I’ve gotten some questions about low waste products we use in the bathroom, and I’m so excited to share with you all! After ditching the single use items in the kitchen (ziplocks, plastic wrap, paper towels, produce in plastic bags, etc), we’ve been gradually making sustainable choices in our bathroom too.
I’ll give you a basic list with links for fast access. Then I’ll dive into why we like the products (or are searching for a better option) below. None of this is sponsored or affiliate – only what we’ve tried along the way!
Shampoo: Ethique Trial Pack, Ethique Heali Kiwi, Package Free Shop – Fixer Bar (both shops have multiple products for different hair types).
Conditioner: Ethique The Guardian
Soap: (hands, body, shaving) Dr Bronner’s Bar Soap (available in most grocery stores, Bed Bath & Beyond, Whole Foods)
Skin Care: Cocokind (rosewater toner, vitamin C serum, texture smoothing cream)
Face Wash: Jojoba Oil (oil cleansing method is perfect for my breakout prone skin. I’d like to move away from Amazon in the future, but this works for now)
Body Lotion: Jojoba Oil Our skin doesn’t get dry with Dr Bronner’s, but I will use a little Jojoba on my legs after shaving.
Hand Lotion: I make my own using different oils, beeswax and essentials oils. Recipe soon! Cocokind has some options too.
Deodorant: Currently trying Plastic Free Shop Deo. Works well, but would try this Toms for a more budget friendly price next time.
Shower Curtain: Washable Non-Toxic Curtain (the best!) and metal rings
Toothpaste: Toms of Maine (sensitive and kids strawberry) in a recyclable plastic tube. I’d like to try these fluoride free toothpaste tabs or these fluoride tabs, or this metal tube paste next!
Toothbrushes: Nick and I share a mechanical toothbrush & switch out for our own bristle attachment. The kids use these bamboo brushes. I’d get these 100% compostable ones next time.
Hair Products: I use the Ethique conditioner bar as a leave in conditioner. I make a dirt cheap flax seed hair gel for my curls. And I make a pomade/ flyaway taming cream. (recipes soon!) Nick uses this Everyman Jack Clay (good on ingredients, not great packaging). Package Free has a pretty good selection too.
Make Up: Beauty Counter (mascara, eyeliner, brow pencil) and With Simplicity (lipstick) Lily Lo Lo (blush…purchased 3 years ago and will switch to BC when it runs out), drugstore concealer (looking for a better option).
Razors: I currently have a Harry’s razor I’ve used for a five years. Once I run out of blades (I switch them out embarrassingly infrequently), I’ll switch to one of these safety razors.
Menstrual Products: I use a Diva Cup I picked up at Target years ago. But there are many designs and options now on Amazon and a good one on Package Free. I sewed some DIY panty liners and pads.
Toilet Paper: Who Gives A Crap and Amazon previously (same price, better quality paper, more for your money, and sustainable from WGAC)
Bandaids: Tried a box of these from Package Free Shop (review below)
Cleaners: Branch Basics low waste, non-toxic concentrate, baking soda, hydrogen peroxide for disinfecting.
Queued Up On My Wishlist:
- Ear Wax Removal – metal tool or last swab.
- Compostable Hair Ties
- Styling Clay – in a metal container for Nick. Or I may go the frugal route and make him one. We’ll see!
- Organic Cloth Pads – I have some that I made that serve me well, but maybe one day I’ll be fancy and invest in a set.
- Bidet – Contrary to what you’d think, they actually save water because of all the water required to manufacture TP.
- Ethique’s other bar products: deodorant, face and body moisturizers, lip balm.
- Toilet Brush – totally don’t need it as we have a plastic one which I’m not sending to the landfill just because it’s ugly. But this one is so lovely…I mean, for a toilet brush.
Free/Dirt Cheap Things We Use:
- Hand-me-down linen handkerchiefs for applying toner and removing make-up (old cotton t’s cut into sections work well for this too).
