My zero waste journey started with my bathroom. A bold choice to start with toothpaste but that's what I did. Toothpaste tubes are usually made from aluminium sheets sandwiched between layers of plastic making them impossible to recycle. I decided to start with eliminating this particular piece of waste as there is no alternative to putting it in the general waste bin.
From toothpaste I move on to the rest of my bathroom working my way through toothbrushes, mouthwash, shampoo, conditioner, bath products etc! The products I love, I have stocked in SO Sustainable, to share them with you all and hopefully help you along your own zero waste journey.
So without further ado, here are my top 5 Zero Waste Bathroom Swaps...
1. Georganics Mineral Toothpaste - Spearmint
£8.90 for 120ml
This mineral-rich, non-foaming comes in a perfectly proportioned glass jar. Great for repurposing for spice storage once you're done with it. Using a small bamboo spatula you scoop out a small amount of coconut oil based paste and spread onto your toothbrush, add water and then brush. You'll notice it doesn't foam up like conventional toothpaste, but the lightly textured paste leaves your teeth and gums feeling super clean and minty fresh. I prefer the milder, sweeter spearmint flavour, but if you want a bit more punch in your paste then go for English peppermint.
My husband and I both use this toothpaste and one 120ml pot lasts us at least a month, usually longer. The larger jars are great value, at just £2 more than their 60ml counterparts.
Buy in store or online.
2. Brushd recyclable electric toothbrush heads
£5.99 for two heads or £9.99 for four
Whilst I was switching up my toothpaste I thought I should get on board the recyclable toothbrush train. I've tried bamboo brushes but am a pretty lazy brusher so need the power of an electric brush. I already had an Oral B base given so set about finding recyclable options and was delighted to find these Oral B compatible heads by Brushd. They are made from a type of thermoplastic that is fully recyclable as are the nylon bristles.
Even thought the heads are recyclable, please don't put them in your green recycling bin as the council may not be able to process them correctly. They need to be sent back to Brushd by post as part of their closed loop recycling system or you can drop them back into SO Sustainable and we'll send them when we have a big batch collected. Brushd's recycling partner processes all the heads and turns them into new guttering, garden furniture and even backpacks!
Buy in store or online.
3. Shine Shampoo Bar in tin
£9.50 (refill bars available for £9.00)
Finding a shampoo bar that works for you can be an expensive endeavour. Especially in an area with water as hard as ours! This incredible little bar was formulated by Jonathan Harries, a hairdresser with over 30 years experience in the biz, who wanted to create something simple, but unique, for his clients to help them reduce their plastic waste. The bar is naturally derived, vegan friendly and gives the most incredibly luxurious lather! I only tend to wash my hair a couple of times a week and this bar suits me perfectly. I was so impressed with it that I even offer a money back guarantee if you don't like it!
Bars come in a stylish, reusable aluminium tin and refill bars are available. Shampoo bars typically last 4 times longer than liquid shampoo so you'll save money too!
It's worth noting that the Shine Bar does contain SLS from responsibly sourced palm oil, so may not be suitable for everyone, but if you've been tearing your hair out (pun intended!) trying to find a plastic-free shampoo option then you're on to a winner with the Shine Bar.
Buy in store or online.
4. Who Gives a Crap 100% recycled toilet paper
95p per roll
I know this one is a love it or hate it product, with some not finding it robust enough for the job, but I love it. I debated the options long and hard before I started stocking this one as shipping something as everyday as toilet roll half way around the world seems counter intuitive. On balance I decided that the benefits outweigh the costs until I can find a suitable UK manufacturer.
These rolls are double the length of your standard supermarket brand and are triple-ply, meaning they're soft, strong and last twice as long! These particular rolls are made from 100% post consumer waste (recycled office paper). As a company they donate 50% of their profits to their charity partners who help build toilets for the 2 billion people across the globe who lack access to proper sanitation. To date they've donated over £4.5 million which we think is pretty great!
Buy in store or online.
5. SESI Refillable Unscented Bubble Bath
45p per 100g (roughly £4.50 per litre)
I have a 3 and a 4 year old, we get through a lot of bubble bath! This all purpose bath soap from SESI, an Oxford-based workers co-operative, is the perfect solution. It's unscented and gentle on sensitive skin. If we fancy a bit of fragrance I just add a few drops of essential oil to the soap before I mix it into the bath (always make sure you suspend the essential oil in something (well mixed into the bath soap or added to a carrier oil such as fractionated coconut oil) before adding it to the bath otherwise the concentrated oil will float on the surface and could cause skin irritation).
This soap is available on refill at SO Sustainable, so you just bring your old bubble bath bottle and we'll fill it up for you. SESI supply us the soap in big 20L drums which, once empty, they collect, wash and refill at their warehouse in Oxford. We love a circular supply chain. No more plastic waste!
*UPDATE* This product has unfortunately been discontinued by our supplier but they are working on reformulating a new version (that is hopefully easier to dispense!). We'll let you know as soon as it is available.
So those are my top five zero waste bathroom swaps. How many have you tried? If you liked this post please let me know, I'd love to hear your feedback, comments and recommendations.
Steph x
Founder & Owner, SO Sustainable