Going back to solid basics
January 29, 2008
Posted by CindyW in : Fresh Look , trackback
I don’t know what about the bottled shampoos, bath gels and lotions that draws me to them. Perhaps it is the pictures on the bottles that trick me into visualizing the warmth of early summer, the gurgling clear brooks, or the crisp air of an autumn morning. Or perhaps it is the descriptions on the labels – honey lemon, chocolate peppermint, peach crème. Yum, yum, yum. I am drawn to them like a moth to a flame.
The tragic consequence is that I have accumulated many bottles of half-used bath gels, shampoos, lotions and potions. Somehow I must have convinced myself that it’s okay because these are all “natural” products. My husband jokingly told me that one of my new year’s resolutions should be limiting lotion bottles to five at any given time. And for once he was right.
I don’t know the statistics on how many bottles of shampoo, conditioner, bath gel, liquid soap, toner, cleanser, and lotion are sold every year in the U.S or worldwide. I strongly suspect that I am not unique in finding a couple of dozens of these bottles around the house. They amount to millions of bottles every year bought, half-used and tossed into the landfill.
Seeing bottles everywhere, I decided to switch to bar soaps a month ago – for hand wash, body wash, and hair wash. There are already a few positive side effects:
- Drastically cut down the plastic bottles used
- Solid soap bars are like the Energizer bunny – they just keep going and going, ¼ of the cost compared to liquid soap
- Shorter grocery trips – no more ogling and smelling every bottle of something on the shelves
I have also learned a couple of tips so far:
- Get a soap dish with a lid. Close the lid in the shower. Otherwise shower water unnecessarily washes away the soap.
- Shampoo bar options are not great yet. I have been able to find Burt’s Bees baby bath and shampoo bar and Lush shampoo bars (Beth, thanks for the reminder). I have really low maintenance hair, so they have worked for me. But they many not be suitable for everyone.
Yesterday, CindyC wrote what green changes worked and did not work for her so far. The switch back to solid soaps has been very easy, painless, and financially wise for me.
Next step: solid lotion. Hmmm, any suggestions or recommendations?
CindyW at Organicpicks
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Comments»
Hi. I have ideas about lotion. Here is the post that I wrote about a solid lotion I found to buy and also a recipe to make yourself:
http://www.fakeplasticfish.com/2008/01/hand-lotion-is-it-for-bees.html
Be sure and read the comments because other people have found solutions I didn’t mention in my post.
Try Etsy!
They have a ton of lotion bars, and you can get them either unscented (totally organic safe ingredients) or with an essential oil. There are a bunch of them out there.
Wow Beth and Jean,
Thanks for the tips! What a great group of greenies! I will definitely try to go bottle free in the personal care department this year.
Oh my gosh. I can SO related to this post. When I started my year of not buying stuff, I decided that though soap is a necessity, I had enough of it that I didn’t need to buy any more. See somehow, I’d accumulated all of these soaps (mostly as gifts) that I’d never ever used because they were um “fancy” soaps. I guess in case the president ever dropped by or something? So I decided to not buy any soaps until I had used all the soaps I already had in the house. I started this in August and I still have five more bars of “fancy” soap left!
it’s quite amazing how many products we accept as essential to good hygiene that just aren’t. here are two examples:
i stopped using shampoo altogether several years ago and have never looked back. i just rinse my hair with water and go. my hair is happy and healthy (actually more so than it’s ever been); i occasionally use conditioner (a few times a week at the most) or add a little lavender oil for scent. some people also use a rinse made from baking soda or apple cider vinegar. my decision was prompted not by the desire to consume less (that was a fringe benefit), but by noticing how beautiful someone else’s hair was and asking him what he “used”. although my hair is basically straight, this would probably be even more effective for people with curlier coifs as their hair tends to be drier (and they are also targeted with a whole range of products to “tame” the resulting frizz). a hint: if you try this commit to it for at least a month so your hair can adjust to the change.
another example: a few years ago a dermatologist responded to my queries about skin cleansers/shower gels/lotions/exfoliating etc. etc. by asking if i had considered the fact that the same companies who make the products that dry our skin by “cleansing” it of its essential oils also make the products that “replenish” those same oils. this doctor shared an office with another practice that sold its own line of rather expensive products, yet he recommended using soap (in whatever form) solely in the three locations on our bodies where bacteria actually forms (hint: one is underarms, the other two are below the belt). he said the rest of our skin is more than capable of keeping itself clean with water alone.
a change of hygiene regime may not be right for everyone, but i think that the very notion of experiencing life without these products is pretty illuminating.