When I began to move beyond plastic in my kitchen, I cast a critical eye around the rest of the house. There was much more to deal with: the bathroom soap, shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, lotion and bubble bath; the laundry room detergents, sprays and cleaning supplies; and the rest of the kitchen plastics, including all the dishwashing paraphernalia.
First, the bathroom. There were five or six plastic bottles in our shower with shampoos, conditioners, and face and body scrubs. Most showers probably have a similar line-up of new and half-used bottles, including brands that have fallen out of favor or products for different family members. I hated the amount of plastic waste generated each month.
I decided to give bar shampoo and conditioner a try. I started with some samples from a New Zealand company, Ethique. They sell to US customers through Amazon. I ordered the hair sampler and the body sampler first, and they arrived in neat little slider boxes with heart-shaped bars of their most popular formulas. It was a lot to keep straight with no labeled containers, but I was excited to try them out.
The shampoo was better than I expected–it lathers up into nice suds easily and leaves my hair clean and soft. I ordered full-size bars of the shampoos and I liked: Sweet and Spicy and Pinkalicious. My husband tried the dandruff shampoo, Heali Kiwi, and it worked well controlling itching and flaking. Their Lime and Ginger Body Polish bar is nice too–a soap bar with gentle scrubby grit.
New Zealand is a long way away, and although I liked the Ethique products, I wanted shampoo bars made closer a little closer to home to limit the need for shipping. I found a company called Chagrin Valley Soap and Salve and I have been ordering and using their products for over a year.
My usuals are the Ayurvedic Herb and the Summer Sunshine bars, but I just ordered the Chamomile and Citrus for a change. My husband likes the Neem and Tea Tree and the Rosemary Mint–both for troubled scalps. The bars are large; I cut them in half for easy handling, and they last a good long time. They are pleasant to use, look nice in the shower on a little soap holder, and there is no plastic bottle to dispose of.
Another source of plastic in my bathroom was small but maddeningly unnecessary, it seemed: almost everything–toilet paper rolls, tissue boxes and cotton swabs–comes wrapped in thin plastic. I started looking for a plastic-free option. For toilet paper, I found a company called Who Gives a Crap.
They sell tree-free toilet paper, either 100% recycled paper or bamboo, and it comes in plastic free packaging. Every roll is wrapped in a brightly decorated paper wrapper and shipped in a cardboard box. I like the cheery prints instead of bare rolls stored in my bathroom. It is subscription based; I get 48 rolls every 4 months.
I also order tissue and paper towels from WGAC when I need them, and they are included in my scheduled shipment. This turned out to be a huge benefit when COVID19 hit and toilet paper became scarce. I got my delivery at my scheduled time and never had any shortage worries. (If you decide to order, use this link and we’ll both get $10.)
Instead of all the disposable tubes, bottles and pumps of face cream and cleanser, I now use essential oils and serums for my face. I buy them in glass containers. I love the Evan Healy line of products, especially the Rose items. For facial cleanser, I use a Shae Rose Clay complexion bar from Chagrin Valley. I just ordered the Sea Buckhorn and Tea Tree Soap and Sea Buckhorn Salve from Chagrin Valley for my husband to try for his rosacea.
Since the shelter-at-home order began in March, I have abandoned all make up. If I start using it when we venture out again, I want to try the Elate line. Their cosmetics come in metal trays that fit into pretty bamboo holders. By purchasing the holder once and then refilling it, there is far less waste.
Toothpaste tubes are plastic, and not easily recyclable. We now use toothpaste “bits,” little chewable tablets that foam up with the water on the toothbrush. It’s a little weird at first, but now that we’re used to them, the benefits are obvious. No messy cap rings on the counter or blobs of paste in the sink, and they are easy to take along for travel. There are a few chewable toothpastes on the market; we use the fresh mint bits from Bite. The refillable jar has a cute apothecary look, and everything is packaged and shipped in compostable film or paper. Bite is a subscription service, and I get my refills about every 3 months.
Dental floss containers are another little piece of plastic waste. I love this pretty, refillable glass container with silk floss, Dental Lace. Even though it’s glass, it seems to be safe in the bathroom for clumsy flossers–I have dropped mine on the tile a few times and it has survived so far.
For lotion and bath products, I found a store near me called Fillgood. They stock bulk and plastic-free products that shoppers take home in their own containers. I take an empty pump bottle for body lotion, and a jar for rose or lavender bath salts and fill them when I run out. I also get scented castile soap in a mason jar that I use for hand washing liquid when it is diluted and pumped out with a foamer lid.
The shop owner is careful to order products from companies that take back and refill their own large bulk containers so that plastic is virtually eliminated. This little shop has tripled its floor space in the last year as demand has grown. If you are not near Berkeley, they offer delivery in the Bay Area, and similar shops are popping up all over.
About subscription services: I hesitated to commit to them at first. I am accustomed to going out and getting what I need when I run out. Now that I’ve taken the plunge, I like it. I don’t worry about restocking, the ship dates are easily adjusted if I need the product sooner or later, and since I’m not in a rush to replace something I’m out of, the shipper can use established carrier routes–like the USPS, who delivers on my street every day– and minimize the negative effects of legions of delivery trucks on the road for rush orders. It also cuts down on my trips to the store.
Overall, it seems like setting up a regular schedule for household necessities makes sense for the earth as well as for my budget. Plastic is cheap, and it’s hard to compete with the convenience of it now that we are used to it in every nook and cranny of our lives. Natural products tend to be more expensive, but when I factor in the convenience of subscriptions and the reduced number of times I’m strolling the aisles at Target picking up items extra items–not to mention the peace of mind that comes from a full cupboard of toilet paper during the Coronavirus panic– the cost balances out.
At first, it feels like a big, hard step to move away from plastic. Now that I’ve taken a few steps away, though, I enjoy finding ways to eliminate it from my home. I actually prefer the products; they are good quality and value. Since many of the items come from small, creative companies, another benefit is that my dollars are supporting the businesses and people that are adding innovative, sustainable products to the marketplace. It makes the world feel a little more connected and personal.
Reading this blog narrative I get the feeling I’m reading history ahead of time. Perhaps the writer is describing a time many of us will not see. She is truly preserving the future. So that when we go to the ocean shore there are waves and sand and seagulls. Instead of surging and receding wave-fulls of plastic everything, washing up on the barren and polluted beaches.