Welcome Guest Blogger: Karla Hernandez of Conscient Kind
How to Transition To A Low-Waste / Zero-Waste Bathroom
What started me on my path to: Transition away from plastics, you ask? It was 2008 when I was first introduced to the idea of over consumption and waste. My college professor played a short twenty-minute documentary called The Story of Stuff. From there a slow but steady interest in the environment began to develop, and the desire to transition away from plastics. Actually, much change didn’t emanate from just that one video I saw. It took the continuous bombardment of plastic waste pollution videos on Facebook and the movie Cowspiracy to make me want to change.
So here I am a few years later realizing that we are drowning in plastic. I’m was frustrated every time I noticed something else around my house that has no business being a disposable plastic item, and I started looking for alternatives.
My journey to move to a more eco-friendly home began with the bathroom, because that is where much of the plastic was coming from. Thus began my phase to transition away from plastics.
You can also find this video at www.youtube.com.
Below are Items I Found in My Bathroom with Plastic Parts:
Bath and Body Items:
+ body sponge/brush
+ body wash
+ shampoo
+ conditioner
+ cotton ear buds
+ cotton face cloth
+ face and body lotion
+ hand soap
+ deodorant
Personal Care Items:
+ toilet paper
+ toothbrush
+ toothpaste
+ witch hazel
+ contact case
+ contact liquid
+ dental floss
+ hair gel
+ makeup
+ menstrual products
+ razor
Bathroom Cleaners:
+ toilet bowl brush
+ toilet bowl disinfecting cleaner
+ mirror cleaner
+ All purpose disinfecting cleaner
How Will I Transition Away From Plastics?
This is not to say that I will throw away what I currently have in lieu of new eco-friendly alternatives, because I’ll use up what I have first. I’ve purchased it and don’t want further waste, so I’ll use it before finding its replacement, so that I can transition away from plastics.
Some time ago, I switched my plastic toothbrush to a bamboo toothbrush, my plastic razor to a double edged safety razor and my body wash for a bar of soap. The no-poo shampoo method is something I’ve been experimenting with for about a year. It took a bit of figuring out and now I can say that I am happy with the results. Simply dilute a bit of apple cider vinegar into water and use your fingers to scrub the mixture into your scalp and hair, just as you would if you were using foamy soap. Soon, I’ll write a post on no-poo shampoo soon. Anyway, there is no need to purchase any plastic bottles when using this method.
Although I know that some of the items mentioned above might be close to impossible to replace, such as contact lens solution and contacts themselves. But my goal is to find a replacement for as many items as I can. Currently available on my website:
+ Bamboo toothbrushes
+ Vegan Dental Floss In Eco-Packaging
+ 100% Plastic Free Vegan Waxed Dental Floss
+ Plastic Free Floss Refills
+ Double Ended Bamboo Stick Cotton Swabs In Compostable Packaging
+ Toothpaste
-Tooth Powder
-Tooth Tabs
-Toothpaste
+ Relaxing Bath Salts
+ Konjac Facial Sponge
+ Bamboo Hairbrush With Natural Rubber Cushion
+ Plastic Free & Vegan Sisal Dry Body Brush
+ Witch Hazel
The products that I use will be the same products offered in my store, I hope that you can join me on this journey to a more sustainable way of living.
BedVoyage joins Conscient Kind in their mission to transition away from plastics:
Joining the transition from plastic packaging is BedVoyage, a company that manufactures eco-luxury Bamboo Bed & Bath Linens for the entire family. They use one of the most renewable resources on the planet: bamboo. They transitioned from plastic packaging to bamboo fabric bag packaging in the spring of 2019. All products now arrive in fabric bags that can be reused in the linen closet.
If you’d like to learn how to transition away from plastics in your food storage, please see the article here by Culinary Ambition.
You can transition your cotton towels, which uses some of the most toxic chemicals on the planet during cotton’s growth. Switch to BAMBOO from BedVoyage towels that are bacteria, odor and mildew resistant. See the line of Facial Washcloths, Bath, Hand and Washcloths. Don’t miss out on the Baby Bath Linens too, with a bamboo Hooded Towel and Baby Washcloths. Comfort the entire family, naturally.
