Plastic is everywhere in our bathrooms, and it can be difficult to work out how to transition away from it. Below is a handy guide on where you can start to remove plastic from your bathroom. Even just choosing one off the list is a great start.
Use up what you have
Find out what you actually have in your bathroom that you actually use. Use up or gift anything hanging around you don’t. Why not use up all those little hotel bottles of shampoo. Why not regift those bath salts you were given at Christmas? This will clear out your bathroom, reduce wastage and help you work out what items you actually need to find plastic free. Don’t forget to recycle – Check out our post on plastic recycling
Try a bar of soap
Next time you need to purchase some soap consider buying bars of soaps instead of liquid soap. This will remove the plastic soap dispensers you keep replacing and throwing away. Most bars of soap are also wrapped in paper rather than plastic. A bar of soap has the same cleaning power as liquid soap and lasts longer too saving you money and time.
Try shampoo bars
Once you have had success using bars of soap to wash your hands, try a bar of shampoo. This will give you one less plastic bottle in your bathroom. Some can also double up as bodywash – another bottle bites the dust.
Sometimes a shampoo bar isn’t for everyone – especially those needing a bit of conditioner on their hair – I have found it quite tricky to find a good shampoo bar/conditioner bar that conditions well. If this is the case check out bulk buying.
A good old fashioned razor
Investing in a good old fashioned re-usable metal razor will cut out all those disposable plastic ones and you will never need to buy a razor again! It will also give you a better shave and if you decide to go native and never want to shave again, it can be recycled.
Bamboo Toothbrush
Try out a bamboo toothbrush. They are just like an ordinary manual, but with a wooden handle. You may need to try a couple to find one you like.
If you cannot do without your fancy electronic toothbrush then there are increasingly more sustainable versions of the toothbrush heads.
Check out our review of bamboo toothbrushes
Buy in Bulk
If you are very particular on what you use for toiletries, then consider buying in bulk. This means you get loads in a big container rather than lots of little containers. Increasingly there are more retailers offering bulk by soap, shampoo, shower gel etc. Getting one 5l plastic bottle is far better than 20 small 250ml bottles. This is often cheaper and will save you loads of time as you will only have to purchase a couple of times a year.