Cocokind sells washable cotton pads and Last Object Does too for a higher price. - Secondhand cotton towels
- Second hand cotton bath mats
- Repurposed jam jars for holding toothbrushes, hair ties, make-up, jewelry
- Beautiful thrifted tea saucers for soap dishes
REVIEWS
- What I use: Heali Kiwi Shampoo Bar and The Guardian Conditioner. This shampoo and conditioner lasted me EIGHT MONTHS (2x wash a week). So the initial skepticism about the price was quickly dispelled. It cleaned my hair well, didn’t disturb my scalp oil balance, and once I got used to applying it around my hairline before lathering up, it was a cinch to use! After towel drying, I apply some conditioner from nape of the neck down and leave it in since my hair is on the dry side.
- They are plastic free, carbon neutral, direct trading, palm oil free, cruelty free and vegan.
- All their products come in mini so you can try them out before making a commitment. I bought their shampoo and conditioner sampler set before making the switch to a shampoo bar.
- Many other solid products I’m excited to try: lip balm, lotion bar, solid to liquid lotion concentrate.
- Current Shampoo: Fixer Shampoo Bar $14 (they frequently run 20% off sales). I started using this bar a month ago out of curiosity (still love Ethique). The one major benefit of this bar is how quickly it lathers. Ethique required about 5 swipes from hairline to nape, this one only 2-3. So, points for user friendliness. And my hair may be a tiiiiiny bit shinier. But both are so good.
- Package Free offers free shipping for all orders over $35
(easy to spend since it’s a one-stop shop for many household and personal care products) - Ok, about those super cute compostable bandaids. My kids love the panda pattern and it’s nice to be able to compost the bandaid. But you have to toss the single use plastic wrapper (keeps them sanitary) and recycle the paper tube. They come off from prolonged moisture, so not great for my husband who uses them on his chapped hands and needs to wash them often at work. A much less expensive box of regular bandaids is truly not that much more waste. I’d skip these in the future.
Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap Bars
- What we use it for: Nick and A’s short hair, body wash for all, hand wash at all our sinks, laundry stain bar, glasses cleaner (wash with warm soapy water and dry with a microfiber).
- Certifications: organic USDA, OTCO, and regenerative, fair trade, non gmo, not animal tested, vegan. A huge fan of all these.
- We go by the “pits and bits (and feet)” method . There’s no need to wash every inch of our bodies and we like to keep the skin’s microbiome healthy and oils balanced. This is why we rarely need body lotion. My skin used to be SO DRY growing up and I’m pretty sure it was due to harsh soaps applied everywhere. We smell fresh and consume less products too.
- I’ve been buying from Cocokind for 5 years and love everything about them. They are an Asian woman-owned company who is thoughtful about every aspect of their company: staff diversity, ingredient sourcing, healthy formulas, sustainable packaging, giving back.
- Most of their products contain certified organic ingredients and they “conduct extensive research on all of our chosen ingredients to ensure that they meet our strict efficacy, safety, and sustainability standards.” (cocokind.com)
- Sugarcane recyclable plastic tubes.
- My go to products are the rose water toner, texture smoothing cream and vitamin C serum (all in glass packaging which I reuse for hand creams, spritzing plants, little bottles of diluted cleaner for the kids)
How to Store Your Bars
- Store out of the shower for the longest use. I set mine to dry on the edge of the tub, then pop them into a glass peanut butter jar in my bathroom closet. Since I only use the hair bars 2x a week, it’s not inconvenient.
- I’ve started using a shampoo bar on my daughter’s hair when I wash it twice a month. Both kids get a nightly rinse through their hair in the bath, but they rarely needs a shampoo. I thought I’d save them all the hair training I had to do in college to stop my scalp from producing crazy amounts of oil!
That’s all for now! I’ll update this post regularly with any new products we like better or more sustainable swaps. Let me know what your sustainable favorites are too!
The Sustainable Hearth 