Anti-Haul | 15 Common Items I No Longer Buy
The easiest way to lead a more sustainable lifestyle is to stop purchasing in excess. Anti-hauls have become a popular online phenomenon in response to influencer hauls where an influencer (mostly a YouTuber) shows off their collection of bought items. The common characteristic of these is a large number of bought items – usually makeup or clothing – that comes from questionable companies with even more questionable ethics. Fast fashion brands such as Fashion Nova, Pretty Little Thing, and Wish make quite frequent appearances. These videos are often sponsored and serve as an advertisement for hauled brands. There are some creators on the platform criticising these types of videos and calling out influencers for their lack of responsibility. Thanks to this, anti-hauls were born as a counter-movement.
I like the idea behind anti-hauls which is to promote utilising the things which you do have, thinking critically about your purchases and not putting pressure on people to buy more products, especially if they don't have the means to. We live in a heavily consumerist society where we no longer carry a sentimental connection to the items we buy since they have become disposable. If something breaks, we can quickly replace it with another. Products are cheap and exist in abundance, allowing for such consumer behaviour; however, they are cheap for a reason. To make a profit off of cheap items some corners have to be cut, and this is where ethics come into play as the corners cut often involve the people who make our products. And so I thought it would be interesting to do my very own anti-haul to see what I decided to abstain from purchasing long term.
Since starting my journey to living a more ethical and sustainable life, I have stopped buying quite a few common/everyday items for my demographic. This is either because I have found a sustainable alternative, that I no longer have to replace, or simply because I have lost interest in certain products. I'm interested to see how my consumer behaviour has changed since starting to think in terms of who made it, where was it made, what is it made of, will it last, is it harmful to me and others, do I need it? I'm excluding fashion choices as this is a big topic that I want to explore in other blog posts.
Perfume/Body Spray
I use Lush products which for me eliminates the need to add even more smells on top of all of the other smells my bath products release. (Update: I got a Christmas gift from my mum which was a perfume from Floral Street. Apparently, they are supposed to follow sustainable practices but I will let you decide for yourself. You can read their statement on their website. I also moved on from Lush and now purchase most, if not all, of my bathroom products from Peace with the Wild.)
Nail Polish and Polish Remover
I'm going to finish the nail polishes that I still own, and after that, I will either not use them (since I rarely paint my nails anyway) or perhaps I will buy one black or dark navy blue polish. (Update: I recently found LivOliv which is a brand of vegan, cruelty-free and non-toxic nail products. I bought their Wild Fern and Back in Black nail polishes as well as their Nail Polish Remover which comes in a glass bottle. I think that if I really want to purchase nail polish it might have to be from them. So far I’m happy to just finish the two colours that I bought. )
Disposable Razors
Since switching to a stainless steel safety razor, I no longer have to buy disposable plastic ones. If I take care of it, the razor should last me a lifetime, and I will only ever have to replace the razor blade, which also lasts a while.
Bottled Water
I have a reusable water bottle.
Print Media
I no longer buy newspapers and magazines. I read my news online, and I am thinking about getting a kindle so that I can stop buying physical copies of books. This is a small “sacrifice” for me since I enjoy reading physical copies of books, so it is up for debate. Perhaps book swaps or second-hand books are a better option for me.
Single-Use Cameras
I used to love single-use cameras; however, they are single-use after all, and there are far more eco-friendly ways to enjoy photography. Digital photography is one example. This is another small “sacrifice” for me since I like scrapbooking and analogue photography. Instead of disposable cameras, I could at least use an analogue camera which only needs the film replacing. I could get a serviced Pentax for £200, which is a good deal. (Update: I purchased my first mirrorless camera, Fujifilm X-T200, and have since ditched analogue.)
Hair Ties
I look after my hair ties, and I have one beloved black velvet scrunchie that does the job.
Lip Balms
Another useful swap was the Ultrabalm from Lush which is a lip balm and hand balm in one.
Lipsticks and Eyeshadow Pallets
I accumulated enough that I don't have to buy these for a while. I love makeup, but I'm no longer tempted to buy new makeup. Lisa Eldridge has made an anti-haul which inspired me to use what I have and enjoy the makeup I have accumulated. I highly recommend that you watch it if you’re a makeup lover. I’ve linked it here.
Mugs and Drinking Glasses
This is one of my other obsessive collections. I now have enough mugs to last me a lifetime even if I break some. I do take care of them since some are collectables. For drinking glasses, though I already own some, I like reusing jars. I think it looks cute and what's the point of buying jar glasses if you can reuse a jar free of charge.
Paper and Notebooks
I used to be the person who would go crazy at Paperchase; complete, uncontrollable spending would ensue as soon as I’d enter one of the stores. This resulted in me having enough notebooks for the foreseeable future. (Update: I bought another diary… hey at least I’m trying!)
Glitter
Glitter is plastic. It's not good for the environment, for the ocean, for the fish and I'm giving it up. I still have glitter at home, but I am not buying more, and if I ever use it, I'll make sure it is for a special occasion.
Novelty Items and Trinkets
Whenever I travel, I usually pick up a lot of souvenirs which I don't know what to do with after I get back home. I also buy a lot of small trinkets whenever I'm out with friends. I don't know why I'm compelled to do so, but enough is enough. If I want to purchase anything I will make sure I'm buying directly from locals to support their craftsmanship and trade. (Update: I really stuck to this one! Going strong over here.)
Face Sheet Masks
After you collect five pots from Lush and return them to be recycled, they give you a free face mask that is not in a sheet form. Thanks to this, I don't even have to buy a face mask. (Update: Peace with the Wild sells Wild Sage + Co. clay face masks which you have to mix yourself at home and I love them.)
DVDs/Blu-Ray Discs/CDs
Netflix. I do like collecting physical copies of these, same as with books, but I have limited myself to purchasing physical copies of films and records that I find worthy. I have not purchased anything of this sort in nearly a year now.
Going forward I aim to put a little bit more research into the items that I do purchase, ensure that they are vegan, cruelty-free, ethically produced and sustainable as well as useful and aesthetically pleasing to me. I also want to purchase items a lot less frequently, but when I do, spend a bit more to meet the above criteria. Everyone's situation is different, and so some people might not be in a position to purchase more expensive items, and that's ok. In my eyes, if you can do it, then there's a level of moral obligation to do so. That's another reason why I like anti-hauls: they are inclusive and don't make people feel bad for not being able to afford something. They supposed to do the opposite: reward you for not spending your money on things that are arguably a bit useless. For example, Instagram culture has created this idea that you have to wear a different outfit in every photo, which is just bullshit. It puts unnecessary pressure on people since this type of lifestyle is unattainable for most. This results in fast fashion brands thriving since they can accommodate this behaviour with cheap clothes, the true cost of which is much greater, creating tons of textile waste and unethical work practices for the workers. Now the blame is not on the customer who is trying to look their best in a society where appearances matter, it is still on the company. It is up to them to sort out their manufacturing practices. It’s not ok to put the blame on the customer, even though there are things that they can do that can affect the way companies operate. After all customers drive demand that these companies want to cater to. The thing is, for some people this is what they can afford. This is why I want to talk about fast fashion in another blog post because it is such a broad topic affecting individuals in very different ways. For now, if perhaps you don’t have the disposable income to buy from sustainable brands or time to research where your items come from, anti-hauls are great. You save money and you don’t contribute to wasteful, single-use, hype-driven culture. Everyone’s anti-haul will differ since we are willing to make small sacrifices in different areas of our lives. This is mine. I hope you’ll make one as well however big or small.