plastic free bathroom swaps
Are you ready to make some Plastic Free Bathroom swaps?
Today so many Bathroom products are designed to be convenient and disposable, but this comes at a cost. And, that cost is Plastic Waste.
You may find that your Bathroom can be filled with numerous plastic bottles holding everything from shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, moisturiser, hand wash, toner, cleanser and the list goes on. And, even though many of the plastic bottles may be recyclable that doesn’t necessarily help as only a fraction of recyclable plastic is actually recycled.
We can’t keep consuming more and more resources and creating more and more waste, we need to change our consumer habits now.
Zero Waste 5 Rs to help you reduce waste
A great way to think about how to reduce waste is to remember the 5 Rs of Zero Waste
Refuse – Learn to say no! Say no to those disposable wet wipes.
Reduce – Think before you buy.
Reuse – Before you go out and buy something see if you have something else that you can re-purpose or buy second hand.
Recycle – If you’ve managed to Refuse, Reduce and Reuse then you shouldn’t have a lot left but make sure you separate out your remaining rubbish and put the recyclable rubbish in the recycling bin.
Rot – If you’ve switched to a bamboo toothbrush or cotton wash cloth then remember to compost them when you have finished with them .
my favourite plastic free bathroom swaps
So to help you with making those Plastic Free Bathroom Swaps here are some of my favourites.
Bamboo Toothbrush
If you use a normal toothbrush then switching to a bamboo one should be pretty easy.
However, if you use an electric toothbrush then you may find it a bit harder to do. It’s all about balance and how far you want to go, the choice is yours, but the alternatives are there if you want them.
Solid Shampoo Bar
Ditch those plastic bottles and switch to a natural plastic free solid Shampoo Bar. The transition may be a little tricky but I have some useful tips in my Blog All You Need to Know About Shampoo Bars
Safety Razor
Swap a plastic razor for a reusable safety razor. Lots of Safety razors are made of stainless steel which means they can be recycled at the end of their life. Safety razors use stainless steel blades that can be recycled too.
Natural Plastic Free Deodorant
Not only is a natural deodorant better for you and your skin, you can also buy lots of them with plastic free packaging. Some of my favourites are Your Life, Biork Crystal, Pit Putty and Primal Suds No Bo bar.
Bamboo Swabs in a reused glass jar
Cotton and bamboo swabs are a great swap for those plastic cotton buds.
And, before you rush to buy a new storage jar take a look to see what you already have. I reused this old glass jar to store my cotton buds in as it’s the perfect size.
Soap Bar
If you switch to a solid soap bar, which is a great idea, remember to allow it to dry out between uses.
Natural Cleansers & Toners in Glass Bottles
Look for handmade natural cleansers and toners in glass bottles rather than plastic.
Reusable Face Wipes
Say goodbye to disposable face wipes and cotton wool and switch to reusable face wipes to cleanse your face and remove makeup.
It’s so nice to see more options for plastic free bathroom products. But remember the fundamental rules of reducing your waste are to Refuse and Reduce.
So, use up what you have and when it needs replacing first ask yourself if you really need it. And, if the answer is yes then look for a Plastic Free alternative.
If you would like some more ideas take a look at my 15 Easy Zero Waste Bathroom Swaps
I’ll be honest this is something I fall down on a lot. We have electric brushes but still use the standard products for hair and showering. I can understand the need but not something we as a family have moved towards yet.Food for thought though.
Great advice here. Our new bathroom is almost ready to go so maybe now is the perfect time to make those swaps.
Thank you for the tips x
In the past I’ve been terrible for having stockpiles in the bathroom. I only buy when something is nearly empty now.
Great swaps. Bamboo tooth brushes and safety razors are an excellent entry point for folks.
This is really interesting and I have learnt some new ways I can reduce our plastic use, so that j you 🙂 I need to get us all some bamboo toothbrushes!
My sister went plastic free in her bathroom recently and got me thinking I must try harder. This is a very useful list of products and inspiration. Thanks!
I have bought a shampoo, conditioner and shower bar but haven’t used them yet as I am using up the bottles i already have however, my sister uses them and loves them because they last ages! I have actually seen bamboo toothbrush heads for electric toothbrushes in Holland & Barrett, they are quite pricey but worth it I think.
I have just bought a soap dish so we can go back to bars of soap rather than plastic bottles
We have recently swapped back to a bar of soup rather than shower gel. I like the idea of a shampoo bar but I can be quite fussy with my shampoo so I’m not quite convinced about it yet. I know I need to just get on and try them till I find one I like.