Reducing Waste Bathroom Part 2

A few months ago I wrote about ways to reduce waste produced in the shower space. And apart from the waste produced in the shower, here are a few tricks for limiting/reducing your waste in other parts of the bathroom.

Deodorant

A common product used in the daily bathroom routine is deodorant. Unfortunately, much of the deodorant available in the world is created with different chemicals, as well as contain aerosol (spray ones), so not only are you putting additional chemicals into your body, but you are releasing them into the air.

Something I started to utilize when I was in the Peace Corps was producing my own home-made deodorant. Which surprising enough is quite easy to do, and the materials used to create it are pretty common household products, even in some of the most remote places in the world. Here is a recipe that I have found to be quite effective.

2 parts Baking Soda

2 parts Cornstarch or Arrow Root Powder

1 part Coconut Oil

10-20 drops of essential oil (personally I like to use Grapefruit or Lemon)

5-10 drops of Tea Tree (optional)

Melt coconut oil (if it is not already liquid), it is best to do this over a double boiler, however, I have used the microwave or even just sat it out in a hot space to let it naturally soften. Put the baking soda and cornstarch/arrow root into a small bowl, mix. Add the melted coconut oil and mix together. Depending on what the weather is like, add more or less coconut oil until you get a consistency that you desire (remember that if you melt it, it will reharden if you are living in a colder climate, and if you make it in a colder climate and bring it to a warmer one, it will liquify). Add the essential oils, mix, and place into a small container. Let sit to solidify again.

Toothpaste

One major plastic producer, that is commonly used around the world, is toothpaste tubs. An alternative I found, that again uses basic ingredients, is homemade toothpaste.

However, as an advisory, this is something that will definitely take a bit of getting use to (in the sense of the flavour), but afterwards, you become desensitized to the flavour.

Here is a recipe I have been utilizing.

6 tbsp Baking Soda

4 tbsp Coconut Oil

2 tbsp Active Charcoal (optional)

10 drops of peppermint oil

5 drops of tea tree or oregano oil

Soften the coconut oil (can just be placed in a warm space), add the baking soda, mix (add more or less of one of the other to make the desired consistency, this also will change depending on the climate outside). Add active charcoal and the oils, mix. Transfer to a small container.

Alternatively, there are several companies that exist (depending on where you live), that you can purchase such at bite. I have personally tried these out, and love them! However they can be a bit pricey, but are a great alternative if you do not want to make the products.

For me, these are two big things that I utilize on the daily, but I would love to hear about products you use that you want to find alternative solutions to. So please comment and tell me of the bathroom products you are wanting to limit waste on!