During the summer is when I often think how zero waste living seems to be perfect for traveling around, since many products are solid and so easy to carry. In this blog post, I am sharing with you some of the things I have learned about swapping to a completely zero waste bathroom routine.
1. There Is No ‘transition’ Phase
No zero waste journey is perfect!
For example, I can't even begin to tell you how many shampoo bars I tried before I found a recipe that worked for me. Each time, I told myself: it's just the transition phase, but the phase never ended! Turns out, I was using a shampoo bar that wasn't formulated correctly.
My hair was not really going through a "transition phase", rather I was going through a transition of understanding how formulating cosmetic recipes that really worked. Understanding each ingredient's properties can make the switch to solid products easier.
Checkout this blog post, which explains why pH is so important for haircare and how to understand if a shampoo bar will work or not.
2. The Internet Can Be Your Biggest Enemy
Have you ever seen recipes on Pinterest using a whopping 5 tbsp of baking soda in a homemade coconut deodorant recipe? No wonder your armpits got a terrible rash! Not all, but many blogs you find online are improvising recipes.
In fact, if you jump on a blog that covers a really wide variety of topics (from food to cleaning hacks or skincare DIYs), unless they are certified, chances are they are not an expert. Typically, more reliable blogs with better recipes tend to focus on just one main topic!
So, be careful with Pinterest or googling random recipes! If in doubt, you know there are lots of tried and tested recipes on the Bottega Zero Waste blog.
Join the conversation by signing up to my weekly email series, Makers Letters and receive more free recipes and unpublished resources all about making your own products to reduce waste.
3. You Will Get Used To New Textures
It's okay to not enjoy the new textures of solid products, you just have to find what works for you. For example, I often hear people say they cannot get used to the texture of solid conditioner bars: is this the case for you too?
I can clearly remember the first time I tried a conditioner bar from Lush, I found it really annoying! But once I learned more about the chemistry behind it, and I formulated a conditioner bar which I really loved, that was it!
Now the different application does not bother me at all: the bar lasts for absolutely ages and I love passing it through my hair during a shower.
Once you overcome these challenges, the rewards of using solid bath and products are great… and plastic free!
Some zero waste swaps ideas to try:
- Roll-on or Spray Deodorant → Natural Baking Soda Free Deodorant
- Perfume → Solid Perfume
- Shaving Cream → Soap Shaving Bar
- Liquid Shampoo → Solid Shampoo Bar
- Fairy liquid → Coconut Dish Soap
Have you tried any of these?