My zero waste bathroom
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When it comes to my bathroom I prefer to keep it simple and decluttered. I can't stand anything more than hundreds of products that fill up the shower and bathroom cabinets, especially if they are all packaged in plastic. Here is a quick and simple glance of what bathroom products I use and how I am able to stay minimalistic whilst living a zero waste life style.
The shelf above my sink holds your regular bathroom essentials such as hand soap, toothbrushes and toothpaste etc. Instead of using liquid hand soap in a plastic dispenser I switched to using regular bars of unpackaged soap. Not only do they last for ages but I find that they are cheaper in the long run and work just as well as liquid soap. Many bars come in plastic wrap, however you can purchase them unpackaged and in paper from many health shops and pharmacies. You can also buy specific bars of soap for if you have sensitive skin.
For oral care I switched to using a bamboo toothbrush from WooBamboo. My teeth prefer super soft bristles and this is the only brand in my local store that sells that option. Unfortunately it comes in a plastic package which really annoys me! This totally defeats the idea of zero waste and no plastic but my teeth are very important and sometimes your health has to come first. If you are able to use medium or soft bristles you can buy toothbrushes that are packaged in paper from 'Save some green' and ' The environmental toothbrush'.
I currently switch between using homemade toothpowder and Euthymol toothpaste. I am still unsure on the toothpowder as I sometimes find it too abrasive and miss the foaminess of regular toothpaste. Euthymol comes in a metal tube which can be widely recycled. I finish with homemade minty mouthwash.
Other bathroom products I use are homemade dry shampoo which is stored in a reused coffee jar, homemade body scrub and witch hazel. I use witch hazel to sooth bruises and cuts and sometimes even put it on my face as it seems to calm down the itchiness where I have eczema. I am planning on making a face toner with it once I have run out of my shop bought products. The body scrub is made from a kit I got for christmas last year but you can easily make it yourself. It contains coconut oil which I have heard is very bad for your drains as it solidifies below 23 degrees C, so I don't use it often as I don't want to block my pipes!
Homemade body scrub
~Makes two small pots~
Ingredients:
*10g Coconut oil
*5g Cacao powder
*10g Cocoa butter
*30g Ground coffee - or left over coffee grounds
*10ml Jojoba oil
*Few drops of peppermint oil
1. Place a heatproof bowl over a pan containing a small amount of hot but not boiled water. Ensure that the bowl isn't touching the water. Add the cocoa butter and coconut oil.
2. Once melted, remove from the heat and add the jojoba oil.
3. Allow to cool for 10 minutes.
4. Stir in the ground coffee, cacao powder and pepermint oil.
5. Once completely cool, tranfer to a small container and enjoy.
Homemade dry shampoo
Ingredients:
*1 tbsp bentonite clay
*1 tbsp cornstarch
*1 tbsp coco powder - Only if you have dark hair
1. For blonde hair, mix together the bentonite clay and cornstarch fully and transfer to an air tight container
2. For darker hair, Mix together all three ingredients and transfer to an air tight container
3. Apply directly to hair (I use an old blusher
brush) and massage it into the roots for the
best results.
For shaving, I use my trusty safety razor which I ordered here. The only disposible part is the blade but they don't need changing often and once I have a large collection I can take them to the recycling facility. I use this razor to shave every area I want and I highly recommend it! They take more time to get used to as there is no gel strip and you have to be much more careful and gentle to ensure you don't cut yourself. However once you get to grips with how to use it you won't switch back to disposables! You can buy extra packs of safety razor blades on ebay for when you run out. For shaving foam, I just wet my legs, lather up my shampoo bar from lush and smoother it on :) Works a treat!
~Over the years women have been pressured and conditioned by society to fit into the category off what you need to do to be classified as a woman. Many feel like shaving is a normal daily task to keep their femininity and it really bugs me when people think that ladies who don't shave are gross. We are human beings and we have hair for a reason. It is completely natural to have body hair, yet we are grown up to believe that as women we should shave and get rid of it. I personally prefer to shave, however if you don't want to... then don't! Don't be drawn in by our societies expectations of what you should do to be a woman. Be natural and free, there is nothing wrong with it!~
These are the only products I use when I shower. For shampoo I use my Jason and argan oil shampoo bar which will last me nearly 2 and a half months. I go into store with my lush tin so I don't have to have the bar packaged at checkout. I use the lush Retread conditioner which my hair LOVES. Although it comes in a plastic tub, you can take it back to your local store to be recycled. If you take back 5 full sized pots, you get a free face mask. I use a bar of soap as a replacement to liquid body wash in a plastic bottle. I am currently using an avocado oil bar which doesn't dry my skin and smells lovely!
So you were probably wondering ... what do I do for toilet paper?! That's surely waste isn't it?
Toilet paper is something I haven't yet gone completely zero waste with, however I have managed to avoid all plastic by using a box of tissues instead of actual loo rolls. I use asda smart price recycled paper facial tissues. I find these thick enough to use as toilet paper and the fact that they are made from recycled paper is a bonus! I would really like a bidet attachment (butt gun lol), however I need to do some research and work out how to attach it to my toilet first. Another option I've seen floating around is family cloth. This is essentially pieces of fabric that you wash and sterilise other than dispose of. Many zero wasters however still use toilet paper and therefore I don't feel any pressure to switch to any alternatives right away.