bit greater with glue – although I’d use it with Pritt-Stick pretty than PVA glue.

Synthetic Mica

Mica affords a shocking eco-friendly completely different to traditional glitter and is correct in case you occur to’re making an attempt to make your pores and pores and skin sparkle sustainably.

However, customary mica is mined from rocks – and is expounded to illegal mining and teen labour. As an alternative, seek for synthetic mica, from producers resembling Lushwho provide all the glint with out the unhealthy bits. Alternatively, seek for ethically sourced mica to verify sustainability and truthful labour practices.

Face Paint

Swap standard glitter for eco-friendly face paint in order so as to add a daring pop of colour to your pageant seems, or theatrical performances. Choose water-based, non-toxic formulation that don’t embody glitter or mica – besides it’s synthetic or ethically sourced – for a safe and sustainable sparkle.

Dried Flower Petals

Dried flower petals might be not the very very first thing that entails ideas within the case of glitter alternate choices, however, it is an eco-friendly method in order so as to add a splash of colour and texture to your youngster’s artwork work.

There’s no wish to buy any dried flowers. You probably can maintain it low price and cheerful by sustainably harvesting just some herbs and flowers out of your yard (making certain to depart a great deal of flowers for bees and completely different pollinators) after which drying them out.

As quickly as dried, you might pop the petals into little jars, and your youngster can have loads of pleasurable choosing between the completely completely different colours – much like they’d with glitter.

Oats & Meals Colouring

Oats make for a further low price eco-friendly glitter completely different for teens craft initiatives. Merely dye the oats with just a bit liquid meals colouring, depart them to dry, and in addition you’re completed! It doesn’t sparkle, nonetheless it does add texture to mini masterpieces.

Rice

You most likely have a bag of dried rice useful then it’s best to put it to use to make glitter. Place some dried rice in a bowl (not the boil-in-the-bag or microwave stuff) after which add some meals colouring. Unfold it out on an oven dish to dry in a single day, and the following morning you’ve got a glitter substitute. It’s not as sparkly as using sand, nonetheless, like oats, it’s a good way in order so as to add texture.

Whereas I depart the grains as they’re, I’ve heard of people inserting the dried rice in a meals processor to interrupt the grains down into tiny gadgets sooner than dyeing them. This might probably be worth a try!

Lentils

I’ve really fond recollections of developing footage with dried lentils after I used to be at main school. We would glue them down onto our footage with PVA glue. As quickly because the glue was dry, we’d then paint the lentils. It was a simple and environment friendly method in order so as to add texture to our work with out using glitter.

As I was looking out for examples of this sort of art work, I was delighted to come back again all through Fulfilling Littles. They’ve gone extra, and have cleverly used pink and inexperienced dried lentils to make pumpkin art work. It’s made for an superior sustainable substitute for glitter, whereas nonetheless being pleasurable for teens.

Seeds

Very like using lentils, you probably can use seeds in its place of glitter for a further pure technique to crafting. One thing from pumpkin seeds to sunflower seeds, dried corn or spelt may probably be used. Merely stick, paint and repeat for pleasurable artworks.

Check out How Wee Be taught for these beautiful artworks which have been created using a mix of seeds and lentils.

Hole-Punched Recycled Paper

Lastly, you might give new life to earlier magazines, newspapers, undesirable work or drawings, or cardboard by reworking them into vibrant confetti using a spot punch. You probably can then use this in order so as to add colour to arts and crafts initiatives whereas decreasing waste.

The Bottom Line

Glitter would possibly look pleasurable, nonetheless even biodegradable decisions are an environmental nightmare. The next time you’re making an attempt in order so as to add a contact of sparkle to your face or physique, take into consideration synthetic mica or non-toxic face paints. And within the case of together with glitz to artworks, you are spoiled for choice. From sand and seeds to recycled paper and dried flowers, there are a selection of decisions which is perhaps delicate on the earth.

In case you uncover any further eco-friendly glitter alternate choices then do let me know throughout the suggestions below. Alternatively, in case you occur to find an altogether completely completely different completely different to glitter then I’d like to take heed to about it!