Sustainable Swaps for your Bathroom
Now I don’t know about you but when I first heard about sustainable bathroom swaps my mind immediately took me to Tom Hanks in Castaway and a dreadful thought that a similar image was what lay ahead of me should I so much as entertain any of these alternatives; queue unwashed, untamed hair, constantly being dirty and unclean yet unaware of the permanent odour emanating from my body and all-in-all a sight for sore eyes… Dramatic? Me? Never!
In all seriousness, the one thing I have learnt from trialling various bathroom alternatives is that there is no one size fits all approach and that the expression “you do you” could not be more accurate in this department; some people will love a shampoo bar whereas others (myself included) simply don’t get along with them, and that’s okay.
As with most things I find it’s best to start small and do what works for you, adding in changes as you go and when feels right for you and your setup. There are an increasing number of options available to us now which is amazing; the easier it is to implement change the more individuals will participate and the longer-lasting it tends to be, therefore meaning the better the results are as a whole! It’s worth noting however that if you have an unsustainable item it is better to use it rather than throw it away, as binning a perfectly good item is not a sustainable approach. Only buy the sustainable item once it is required.
Below are some of the swaps that we have made, or at least tried, over the past few years with a bit of information as to why we have made these specific changes and how said changes are beneficial to our planet. If you are not interested in the ins and outs, you can simply jump to the full list. By no means is this an exhaustive list, simply ones we can advocate having made them ourselves.
Straight up swaps:
The easiest swaps are the ones where you simply replace your current item with something like-for-like as it doesn’t require a change to your routine or any additional effort. Again, we would recommend waiting until the item has run out before you purchase a more sustainable option to replace what you currently have, as a way to reduce the amount that ends up in landfill.
Plastic-free cotton buds, bamboo toothbrushes and eco-friendly toothpaste are all easy swaps. These are becoming more accessible with global giants such as Colgate jumping on the bandwagon and providing the goods at affordable prices; they now have a fully-recyclable toothpaste (carton AND tube) which is the first I’ve seen from a mainstream brand in my local supermarket. You can also source sustainable razor blades, floss and other such bathroom items, although many of these currently require online purchasing and thus more forward-thinking what with the delivery time to consider.
Changing out your shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, shaving cream and bubble bath for a more sustainable brand is also an easy swap to make, but will often cost a bit more. Function of Beauty is a brand that I had seen many an advert for on social media but quite honestly, the price put me off… until I stayed at Liv’s and used hers and let me tell you, the price is justified! I have honestly never used a nicer shampoo or conditioner and I am actually super excited that mine have finally run out so that I can take the hair quiz and order my own!
Function of Beauty is a certified vegan and cruelty-free brand that follow EU regulations on safe cosmetics and whose products are paraben, sulphate and gluten-free. As well as having hair care products they also sell body wash, body lotion and have recently launched a skincare range as well.
Their website states that their social mission is supporting women and girls in STEM and in 2020 they began working with the organisation GirlStart in order to support this mission of making STEM career paths more accessible to girls and women.
You can find out more about them on their website in terms of their packaging and sustainability efforts and take one of their quizzes to find the right product for you.
Toilet rolls is also an easy swap and there are an increasing number of brands available. Livvy orders from Who Gives a Crap, a company that sell tissues and paper towels as well as toilet roll, and who donate 50% of their profits to help build toilets in developing countries. I opted for Oceans as they are a cheaper brand that donates 25% of their profits to the Marine Conservation Society and both company’s toilet roll and packaging is 100% plastic-free, recyclable, responsibly sourced and sustainably made, so it doesn’t damage the oceans.
Sourcing second-hand bath toys is another easy swap to make, these dinosaurs (and the cheeky dragon hiding at the back) were an absolute steal having never even been played with before!
As always we recommend the vinted app or Facebook Marketplace for amazing preloved items but you can always ask around and see if you know anyone looking to pass on some unwanted bath toys.
Swaps that require a bit more effort:
Whilst sustainable brands who use recycled material are a great swap, why not go a step further and create your own homemade scrubs and lotions, that way you can guarantee that what you’re putting on your skin is natural, and with minimal waste. You can find a bunch of different recipes online and cater your creations to your personal preferences and skin type, making this swap even better.
