Photo by Nathan Powers on Unsplash
No matter how far along you are in your sustainability journey, it can be hard to navigate all the advice and tips online when it comes to basic bathroom products. Tricky DIY tutorials and instructions for personal care items can leave us frustrated and messy at the best of times! This post is designed to bust some of those myths and save you time and money when you're trying to make your personal care routine better for the planet - with my own personal tried and tested tips!
Deodorant
Firstly, trust me - you don't need to bother trying to make your own deodorant! These homemade attempts often stain your clothes, harm your skin and/or are more effort to buy the ingredients only to create something that doesn't work! Trial and error is what has worked best for me with eco-deodorant brands to find one that is effective and not too abrasive on my skin. (NOTE: if you suffer from anxiety-sweats or do intense exercise, having a shop-bought antiperspirant on hand can be vital still for the less-run-of-the-mill occasions. I'm yet to find an antiperspirant or deodorant that is eco and can face up to the challenge of zoom sweats, hot yoga and exam anxiety!!)
Brands to try: Natural Deodorant Co (especially the lemongrass-scented product!), the Laris Latte Spray and Lush (especially the T'eo and Aromaco bars!)
Shampoo Bars
When it comes to shampoo bars, it really does depend on your hair type so it's hard to recommend really specific items! For suitable recommendations, make sure to read reviews and ask friends with similar hair types to yours.
To make your shampoo bar last longer, there is a trick in how you use them: don't apply them directly to your hair! Despite all the pretty advertisements of sudsy hair, it's actually impractical to apply the bar straight onto your hair - this really eats away at the bar (most of which ends up down the drain anyway and can cause blockage issues). Instead, lather the bar in your hands and apply the suds to your hair. Depending on how much hair you have, you may need to do this a couple of times to get full coverage! Furthermore, draining and drying your shampoo bar on a soap dish where the water can drip away (not a flat tray) does wonders for the longevity of the bar too, as it doesn't end up sticking to the tray or going a bit mushy!
When you're transitioning from liquid shampoo to a solid bar, allow your hair a bit of a transition period even if you were using an eco-friendly liquid shampoo: it does take a little bit of time to adjust!
Brands to try: Lush (especially the 'honey I washed the kids' bar), Gruum (especially the lemon and almond bar, or henna and juniper 'colour protect', both of which we handily stock at WNW!), Bath Bubble & Beyond (especially the coconut bar!)
Conditioner Bars
In my experience, not everyone needs conditioner. When I first switched to using shampoo bars, I completely ditched using conditioner with successful results! A year later though, when we started stocking conditioner bars at WNW and customers were raving about them, I decided to give it a try. After a couple of weeks, my hair was super silky smooth AND (this is the big thing!) I didn't need to use my anti-frizz products anymore! I'd accepted needing to use these plastic tube products forever in my personal care routine, but now thanks to my conditioner bar I can finally say that my hair care is completely plastic-free!!
Toothbrushes
When it comes to toothbrushes, this may be a controversial opinion for some but if you already use a rechargeable electric toothbrush, don't swap it out for bamboo if your electric toothbrush still works! Dentists are having a nightmare at the moment with people ditching their clinically-approved electric toothbrushes in favour of manual toothbrushes simply for the plastic impact. If you're using an electric toothbrush already, your teeth are receiving top-notch care and, importantly, the plastic already exists and you should continue to re-use it until it reaches the end of its product life! That being said, if you use a manual toothbrush already then switching to bamboo manual absolutely makes sense (however, remember to consult your dentist if you have problematic teeth or are concerned about the impact it may have!)
Brands to try: Truthbrush, Humblebrush, mainstream electric toothbrush brands with replaceable (and terracycle-able!) heads such as Oral-B
Toothpaste
Similar to the advice for toothbrushes, be really careful about changing up your toothpaste! Many eco-alternatives are fluoride-free - this may be something you desire, but for dentist professionals it's the key ingredient in clinically-approved toothpaste that protects your enamel. There are eco-friendly toothpaste brands that still contain fluoride but these can be harder to find or just more expensive. As always, consult your dentist first!
Brands to try: Ecoliving (especially their tooth-tabs)
There are so many eco-alternatives within personal care that with a little time, you can find products and a routine that are perfect for you. Do you have any top tips or recommended products? Let us know in the comments or on our social media!
Author: Holly
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