Hey guys!
Sorry it’s been a while since my last post! This post will be all about the products switches you can do to make you’re bathroom environmentally friendly!
It would be hypocritically for me to say that all the products I own are sustainable, but I am still trying to finishing products I bought a while ago. So, the best way to do this in my opinion is to use up the products you currently have and then start replacing them.
I was going to mention brands to use but I won’t do this throughout as some brands I use are chosen based on locality as well as their values, and what may be local to me won’t be the same for everyone. I definitely think researching on brands before you buy them is extremely important as your wallet is a powerful tool when it comes to decision making. Everything you buy is a statement that you want that product to be produced again, influencing the resources that are then used.
I also want to put a disclaimer that with every product we use, we are using a resource, so nothing can be 100% sustainable, because even if the product is recyclable or biodegradable, the production of the product would have consumed resources. There are always going to be the cons such as; ‘ the alternative used here is still not that sustainable’ or that ‘making something at home still means buying ingredients, sometimes in packages’. I know, but I am trying to show what is the better alternative, and if I have made a mistake or you know of something better, let me know!
Something worth mentioning first, otherwise I will be repeating myself throughout this post, is to always go for the option without preservatives such as parabens and sulphates! These preservatives are used to extend the shelf life of many products, but they end up in our sewage and are then washed into the ocean. There are products our there that are made without these preservatives, so why continue to use these? We used to use microbeads in our products to ‘exfoliate’ or to make it look more 'appealing', but we never needed these small plastic pellets and they have now been legally banded from production. Unfortunately, this command-and-control type of regulation has not been used with such preservatives, but we can just stop buying and increasing the demand for them. Bottom line, we don’t need them, so it’s best to honestly buy cosmetics with ingredients that you can actually read! The fewer ingredients, the more natural it will be, which is ultimately better for you.
Here is the list!
1. Shampoo, Conditioner and Bath wash
With these three products, I highly recommend either using the used bottle they came in and refilling at a bulk store, or buying shampoo, conditioner and body wash bars. These don’t come in any packaging and are still as effective. A brand that could be easily found near you is Lush, they sell many types and are helpful if you want to go test them out in the store first. If these two are not an option for yourself, try buying from brands with sustainable values as these companies will be more informed in the production and will not include preservative in their product.
2. Body/Face scrubs
There are so many types of natural scrubs out their made from coffee beans, corn, salts and more. These are better for your body and leave you with the same outcome that you are looking for. You can either go buy a natural one or make one yourself. When you make them yourself, you can really specialise it to the function you want. A perfect one for your body that can be used every week is a sugar/salt scrub. All you need to do is mix ¼ cup sugar, ¼ cup sea salt, ¼ cup coconut oil and 15-20 drops of an essential oil of your choice!
3. Loofahs/Sponges
It’s easy to buy cheap plastic ones and then throw them out every 1-2 months once they seem to be done, but these can’t actually be recycled. There are many brands out there that make sustainable ones out of cotton, bamboo or a mix of them. However, in my opinion there is always the concern over what type of cotton is used as cotton productions requires a vast amount of water and bamboo production requires a lot of chemicals to get the final fibrous material. Then there is also the issue of transport for the product to get to you. If you can, buy from local shops that sell handmade sponges, and if not, there are many tutorials online that show you how to make them yourself. You will still be using cotton but you may be able to use what you have laying around already or use recycled cotton. If not, it is still a better option than plastic ones.
4. Shaving and Shaving soaps
If this is a step in your routine, my post about ''replacing what you already have at home'', has a whole section on razors and what to use! Here is a link to a recipe on how to make your own shaving soap : https://wellnessmama.com/2628/shaving-soap/
5. Makeup remover sponge/pads
Same as with the shower sponges, remover pads are a great alternative to makeup wipes or cotton pads. As said before, try buying these locally made or make them yourself! Even if these two options are not available, remover pads are better than makeup wipes! Makeup wipes do not disintegrate and remain on this planet for hundreds of years. They are released into the environment and our oceans and ingested by marine life!
