Previously, I posted about Mary Kat, a young and smart blogger in the Bay area. Her blog "The Plastic-Free Chef" gives advices and tips on how people can live a "less plastic" kitchen life. Why less plastic? She explains in her blog (http://theplasticfreechef.com/) and in my interview with her (see previous post). Overall, plastic hurts the enviroment and your body. We, Americans, are very wasteful when it comes to plastic.
This made my mind THINK: what about the bathroom? I stared in my shelves, filled with plastic-filled lotion and potion bottles, make-up containers, and dental care items. What is a girl to do? Well, think outside the box. I asked Mary Kat for advice, and her is what she told me:
Mary Kat:
Personal care is pretty difficult. I'm still working on it. The easiest thing you can do is replace plastic bottles of hand soap with bar soap, and use bar soap in the shower instead of body wash. You can try using bar shampoo instead of liquid shampoo. There's also the "no-poo method" where you use baking soda to wash your hair, but that didn't work for me. It worked for a few days, but then a nasty residue started building up in my hair- yuck! My mum uses that method though and it works for her. Another thing you can try is bar conditioner. I got my conditioner bar at Lush. I use it to shave too. I make my own deodorant with this recipe:
http://littlehouseinthesuburbs.com/2009/03/quick-stick-deodorant.html
Dental care is probably the most difficult. I use a Preserve toothbrush. They're made from recycled plastic. For dental floss I use EcoDent. It comes in a paper box instead of a plastic one, but the floss itself is nylon. I've also tried Lush Toothy Tabs, but the baking soda in them made my gums and my mouth hurt. There's also tooth powder. I bought it from this place once and I liked it: http://store.aquarianbath.com/index.php/herbal-products-salves-tinctures-flax-seed-neck-wraps/tooth-powders-natural-toothpaste-alternative-toothpowder.html
Right now I'm using a combination of tooth powder and Tom's toothpaste, which comes in a plastic tube. But you can send the empty tubes back to them and they'll recycle them for you. For mouthwash I use vodka diluted with water. I use one part vodka and three parts water.
This place sells a bunch of plastic-free makeup:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/twinkbeauty?ref=shop_sugg
I haven't bought any but I'm going to get some soon. Another thing you can do is use coconut oil to remove eye makeup. You can also use coconut oil as moisturizer. For face wash I use facial bar soap from Lush.
Thank you Mary Kat for your wonderful "plastic-free" tips!
Be sure to check out her blog: http://theplasticfreechef.com/
Happy Baking,
Kimm
No comments:
Post a Comment