The Struggle for Perfection

by Gracie Mccubbin

"We don't need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly. We need millions doing it imperfectly" is something frequently said in the zero waste community, but what does it mean, and is it applicable outside of waste reduction? In today's society, we have been taught to strive for the unattainable; there are differing understandings of success, beauty, 'perfection'. The issue is that the lack of knowledge of perfectionism is what truly holds us back.

In the case of zero waste, when it is seen as something difficult or unattainable, are they less inclined to make those first steps? What if things were stripped back to basics, and if the movement was seen as small steps, simple we all take daily? That's the backbone of "we need millions of people doing it imperfectly.", many people making small changes have a more significant impact than an individual doing everything.

That's why at Oasis, we believe in simplicity to make zero waste living attainable, quickly done through swapping out your current skincare routine for an earth-conscious, handmade one. The importance of simplicity is more significant than perfection; you need a pile of land before you can dig for gold. Fear and expectation of perfectionism hold us back from our full potential, which is why we hold ourselves back and to such a high standard. In today's media, it is reasonable to portray yourself as perfect all the time, perfectly happy, dressed, flawless skin, ideal life. Indeed distracts us from what is essential, which is ourselves, our morals, and our values.

We have decided to take things back to basics. Have you ever noticed with these expensive skincare brands packed with ingredients that you never quite get what you expect? Your skin remains dry, and your scalp remains itchy, the oil continues to build up. By stripping back to basics, whether it be the avocado oil, kaolin clay, hyaluronic acid or coconut, you can guarantee that you are getting precisely what you need.

It is so important to remember that perfection should not engulf you. The expectations that we have for our skin care regimes are so high and so extravagant that we are spoilt for choice, which stumps us, as decision fatigue takes over and we honestly don't know what is right, wrong, 'perfect' for our skin type. It needs to be remembered and normalised that people have skin issues, whether it be dryness, psoriasis, eczema, acne, oil or anything else. It is entirely natural to face these issues, and physical processes should be tackled with natural solutions. Our lack of understanding of our skin and the bombardment of ingredients, advertisements and options in the shop confuses our natural skin protection cycle and therefore causes the problem to be much stronger then it had to be in the first place.