Sustainable personal hygiene: Such beauty shouldn’t go to waste!
I was at the drugstore yesterday and practically fainted at the hundreds of hair products, face washes, moisturizers, and body care products…all in plastic bottles. I wondered, do we really need to have such a massive impact on the earth just to look and feel good? (I mean, I’m barely passable some days, but still, I add to the landfill.) The beautiful truth is there’s plenty we can do to practice more sustainable personal hygiene, which is the topic of this month’s zero-waste journey.
Check out pages 107-140 in our Zero Waste guide by Shia Su. And read on to learn more.
The dish on soap
Bar soap is a great way to create less waste. Face and body soaps are often package-free or wrapped in recyclable paper. If you’re using face cleansers or body wash in plastic bottles, consider trying a moisturizing soap made with olive oil or castile soap. Look for soaps in specialty soap stores, ethnic stores, gift shops, and farmers’ markets. Be sure to check the ingredient lists and avoid those made with palm oil, which is not sustainable. Portland has luscious soap stores everywhere; here are a few of my favorites:
Mad Sass Soap Co. Beautiful artisan soaps, with locations in Multnomah Village, Lake Oswego, and Sunriver.
Camamu. Handmade soaps that are little works of art. Order online (only) for pickup from their studio in Sellwood.
Lush. More corporate (it’s a chain), but a great variety of cruelty-free, vegan soaps.
Seagrape Apothecary. A shop with a decidedly witchy vibe–how PNW is that?
Bulked-up beauty
Many shops in Portland let you buy health and beauty items in bulk, and in sustainable packaging (often even bring-your-own packaging). Here are a few we’ve mentioned before…
A haircare trend worth trying
Many beauty companies have shampoos and conditioners in bar soap form. All the companies mentioned above carry them. Initially, I was afraid that hair care bars would make my big curly white hair look like a dandelion in its puffy stage. But I tried Humby Organics bar shampoo and conditioner, and guess what, they’re amazing. Imagine if we all stopped buying shampoo and conditioners in bottles!
We all have skin in the game
How to keep skin looking good and feeling moisturized…sustainably? Many of the companies and stores previously mentioned carry moisturizing lotions, body butters, and body oils in sustainable packaging.
In her book Zero Waste, Shia Su swears by using oils found in your kitchen. (Honestly, I’m not dying to rub cooking oil on my legs, but if I were, I’d add in some essential oil like eucalyptus to avoid smelling like salad dressing.)
Her suggestions:
- Cold-pressed/virgin sunflower seed oil for all skin types and eczema-prone skin
- Cold-pressed/virgin coconut oil absorbs quickly, for itchy, irritated, dry, or eczema-prone skin
- Virgin olive oil absorbs deeply into dry, flaky, itchy skin
- Canola oil, with anti-aging properties for dry, sensitive skin
- Sesame oil, for dry skin due to bad circulation
- Soybean oil for normal to dry skin
- Walnut oil for combination skin
Let’s look at other body parts, shall we?
- For dental care, consider using sustainable bamboo toothbrushes or ones with replaceable heads.
- Make your own toothpaste: Combine 3 tablespoons melted coconut oil with 3 tablespoons baking soda and 1 teaspoon hydrogen peroxide. Store in an airtight, non-transparent jar.
- Use stainless steel razors instead of disposable plastic ones. Make sure to dry the blade after shaving so it doesn’t rust.
- Try ocean-safe sunscreen. Read more about it here.
- Harness face scrub bars with sustainable packaging, or make your own. Find recipes here.
- Try sunflower or canola oil as makeup remover. Use washable cotton rounds rather than disposable cotton balls.
Menstrual products: We can do better, period.
I’m not trying to guilt anyone who uses menstrual products, because none of us invented periods. I blame the makers of menstrual products; manufacturing traditional single-use menstrual products has a huge environmental impact, and each tampon or pad is used for only a few hours before it’s disposed of, ultimately ending up in a landfill. Until the big corporate brands do better, there are some more sustainable alternatives:
- Menstrual cups are small, soft silicone cups that work similarly to tampons—but are reusable and toxin-free
- Reusable menstrual discs are also used like tampons
- Washable menstrual pads
- Period underwear
- Applicator-free tampons
Here are some online companies that offer a great selection of sustainable period products. At my extremely post-menopausal age, I can’t personally vouch for their products, but these brands do have good reputations:
Note: Menstrual hygiene practices are deeply ingrained and very personal, and everyone has their own comfort level with change. If switching isn’t easy or practical, don’t do it; there are plenty of other ways to positively impact your environment. As we said, we’re not here to make anyone feel guilty.
Oh, and another thing or two…
- When you shop, look for eco-friendly, cruelty-free products with minimal packaging.
- Skip travel-size products. Instead, buy small reusable bottles and refill them.
- Use products sparingly so you buy less frequently. Lather-rinse-repeat is not a real thing. It’s the manufacturer’s ploy to get you to use more shampoo. Rude.
- Zero Waste has a whole chapter on alternatives to toilet paper. Yup. Go ahead and read that in your own leisure time.
- If you buy a product that you aren’t thrilled with, see if it’ll work for a friend.
- Avoid sample products! They’re usually too small to be recycled.
- Speaking of recycling, Ulta Beauty and Pact help close the loop on your hard-to-recycle beauty empties.
This is me on my soap box (my last pun, I promise)
Health and beauty products are among the most aggressively marketed products out there (I know, I used to write commercials for a lot of them). They want us to believe we absolutely must have every “miracle” product we see. But the truth is, we don’t. Almost none of them are life-changing, despite their glittering promises and amazing (mostly fake, AI-enhanced) before-and-after photos. We are fine the way we are!!! Using fewer products–and chemicals–is good for our health, our bank accounts, and our planet. Resist! Okay, phew, I’m done now.
Got cabinets full of products you don’t use? Let us help simplify your routine.
Big Rocks Organizing would be happy to help you make room for a more sustainable life. Schedule a free exploratory call. We would be honored to work with you.
About Andrea Thompson
Andrea was an advertising copywriter/creative director for 40 years before retiring, then unretiring to start a new career in organizing, then retiring again to travel the world with her husband, John. She fully admits her home is not 100% organized.