Sanitary products are another area where you can make a big impact on the environment by making a sustainable swap; think of how many tampons and/or sanitary pads you use during your period… now multiply this number by the number of periods you get in a year – it adds up!
Reusable sanitary pads or a moon cup might be just the swap you’re looking for. The pads work exactly the same as their single-use counterpart, except they don’t contain plastic or contribute to landfill after use, instead they are simply washed and put away ready for the next time you need them. Moon cups are not something I have extensive knowledge about but what I do know is that many people find them hard to adjust to (from what I’ve been told it takes a fair bit of practice in order to feel comfortable and confident inserting them) and they come in varying sizes so do take that into consideration when ordering. Specific “period pants” are another option that are available, but not one that I know much about aside from their existence.
Shampoo bars are great as they usually come package free, or in recyclable brown paper, meaning your impact on the environment is minimal. What I will say with shampoo bars is that I think they are a great option for people with short and/or thin hair; now I have a lot of hair and it was waist-length at the time I trialled a shampoo bar and unfortunately I found that it became a tangled mess and required I use an insane amount of conditioner to untangle it, which somewhat defeats the point, so I made the switch back to bottled shampoo and conditioner. If a shampoo bar isn’t your jam but you dislike the idea of buying plastic containers each time you need a top-up then consider visiting a zero-waste shop; many of these have huge tubs of bathroom products and you can take your own containers and simply refill them.
To go with your sustainable toothbrush why not try toothpaste tablets instead of conventional toothpaste? We get ours from Lush and they come in a recyclable plastic container, so the waste is far less by comparison. You simply pop a tablet into your mouth and chew it until it dissolves, then begin brushing.
I found this one harder to adjust to than most swaps because the tablets don’t foam the way that pastes do, but after a bit of research I found out that this is actually down to the chemicals that companies add to a toothpaste specifically to make them foam because somewhere along the line we as consumers believed that’s what toothpaste should do – crazy right?
Once you get past the mental barrier it’s actually a nice easy swap, and also, I’m not sure everyone finds the lack of foam quite as bizarre as I did – please comment below if you’ve tried toothpaste tablets before and tell us what you think of them, I’m super intrigued to know.
Deodorant bars are another swap that make a big difference over time; just think how many empty canisters make their way to landfill each year. Aside from the environmental impact I also personally love the fact that these bars are far more natural and better for your skin, just be wary in the summertime as I once had a bar that began to melt – it’s best to keep your deodorant out of direct sunlight and in a cool place to avoid such a palaver.
Make-up remover cloths are another fantastic swap you can make and one that won’t break the bank. Our cloths were a gift from Mama Fox and came from either Superdrug or Poundland, in a pack of two, so very affordable in price, and they honestly work like magic! You don’t need any product or anything, simply run the cloth under warm water, give it a squeeze and wipe your face with it, watching as your make-up is effortlessly removed. Not only does this benefit the environment as you’re not using single-use wipes or cotton pads but you will also no longer need bottles of make-up removing products, so you’re saving on plastic as well as pennies spent. This is by far one of my favourite swaps and I rarely wear make-up, so someone who does so regularly could save serious money with this one!
Sustainable Bathroom Swaps:
- Bamboo toothbrushes
- Eco-friendly toothpaste
- Toothpaste tablets
- Plastic-free floss
- Sustainable safety razor
- Plastic-free cotton buds
- Shampoo bars
- Sustainable shampoo and conditioner brands
- Zero-waste shop shampoo, conditioner and soap
- Homemade scrubs and lotions
- Reusable make-up remover cloths
- Deodorant bars
- Reusable sanitary pads
- Moon cup
- Period pants
- Toilet roll
- Second-hand bath toys
As mentioned before, this is by no means an extensive list; we are still learning and trying new things, same as everyone else aiming to live a more sustainable lifestyle. Please share any of your bathroom swaps that we’ve missed below so that we can all be educated on this worthwhile topic. I hope this list has been somewhat helpful to you, if you have any questions please ask and I will try my best to provide an appropriate answer.
Happy swapping,
Summer and Livvy
