The concept of sustainability is simple enough; reuse what you can, recycle what you cannot, and conserve as much as possible. Personally, I found this a lot easier said than done. When most people hear sustainability, they think of green-based innovations in manufacturing, engineering, and industries, but what about personal sustainability? It's one thing to support and urge companies to be environmentally aware, but it is a whole different ball game when you turn the urgency on yourself.
Modern day life is slam packed with convenience and quick satisfaction and these luxuries come with a price. Single-use plastics, disposable packaging, and other non-recyclables plague modern consumers and most of us are unaware of the impacts we have on the environment as individuals. It is understandably difficult to reduce your own waste when the shelves at our local grocery stores and shops are filled with non-sustainable products and when we do find eco-friendly alternatives, the prices tend to scare us away.
I am here to suggest ways to be sustainable in your everyday life without breaking the bank. I also hope to encourage you. It takes a lot of discipline and sacrifice to live sustainably, but I firmly believe that the reward is greater than the price. I present to you a series of blogs where I will provide details on how to transform your personal life into an environmentally friendly lifestyle that is good for you as much as it is good for the planet. It is important to acknowledge that sustainability looks different for everyone depending on needs and available resources.
Sustainability in the Bathroom
There is a lot of waste when it comes to our daily bathroom routines. From toilet paper to self-care products, we are consistently throwing away plastic containers and disposable papers. The hardest part of it is that all these products are necessary to our daily health. I am here to assure you that there are plenty of alternative products that you can use that will not require you to change your beauty regimen or bathroom routine.
Let us start by making a list of all the products many people use in their bathrooms:
Toilet paper
Soap
Shampoo
Razors
Hair styling products
Deodorant
Q tips
Tooth care products
Makeup
Beard care
Shaving products
Cleaners
Am I missing anything? Probably. The biggest challenge I face in this blog is trying to cover the needs of all. People come in many varieties and, as a result, so do the products they use. I will do my best to cover the basis of all individuals and a wide variety of needs when it comes to sustainable hygiene. The following sections will take a look at each of these products and the possible ecofriendly alternatives.
Toilet Paper
One place that I love to shop for bathroom alternatives is Sprouts. They provide a variety of products that range from mildly sustainable products to 100% recyclable, eco friendly materials. Of course, this range of products is paired with a range in pricing. I personally like to buy the NatureZway Bath Bamboo Tissue. This product comes with 6 rolls of 2 ply toilet paper for about $7. Bamboo is quite literally the best alternative material to replace so many household products.
A bit of Riley advice: Be mindful of how much TP you use per go. I remember a time when I used three hand wraps worth of TP every time I went to the bathroom. Now I am not saying you should not be extra careful to cleanup, just be aware of how much you use compared to how much you really need
Soap
As far as soap goes, I am biased. I once went to Old Baker Farm in Shelby County to pick out a good ole pumpkin for Halloween and stumbled across this vendor who was a seller of his hand made soaps. He had a large variety and he took the time to detail me on every ingredient in his many soaps. When possible, I am a firm believer that shopping with small businesses is a perfect way to be both sustainable and supportive for the local community. Also, bar soaps are often packaged in cardboard or paper rather than plastic containers like liquid soaps.
Product website: https://www.rhodessoapery.com/
They also provide lotions and balms and all products are made from natural ingredients that your skin will LOVE.
Hair Care
For me, it is a little more difficult to find hair care products that both work for my hair type AND are zero-waste brands. Sometimes our hair needs special attention and eco friendly products aren’t always substantial. Personally, I enjoy using Pulp Fiction hair products because they are good for my hair and they are vegan. The bottles are plastic, but recyclable. Fully eco friendly brands I can suggest including, Ethiques, Plaine Products, and EcoRoots. There are also plenty of brands offering barred shampoo to further cut out your plastic waste.
Razors
I had a hard time finding a good alternative for my plastic razors. Razors do not last long and it is necessary to get a new one at least one a month to avoid dangerous rusted blades. The replaceable bladed razors still accumulate waste weekly and electric razors just don’t work on my leg hair. I tried waxing, but the price to go get that done a few times a month was too much to handle. I think self-waxing is a nice way to cut out plastic razors, but only for those that have the knowledge on how to properly wax and the time and patience to do it. I decided that for my routine I needed a different alternative. It took a few scrolls through Amazon, but I eventually found Biodegradable Wheat Straw Handle Razors. These razors were perfect for a months’ worth of use and then I could just toss them in my compost. In general, investing in metal safety razors has a better long-term payoff despite higher initial costs.
Tooth Care
Here I go again with the bamboo products, but seriously bamboo is just the best. These toothbrushes last months at a time and you can toss them in a compost or even the trash without a worry of waste. They are soft on the teeth and get the job done.
Beard Care
For those beard lovers out there, there is a small business on Etsy called Meadowlark Botanical Organic Beard Kit that is perfect for your everyday beard care needs. This brand is eco friendly and, again, SUPPORT LOCAL SMALL BUSINESS 😊.
Cleaners
This is the section I am the most excited about. When I discovered that I could make my own household cleaners without harmful components, I was ecstatic. If you’re anything like me, you absolutely love DIY crafts. Making your own household cleaners is easy and cost effective and, dare I say, fun. The ingredients can be found at any local grocery store and bleach is not included. Just go buy yourself a few reusable spray bottles and the following ingredients.
Ingredients:
White vinegar
Dish soap
Water
Essential oils (Lemon, Rosemary, Eucalyptus, Lavender, etc)
Washing soda
Borax
Mixture:
2 tsp Borax
1 tsp Washing Soda (NOT baking soda)
1/2 cup White Vinegar
2 cups hot water
1/2 tsp Dish Soap {I prefer Dawn}
Empty spray bottle {I am reusing an old empty one}
A few drops of your favorite essential oils
This is for an all-purpose cleaner, but I encourage you to look into homemade glass cleaners, air fresheners, carpet cleaners, ext. All of these can be made with the ingredients listed above and I promise you will save so much money on cleaners. You can even make your own toothpaste.
Okay, I think that should cover it for this discussion. The products and alternatives listed here are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to changing your everyday products into sustainable products that you can feel good about. Next week, I will cover how to transform your kitchen into an eco friendly environment with bamboo paper towels, wooden utensils, and much more!