Getting clean with zero waste

The bathroom, one of the common spaces in a home, and one of the places where a lot of waste is produced without realizing it. Since there are so many different aspects of where waste is created in the bathroom, this topic will be divided into different sections. Today will focus on the bathtub/shower space.

From our shampoos, body washes, and other personal care products the shower space can quickly fill up with loads of waste without even realizing it. While there is still not a the solution to everything, especially when it comes to replacing all the special regimes, there does exist several solutions out there to limit waste and still feel clean afterwards.

Shampoo/Conditioner

Shampoo was one of the first things that I tried to change when I was wanting to go zero-waste. However, it was extremely hard at first considering a lot of the organic/all-natural shampoos still came in plastic bottles, some bars and homemade recipes dried out the hair, or alternative solutions are super expensive. But after much research and experimenting there were a few solutions.

The first experiment that I attempted to use was making homemade shampoo. While these were a great alternative to buying chemical heavy bottled shampoo, several of the recipes tended to leave the hair dry. Not only that, but it became cumbersome to continuously need to find time to make the shampoo. But if time isn’t a problem, and you want to try it out, check out a recipe that does the job and doesn’t dry out the hair.

¼ cup distilled water

¼ cup liquid Castile Soap

½ teaspoon jojoba, grapeseed, or other light oil

10-20 drops of favorite essential oil

Mix all the ingredients. Store in a bottle. Shake before use.

A shampoo bar is another alternative. Personally, I like the LUSH shampoo bars. After dealing with some severely dry hair, trying out this bar became a total game

changer. There do exist other shampoo bar options, from companies like Ethique and humankind. Based off reviews these products don’t leave hair dry like other shampoo bars. Another perk to going to a shampoo bar is that the product does not come with any plastic or wrapping. And it lasts a long time, meaning one bar can work for several months.

The last product that exists as an alternative to regular shampoo bottles is re-fill stations at zero-waste, organic, or alternative stores. These is a great alternative if you don’t want to splurge on a shampoo bar, don’t have the patience to make something at home, but still want to limit how much waste you are creating. Doing a quick research what exists in your area can show you where you might be able to find these solution. Though there is one caveat with most re-fill solutions, while your waste at home is limited, sometimes the products are still packaged in large plastic containers that need to be thrown out once all used up.

While shampoo has several solutions, conditioner is something that seems to be limited in options. There are lots of at home recipes, but they can leave hair oily. While bars exist, they don’t appear to make a difference. And re-fills have the same problem as shampoo re-fills. I personally am using a LUSH conditioner, but plan to stop once it runs out.

Body & Face Wash

Other common products found in the bathroom is body and face wash. While technically shampoo and body wash can doubt for both the body and hair, many people, myself included, would prefer to keep those items separate. For body wash, I have found homemade recipe work best, which are attached below. These recipes

tend to not leave the skin too oily or too dry. Similar to the conditioner and shampoo there are other solutions, including the long-time usage of bars. Most old fashion bars do tend to leave the skin dry or leave a residue, but there do exist some that don’t such as Dove Beauty Bar and L'Occitane. Also, some companies, such as LUSH, take back their containers to re-use them. And, there are still the re-fill stations as another option.

Honey Body Wash

¼ cup coconut oil

¼ cup raw honey

½ cup liquid castile soap

15 drops of lemon essential oil

10 drops of tea tree essential oil

Melt the coconut oil in the microwave or a double boiler. Stir in raw honey. Slowly stir in castile soap. Add essential oil.

Moisturizing Body Wash

½ cup liquid castile soap

2 tablespoons coconut oil

2 tablespoons vegetable glycerin

1 tablespoon olive oil

20-40 drops citrus essential oil (lemon, sweet orange, grapefruit)

10 drops tea tree essential oil

Melt the coconut oil in the microwave or double boiler. Combine the ingredients in a bowl or measuring cup and stir well.

While body wash is one thing, face wash is one of those that many people have a need for or gotten use to using it. Options for the face vary from bars, homemade recipes, organic products in reusable/returnable glass jars, or products that come with biodegradable wrapping.

A list of some possible options are below:

Youth to the People

ETEE

Raw Elements

Lush

Andreas Organic Market

Ethique

Razor

Shaving actually is one of the easiest shower problems to over come. Old “fashioned” straight edge razors provide a perfect solution to the disposable plastic razors, even the metal blades can be recycled, and still get the clean shave one is hoping for. Some zero-waste stores provide take back programs so the metal pieces can be properly disposed of without going to the landfill. But you can always collect a handful of them and dispose of them yourself. There are a few options for the straight edge razors. Currently I am using Eco Roots but there are several different brands out there that offer regular style razors, a handful of replacement blades, and even take back programs, including Bambaw and Albatross.

One of the biggest things that you must be weary of when you start using this product is that it is a blade you are using, meaning you need to be cautious cause it is possible to cut yourself. If you are not 100% comfortable with shaving with a blade and no safety measure in place, there are some alternatives if you desire to continue shaving. That includes natural sugar waxing that you can either do at your house or you can try and find waxing salons in your area that provide a more sustainable waxing experience.