Trying to reduce the amount of plastic in our lives is a mammoth task! It’s extremely difficult to avoid plastic as so many everyday items are wrapped in often needless plastic. However, a few clever buys can at least help reduce the growing mountain of plastic that we see everywhere. Not only is it a hazard to the environment but a hazard to our health as well.
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We’ve been on a mission to try and reduce our own plastic consumption for some time and found one of the easier places to start is in the bathroom. Of course we would say that as we make soap with plastic free packaging!
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1.  Using soap bars instead of shower gels, bubble bath and handwash in plastic bottles (unless it can be refilled). Our soap bars are wrapped in paper (printed with vegetable based inks) and the round sticker used to secure the paper band is biodegradable.
2. Body lotion and moisturisers can easily be bought in glass or aluminium jars to avoid plastic tubes or tubs (unless refillable). Some brands such as Lush will take back their plastic tubs to reuse again. Body Shop use some recycled plastic in their plastic packaging. If you find it difficult to avoid buying these products in plastic packaging at least try to buy from brands who are using recycled materials or making progress in their plastic reduction if other options are too expensive. Â
3.  Shampoo bars are widely available helping to avoid buying shampoo in plastic bottles, unless refillable (such as Faith in Nature). Shampoo bars we have tried out include Kinkind, Bain et Savon and Lush. Although they may seem more expensive to buy, often they last longer than a regular bottle of shampoo. We don’t recommend using a regular bar of soap to wash your hair as the pH is too alkaline and may damage the hair and irritate the scalp. You will also need to rinse your hair with a vinegar rinse every time you wash your hair to balance the pH level back. Solid shampoo bars are formulated especially for washing hair and at a pH level that matches the skin (around pH5-6).
4.  Toothpaste is quite widely available in glass jars or aluminium tubes such as Georganics, Truth Paste and Waken. Some can be quite expensive but do last longer than mass produced toothpaste.
5.  Mouthwash can be bought in tablet form rather than plastic bottles. Check out Georganics mouth tablets which are available in a paper pouch or Lush who take back their plastic tubs as mentioned above.
6.  Dental floss can also be bought in a more eco-friendly form. Georganics makes eco dental floss (but it can break easily) and we’ve also tried one from EcoLiving made of corn. There are other plant based flosses out there plus recycled plastic flosses available too, such as from Waken.
7.  Toothbrushes are widely available in non-plastic form such as wood and bamboo, or from recycled plastic if cheaper. You can also find electric toothbrushes made from eco-friendly materials such as Suri. Some companies will also take them back for recycling at the end of their life such as Georganics.
8.  Stop buying disposable plastic razors! Either buy a safety razor where you only need to change the blade, or at least razors with changeable heads. There is no longer a need to buy disposable razors.
9.  Toilet paper can easily be bought in paper packaging. Sainsburys own brand toilet paper is now packaged in paper. Brands that package their loo paper in paper include Feel Good, and Who Gives a Crap. Failing that, do try to buy toilet paper made from recycled paper rather than from virgin wood pulp (which includes most bigger brands such as Andrex, Cushelle etc).
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We’ll cover cleaning and some beauty hacks in future posts, but the bathroom is the easiest place to start reducing plastic.
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Sign up to the excellent website Everyday Plastic for more tips on reducing plastic in your life.
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