6. Makeup remover/Face wash/Face tonic/Creams
With all these products I don’t want to say what is really right or wrong because everyone has different skin types that require different products based on what you want to achieve, or just how sensitive your skin is. So in generally, as said before, I always recommend trying to go for natural products such as coconut oil or shea butter to remove makeup, and then trying to either bulk buy, make your own or buy from more eco-friendly oriented companies that care about the packaging as well as the contents.
7. Face masks
There are sooo many face mask recipes out there that you can make at home. You can find ones that are geared to your skin type and most of them require ingredients that should be readily available. If not definitely go for brands that follow more natural recipes and that hopefully ask you to bring back the jars to be reused, such as Lush and The Body Shop.
8. Cotton Swabs
Cotton swabs have a plastic stem and are the perfect size to end up stuck in our environment and in our ocean for marine life to ingest. Try buying ones with bamboo or paper stems!
9. Toothbrush
I have definitely raved on about bamboo toothbrushes, and I will always chose these over plastic ones, but the reliability of how sustainable they are is sadly something that as consumers, we need to make sure of. This is something one of you readers asked me to follow up on, so thank you! The problem is that a lot of brands market them as 100% sustainable or biodegradable when in fact the bristles are made from nylon. Many brands claim that the bristles are made from nylon-4 instead of nylon-6, which is said to biodegrade in certain environmental conditions, but this has only been tested in labs.
To this day, bristles made from pig hair are the only ones that are 100% biodegradable, but this is definitely controversial and at least for myself, not an option. Therefore, it’s best to go for brands that are transparent and as close to fully biodegradable as possible, using ingredients such as caster oil, corn and tapioca for their bristles. I was going to include examples of companies but they would be based in different parts of the world which creates a whole transport situation, so I will be looking into this further and contacting brands to find the best ones in different countries to then post about!
10. Dental floss
We don’t really think of floss being unsustainable, maybe because a lot of us forget about this step, but floss is typically made of nylon and packaged in plastic. Floss is thin and long making it prime for marine life to ingest or get caught it in. So its best to buy floss made from materials such as bamboo, vegan wax, silk and in a glass or recycled containers.
11. Toothpaste, Mouthwash and Whitening products
Regarding toothpaste and mouthwash, they generally contain dyes, preservatives, sweeteners, and come in plastic packaging. Try finding toothpaste and mouthwash tablets that require glass or paper packaging. Look for organic mouthwash made from ingredients such as coconut oil and spearmint leaves, and use whitening products such as natural whitening toothpowder. If you are in the UK, a brand I really like is Georganics!
12. Body creams
My go to type of body cream is a body cream bar, comes in no packaging other than some paper wrapped around it, smells amazing, does the job and lasts months! I usually buy mine from Lush and although it can be a bit pricy, over time the value is worth it since it lasts ages. Even with bars you can buy specific ones for the function you prefer!
13. Deodorant
Stay away from aerosol deodorants!!! Try to go for natural deodorants that come in stick form or even in small containers! They work just as well, smell amazing, are better for you and last longer!
14. Period
I could rave on about Diva Cups for ages!! Honestly, they are amazing! I highly, highly recommend trying it out. The average woman uses between 11,000 and 16,000 tampons in the course of her lifetime, that all end up in our environment with unknown consequences due to the chemicals used in the production of the resources to create these products! Not only is it wayyyyy better for the environment, but it feels the best in my opinion, you can keep it in for up to 12 hours and one lasts on average three years (so you're also saving money)! If this is really not up your alley, try reusable pads or go for tampons with reusable applicators and no plastic packaging!
At the end of the day, buy only what you really need, and when buying try to go for the best option for the environment! I hope this has helped! If you want to know about a product I have not mentioned, do let me know!
As always thank you so much for the continuous support! Remember to follow me on Instagram and if you have any blog ideas you would like to see, let me know!!
Martina xx
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