LIFESTYLE

6 easy ways to banish plastic from your bathroom

23 September, 2020 . 0

Want a more eco-friendly bathroom? These small steps can make a big impact when it comes to going plastic-free.

From plastic loofahs to toothpaste tubes and shampoo bottles, there can be plastic almost everywhere you look in your bathroom.

But with a little thought and pre-planning, you can significantly reduce your environmental impact.

1. Take it one product at a time

Emily Ehlers, environment writer and illustrator behind blog Eco with Em, began her mission to reduce waste during Plastic Free July one year.

“But I obviously had leftover products in plastic when I did that,” she says.

“So when I started running out of them, one by one I would try and master my own recipe and try and find an alternative.”

Don’t be disheartened if your first attempt at say, making your own toothpaste, isn’t a smash-hit success, advises Emily.

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2. Ban the bottle

Swap your shampoo or conditioner bottles for more eco-friendly shampoo and conditioner bars.

You can also use a simple alternative for dry shampoo, says Emily.

“I’m blonde and if I need shampoo I just sprinkle corn flour into my hair, and then you just rough your hair up and brush it through and it looks exactly like a dry shampoo would,” she says.

“If you’re brunette, add a tiny bit of cinnamon to it.”

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3. Ditch your deodorant

By ditch, we definitely mean switch.

Emily previously used a roll-on deodorant, but decided to try to make her own aluminium-free version instead.

“There’s coconut oil, baking soda and some shea butter,” she says.

“It’s like a paste, and you just rub it in – it’s the best deodorant I’ve ever used.”

4. Swap the plastic loofah

We’ve probably all owned a plastic loofah, says Erin Rhoads, blogger and author of Waste Not: Make a Big Difference by Throwing Away Less.

“But they go straight into the bin unfortunately, and when you’re using them they let off plastic microfibers, which add to the micro plastics in the ocean,” she says.

Instead, she suggests using a simple face washer or a natural body scrubber made of wood, natural fibres or even hemp.

“There are ones that are made of coconut husks as well, and they can be composted at home once you’ve finished with them,” she says.

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5. Try reusable make-up pads

Rather than using disposable wipes or cotton wool pads, which usually come in plastic packaging, Erin recommends buying or making reusable make-up rounds.

“And you can just use some simple olive oil or coconut oil to remove your make-up,” she says.