Reduce bathroom waste
- Use up the products you already have, before buying plastic-free replacements. This might be a good time to offer to clean out your parents’ bathroom cabinet and score some freebies too!
- Shampoo, conditioner, face wash, shaving cream and soap bars all save plastic. Look for naked soap bars with no packaging; The next best is soap packaged in cardboard only.
- Or try "no poo" and wash your hair with baking soda mixed with a little water. Allow 4 to 6 weeks for any new hair routine to 'settle' in and create lush locks.
Make your own plastic free toothpaste
Mixt together:
- 6 tbsp baking soda
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- Xylitol (optional sweetener, to taste)
- 40 drops peppermint essential oil
Store in an airtight jar
Get your fluoride fix with toothpaste tablets, there are many brands and flavours out there in cardboard and even bulk packaging.
There are lots of options for plastic-free deodorants that are great for your body too! Brands like Ethique, Aotearoad, Raw Nature and others come in cardboard tubes that you can compost and have a huge variety of fragrances and fragrance-free options. Underbalm, Ethique and Oh Goodness also make handy travel-sized deodorants that are liquid-free.
Makeup remover wipes are easy to make yourself. That spendy micellar water you buy is a mixture of oil and water in a fancy plastic bottle. You can use a jar of coconut oil from the supermarket straight on your skin (great for sensitive skin) or mix one part olive oil to four parts water, in a clean bottle and make your own super soft washable makeup remover pads from an old t-shirt or a towel.
Make your own body scrub
Mix all of the ingredients together:
- 1 cup of sugar, salt or coffee grounds
- 1/2 cup olive or coconut oil (or a mixture)
- 30 drops of essential oil (optional – not any mint oils!)
Store in an airtight container.
Use on body only, these scrubs are too harsh for the face.