You’ve seen and heard me talk about the importance of taking a conscious approach to one’s wardrobe. Well, since becoming aware of the horrible effects that the fashion industry has on the environment, I’ve also been seeking to learn more about the impact of other everyday products. My guess is that most people don’t think much about their trip to Target to get their household goods and beauty products. But the truth is that most of the products we purchase on a regular basis really take their toll. Just think about how many things come in plastic packaging. Almost EVERYTHING! In this post, I’ll share some of my favorite eco-friendly products and additional options that I am investigating.
Why is Plastic Bad?
According to some estimates, plastic takes about 500 years to break down and biodegrade. That means that every piece of plastic ever made STILL EXISTS somewhere on the planet. Not only does plastic wash up on beaches and endanger wildlife by clogging the oceans, but toxins from the plastic can also be released into the soil. I could go on and on but here are a few links if you want to read more for yourself:
All this bad news around plastic has motivated me to seek out new solutions for some of the everyday products that I use. So here is a list of my favorite eco-friendly products.
Health & Beauty Products
Eco Roots Shampoo Bar
Somewhere along the way, I learned about shampoo bars. It’s like a bar of soap but it is specially formulated for your hair. Great! That’s one big ‘ole plastic bottle that I don’t have to wonder if it will ever get recycled or how many times it can be recycled. I ordered my first shampoo bar on Amazon and it was pretty good. Then, I saw some in the store so I decided to try it. Unfortunately, that particular brand came wrapped in plastic. Boo! So I started searching for a new shampoo bar. That’s when I found Eco Roots. I purchased their Moroccan Oil Zero Waste Shampoo Bar and I LOVE IT! It has a great lather and doesn’t strip my hair too much. They also have conditioner bars that I am going to try when I run out of my current conditioner bottle. (Yes, I still have some bottles. I’m replacing things a bit at a time).
Another thing that I love about Eco Roots is that the shampoo bar came entirely in paper packaging. Zero plastic!
Native Deodorant
I started using natural deodorant after my breast cancer diagnosis in 2018. Most of the products that I tried didn’t work very well. Until I found Native. It actually works BETTER for me than my old aluminum-filled deodorant. Native deodorants used to come in plastic containers. Most of the time, those used deodorant containers can’t be recycled. But recently Native has been using cardboard packaging for their deodorant. Now I feel even better about using this product!
You can check it out HERE.
Office & Shipping
EcoEnclose
Lately, I’ve been researching and experimenting with different shipping products. When I first started my reseller business a couple of years ago, I didn’t give much thought to the impact the shipping materials had. I try to reuse materials as much as I can so I figured that was enough. When I first started out, I didn’t use plastic bags for clothing because I had a fairly small inventory. But as my business has grown, I’ve needed to store clothing in bags so that I can label them for my inventory system. That’s when I discovered EcoEnclose and its recycled plastic bags. I was reluctant to use plastic at all. But, I’ve seen too many horror stories of packages being damaged in shipping and items being ruined by water, etc. So, for these reasons, I am using plastic. Knowing that it isn’t “virgin plastic” puts my mind at ease. But I am going to continue to search for some kind of plastic alternative that does the same job – store and protect clothing inventory. I think next I am going to try their Glassine Bags and see if they are a good replacement.
EcoEnclose has a ton of different eco-friendly shipping supplies. I’m currently waiting on an order of their Cello Tape and water-activated paper tape to experiment with those. Stay tuned for an upcoming blog post in the next couple of months about eco-friendly shipping practices.
Household Products
Earth Breeze
I once heard someone refer to these detergent sheets as being like “fruit roll-ups.” They are these flimsy sheets of detergent that you tear up and put in your washer to clean your clothes. Only doing half a load? Just tear off half a sheet. Easy peasy. Why detergent sheets instead of those big bottles from eco-friendly companies? I learned that those plastic jugs of detergent can only be recycled a limited number of times. Earth Breeze is packaged and shipped in paper packaging which means no plastic waste and less packaging overall. And yes, these sheets do a great job of keeping my clothes clean.
Those are some of my favorite eco-friendly products. As I mentioned before, I’m still experimenting with different things so I will keep you updated as I try more things.
BTW – Did you know that the best way to have a sustainable wardrobe is to wear what you already have? For some tips on putting together new outfits with existing items, check out the 6 Ways to Shop Your Closet Guide.