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Are you thinking, “What’s the big deal, plastic is recycled, right?” Unfortunately, that is not always the case. Even if they have that little ♻️ symbol, a number, your municipality says it’s recyclable, and it goes in the recycle bin, it very well could still be around on our planet somewhere. It costs money and resources to recycle plastic, and we’re using it at an alarming speed. When you look at the total amount of plastic that is created, less than 10% is actually recycled. 😭
Once I heard that statistic of how little plastic is actually recycled, I decided I needed to do my part in reducing the amount of plastic our family uses.
Our family is not zero waste by any stretch of the imagination. While I may not be zero waste, I can and am making a conscious effort to take proactive steps to reduce the amount of plastic we use.If every person just reduced their plastic use just a little, it would be a far greater impact for our 🌎 Earth, than a few going completely zero waste.
A large portion of the plastic produced is created as containers for personal care products. About a year and a half ago, I was able to swap everything except my shampoo & conditioner to zero waste without a fuss. Finding a clean shampoo & conditioner that performs can be tough. Trying to find one that’s also zero waste is no small feat. After using my current ones for a few months now, I can confidently recommend a clean, zero waste option!
Shampoo & Conditioner
I’ve been using HiBar’s Volumize set for about 5 months now. It took a few weeks for my hair to adjust, and then I had a 2nd transition period, but I stuck with it to give it a fair trial. Since about 5 weeks, my hair has been feeling great. Prior to switching to toxin free, my hair was always silky smooth. That is one thing I lost with my previous clean shampoo & conditioner I was using. With HiBar, my silky hair is back and as a bonus, my hair is less oily between washes.
HiBar has a few options for shampoo and conditioner including a fragrance free and one for dry scalps. They are curly girl method friendly, but since I have some of the uncurliest hair, you’ll want to verify if that’s a priority for you.
The shampoo bars are supposed to last as long as a 16oz bottle and the conditioner lasts forever. Well, maybe not, but as you can see from my photo, the conditioner is going to last a really long time. I’ve been using these bars twice a week for 5 months and I would say the shampoo bar is on par with their estimate. In the beginning it can be challenging to tell the two bars apart, but always start with the lighter color and the conditioner is the darker bar.
HiBar is a small-business located in Minnesota. While you can buy them on Amazon & Target, I recommend ordering directly through their site as it’s a win for all. Its free shipping if you buy a set and it supports the small business more as they don’t have to pay anyone else a portion of the sale. As an added bonus, if you don’t love it, you can send it back for a full refund. The only improvement I’d love to see, is being made with organic ingredients. I’ll keep looking for a zero waste option made with organic ingredients and report back if I find one that performs.
Facial Cleanser
I have combination skin, but it leans more towards the dry side a bit. If I’m too aggressive (ie- exfoliating too often) and dry my face out, my face will break out more by producing more oil to try balancing it back out. My go-to cleanser is Crunchi’s Gentle Facial Bar morning & night. I swap in Crunchi’s Charcoal Bar once or twice a week in the evening to clarify. My Gentle Bar lasts me 6+ months using it almost every day & night, but your results may vary.
Crunchi is also a small business and they’re located in Florida. They utilize organic ingredients, have one of the highest standards for ingredient safety, and all of their products are packaged consciously with only the least amount of plastic necessary. Their soaps do not make my face feel tight like other bars I have tried in the past. Even the body charcoal bar is moisturizing with its argan oil.
Body Wash
For body wash, I use Crunchi’s Charcoal Body Bar. It gently exfoliates, detoxifies, and cleans, yet it is not drying to my skin either. It has a greater percentage of activated charcoal compared to the facial bar, so it’s great for armpits & reducing how much you stink near the end of day. It is not recommended as a daily facial cleanser due to the exfoliating properties. A bar on average lasts me about 6 months, but your results may vary.
Razor
There are two main issues with traditional razors. If ingredients in the moisture strip are disclosed, you’ll find PEGs, fragrance, and petroleum byproducts just to name a few. Traditional razors are also not eco-friendly. The expensive razor cartridges are non recyclable and frequently come individually wrapped in plastic.
There are two zero waste options for razors. Single blade safety razors have been around forever but the Leaf Razor with its pivoting head is more recent. In my experience, safety razors have a big learning curve, and even after months, I still couldn’t get through a week without cutting myself while shaving. I know many adjusted to the safety razor better than I. I much prefer a pivoting head like the Leaf Razor. It definitely costs more upfront to switch to this razor, but think of it as an investment. This is the last razor you’ll buy and the blades are ridiculously cheap compared to traditional razor cartridges.
When I was comparing costs originally, I found I would break about even if I paid full price on the Leaf Razor based on how often I changed my cartridges. It would be even sooner if you buy it on sale. With my Leaf razor, I can change the blades more frequently to get a better shave because they cost cents instead of dollars. There is a small learning curve with the Leaf Razor, but after getting the hang of it, I rarely receive a nick.
When your blades are dull, you can keep them safe in a tin or glass jar until you’re ready to recycle them.
I usually try to wait for sales on bigger investments like this. Earth Day is one of the few times I have seen them on sale in the past. I always share Earth Day Sales as I find them in my Facebook Community, so if you’re hoping to make this switch, make sure you’re there and have your notifications on to be notified. They frequently sell out quickly since sales are not very common.
Shaving Bar
I use whatever bar (either facials or body bar) to use for shaving. In the winter, I usually reach for my gentle bar, and the summer I’ll frequently grab the charcoal facial since that’s my least used bar.
If you haven’t used bars before, there are a couple tips to ensure their longevity:
Get a holder so it’s not sitting in standing water. I have suction cup ones in my shower and diatomaceous earth and soap lifts at my sinks.
Always store them out of the way from direct water. I keep mine up and at the end of the shower so water isn’t wasting away my bars.
Do you have any personal care products that are zero waste? Comment below and share!
Sources:
https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-and-recycling/plastics-material-specific-data
https://www.livescience.com/how-much-plastic-recycling.html
https://livelovefruit.com/dangers-razor-moisture-strips/