Did you know that 78% of the plastic waste we produce is NOT reclaimed or recycled? Every piece of plastic that has ever been made still exists. Think about that. Every – single – piece. You can see why zero waste bathroom products would be high on my priority list. Understand that globally, we produce 300 million tons of plastic waste every year, that’s a lot of plastic. Read about the best zero waste bathroom products I’ve tried + used + love.
Through my travels I have witnessed firsthand the consequences of our disposable lifestyle with plastic. Plastic has taken over beaches, our oceans, and our lands. After looking around my bathroom I realized how much plastic was in this one room. I started researching zero waste products. Looking to live a more sustainable lifestyle. Trying to do my part, and help preserve our planet for future generations. I write about sustainable travel, to help make it easier for others to do the same. I hope you enjoy these zero waste bathroom products as much as I have.
One billion toothpaste tubes are thrown out each year.
The tubes are discarded every year and are packed full of ingredients like sodium lauryl sulfate, triclosan, artificial dyes and preservatives: these are harmful to our health!
The first zero waste bathroom product I switched to was Bites Toothpaste. The fresh mint with activated charcoal is my favorite flavor. I get compliments about how white my teeth look, plus my breath stays minty fresh all day.
Bites Toothpaste will change the way you think about toothpaste; you’ll never go back after you try them. Your first order will come with a full jar of the bites. When its empty, keep your jar! You will receive refills in a biodegradable package. The best part? They travel well, without the worry of an exploding toothpaste tube.
Deodorant waste? Didn’t think about that one…
Until I had to when I ran out during my zero waste journey. I had a mini panic attack. CRAP, deodorant is going to be tricky since I’ve always had issues with wetness more than the smell. It’s embarrassing… seriously, not even the strongest chemical laden deodorant on the planet could keep me from sweating. Then I remembered why I was doing this… to save our planet.
Recommended Read: “13 Unique Eco Friendly Products” by Her Life Adventures
What I love about this type of deodorant is that its TSA friendly like the bites toothpaste. Primal Life was the first zero waste deodorant I tried, and I still use it to this day. Not only are they zero waste, they’re FREE FROM ALL CHEMICALS, fragrances, aluminum, toxins and desodorantes without parabens and BPA! Oh, and if that wasn’t enough, they’re vegan, they WORK, and they smell good.
Fun Fact: Baking soda can change the pH of your pits and cause painful rashs (this happened to me)- there is no baking soda in primal deodorants. Instead they add magnesium, zinc oxide, bentonite clay and arrowroot powder which I’ve found to be MORE effective at fighting odor from released sweat and toxins!
The shampoo bottles thrown out each year in the U.S. could fill 1,164 football fields.
My next sustainable lifestyle switch was to Plaine Products, a zero waste bathroom product company that delivers! They and the people that use their products, are not adding more plastic bottles to the thousands of pounds of plastic already in our oceans.
Recommended Read: “Zero Waste Cleaning Products“ by Her Life Adventures
I use the citrus lavender shampoo & conditioner, they smell amazing, make my hair feel clean + healthy and because it’s all natural, my hair stays cleaner for longer (doesn’t get greasy). Which means less showers, less water waste. Because you don’t NEED to shower everyday, you’re wasting water.
The mission: Elimination of single use plastics. Two sisters developed a vegan, cruelty free, non-toxic, all-natural beauty product line. The best part? It gets delivered right to your door. When your product bottles get low, order a refill. Switch out your pump to the new bottle, rinse your old, and return the empty bottle with the return label. Plaine Products also distributes body wash, body lotion, and hand wash!
10–20 million tons of plastic end up in the oceans each year. A recent study estimated that 5.25 trillion plastic particles weighing a total of 268,940 tons are currently floating in the world’s oceans.
For face wash and body wash I buy naked bar soaps from Moon River Soap Company, a local shop near my house (they also deliver! Yeyy!). The naked bar soaps are zero waste, and all natural.
Each hand poured bar of from Moon River Soap Company is made with omega rich olive oil, nurturing botanicals, and certified 100% pure essential oils. Soap is non-GMO, free from petrochemicals + sulfates + synthetic fragrance or phthalates. The olive oil used in the soaps contains super antioxidants vitamin E + beta carotene that can stimulate cell regeneration.
Snag a hemp, all natural pouf or hemp soap bag to give your skin a healthy glow. The pouf is washable so it will last longer than the plastic ones, plus it feels better on your skin.
Don’t forget to get a Moon River soap to go with your hemp pouf.. They offer anti-inflammatory options that can replenish dry and sensitive skin, options to help balance troubled acne, eczema, and psoriasis.
Women may use as many as 14,000 tampons in a lifetime.
On average, women use between 11 and 30 tampons per cycle. Over a lifetime, that adds up to between 5,000 and 14,000 tampons per woman. The environmental impact of this is vast. It’s estimated that a woman averaging 20 tampons or pads per cycle burns through 250 to 300 pounds of products, applicators, and wrappers in a lifetime. I stopped using tampons about 3 years ago now. I made the switch to the DivaCup and never looked back. The DivaCup is zero waste, reusable,cost-effective and can be worn for up to 12 hours!
WEN (Women’s Environmental Network) states that climate change means “failures in food supplies, fuel shortages, decreased access to drinking water, and homes swallowed by the sea. It means forced mass migration and worsening resource conflict. It means more frequent and ferocious natural disasters”. These conditions affect both men and women. However women, primarily in developing nations, often do not have a voice in decision-making. So, climate change affects them differently.
Toilet tissue accounts for 15 percent of deforestation.
If every household in the United States replaced just one roll of virgin fiber toilet paper (500 sheets) with 100 percent recycled ones, we could save 423,900 trees.
Who Gives A Crap delivers environmentally friendly made toilet paper right to your door. Click HERE to get $10 off your first order! Plus they donate 50% of profits to help build toilets for those in need. To date they’ve donated over $1,300,000 to charity and saved a thousands of trees, water and energy. Not bad for a toilet paper company!
Almost 270,000 trees are either flushed or dumped in landfills every day… 10 percent of that total is attributable to toilet paper.
For the more adventurous consumer, there’s the bidet. Almost 270,000 trees a day are either flushed or dumped into landfills. 10 percent of that total is attributable to toilet paper. Japan was my first international trip + first bidet experience.
Bidets are more popular outside of North America. I prefer using them over toilet paper, so I bought one to use at home. For $30 usd I’ve saved tons of money on toilet paper, and who knows how many trees (probably a lot!) I love how CLEAN I feel after using the bathroom.
For those of us who have a choice as a consumer. It’s time to say no to single use plastic. For those of us with the freedom of speech, it’s time to speak up. The time to act is now, our planet is dying. The science is undeniable and we- the human inhabitants are the ones killing it.
Recommended Read: “How to Travel More Sustainably” by Lucy on Locale
Make small changes towards a zero waste bathroom + single use plastic free planet. This is no longer a matter of if we WANT to be “environmentally friendly”. Truthfully it’s not easy + if our nation and the politicians running it don’t take this environmental crisis seriously- we the people MUST. Consider others that are suffering at your expense. Think of the future generations that will be left to clean up your mess. Will they thank us for the condition we left the planet in 30 years from now?
What’s your favorite zero waste products? I’d love to hear about the switches you’ve made to live a more sustainable lifestyle!
Comment below and let me know your thoughts on the products I’m recommending!