This week I've been thinking about the plastic-free swaps that are slowly getting added to our home. One thing I read a lot is the misconception that you need to "buy all this new stuff" to go plastic-free. And that's kinda silly. I mean, the idea of buying a lot to become sustainable is a little contradictory, right?
Chances are, you have a reusable water bottle and canvas shopping bag rattling around the house -- or you can probably ask a family member for one -- and you've just created a pretty good swap.
While I DO like shopping, I'm also a touch frugal. So, I'm swapping out plastic items when they're ready to be replaced with more renewable versions. Here are my latest three:
First up, replacing our plastic toothbrushes for bamboo.
I've been buying Preserve toothbrushes, made of 100% recycled plastic, mostly yogurt cups, but wanted to switch to a sustainable material. Bamboo! This Bam and Boo company offers a 3-month subscription and, most importantly, ships worldwide. Plus, it's compostable!
Next, more food containers were needed. So instead of buying plastic baggies or using my pretty glass jars from Le Parfait, I found these super-cool reusable zipper bagsfrom Kikkerland at a shop here in Paris. They were just 4€ for three bags! They're dishwasher safe and great for traveling.
Last, I picked up Lush shampoo and conditioner bars (see them here). The saleslady was sure one 10€ bar could last for 3-4 months. So, no plastic AND a bit of a cost-savings in the bathroom?! That would be a win-win!
I can report a good lather for the shampoo, but the conditioner was a bit tricky ... until I swiped the bar over my hair ends. Overall, less plastic and my hair felt about the same. I store them in reusable plastic containers, and they're not "melting" like some soap bars do. I'm not 100% sold, but I'm willing to keep using them to see how they hold up.
But ... here's where things got interesting -- along with the plastic-free lifestyle, there's a tangent effort to wipe-out harmful chemicals from the household -- plastic is a harmful chemical, after all. For beauty/bath products, there's a published list of "dirty dozen" chemicals to avoid. And wouldn't you know it, these Lush products include "Sodium laureth sulfate" which is right on that list.
After I discovered this, I did a quick audit of my other bathroom products: the shampoo, the face soap from The Body Shop, the night cream from Kiels, etc. and, no surprise, they all contain this SLS chemical. Yikes! After googling around, I found SLS is a foaming agent commonly derived from petroleum and is a common irritant.
So, yes, I eliminated the plastic but not the chemical. You win some, you lose some.
Oh well, I'll continue to use the bars, as I'm not being exposed to anything I wasn't already, and maybe look for alternatives once they run out.
More swaps to come!
Related links:
Here's that link of chemicals to avoid in your cosmetics.
And here's the link to Beauty Counter, the US company that has strict chemical rules. I included them in a "digging" post last year.
And here's the Lush page where they talk about their SLS use. Don't miss the reader comments below.
And here's a list of shampoo bars that don't contain SLS.
Lastly, more of my Zero Waste experiences
Chances are, you have a reusable water bottle and canvas shopping bag rattling around the house -- or you can probably ask a family member for one -- and you've just created a pretty good swap.
While I DO like shopping, I'm also a touch frugal. So, I'm swapping out plastic items when they're ready to be replaced with more renewable versions. Here are my latest three:
First up, replacing our plastic toothbrushes for bamboo.
I've been buying Preserve toothbrushes, made of 100% recycled plastic, mostly yogurt cups, but wanted to switch to a sustainable material. Bamboo! This Bam and Boo company offers a 3-month subscription and, most importantly, ships worldwide. Plus, it's compostable!
Last, I picked up Lush shampoo and conditioner bars (see them here). The saleslady was sure one 10€ bar could last for 3-4 months. So, no plastic AND a bit of a cost-savings in the bathroom?! That would be a win-win!
I can report a good lather for the shampoo, but the conditioner was a bit tricky ... until I swiped the bar over my hair ends. Overall, less plastic and my hair felt about the same. I store them in reusable plastic containers, and they're not "melting" like some soap bars do. I'm not 100% sold, but I'm willing to keep using them to see how they hold up.
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| Shampoo and Conditioner Bars |
After I discovered this, I did a quick audit of my other bathroom products: the shampoo, the face soap from The Body Shop, the night cream from Kiels, etc. and, no surprise, they all contain this SLS chemical. Yikes! After googling around, I found SLS is a foaming agent commonly derived from petroleum and is a common irritant.
So, yes, I eliminated the plastic but not the chemical. You win some, you lose some.
Oh well, I'll continue to use the bars, as I'm not being exposed to anything I wasn't already, and maybe look for alternatives once they run out.
More swaps to come!
Related links:
Here's that link of chemicals to avoid in your cosmetics.
And here's the link to Beauty Counter, the US company that has strict chemical rules. I included them in a "digging" post last year.
And here's the Lush page where they talk about their SLS use. Don't miss the reader comments below.
And here's a list of shampoo bars that don't contain SLS.
Lastly, more of my Zero Waste experiences
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