Take a peek inside your shower right now. Come on, do it. I’ll wait. If you haven’t been living a sustainable lifestyle so far you may notice that it’s full of plastic. A few hair care bottles, some body wash, maybe a body exfoliator or a loofah. These things all come in plastic bottles and loofahs are actually just straight-up plastic.
And more often than not these bottles cannot be recycled. Even if they could be, recycling isn’t the answer. So if you’re wanting to make your shower a little more green and eco-friendly you’ve come to the right place!
Sustainable Shower Swaps:
*This post contains affiliate links meaning I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you if you make a purchase using these links. Thanks for supporting alittlerosedust.com! See our full disclosure here.
1. Shampoo and conditioner
Let’s start with the most obvious and biggest swap. I don’t know about the rest of you but I used to go through shampoo and conditioner bottles so fast. I felt like I was constantly purchasing more and more bottles. Not only is that a lot of money but a lot of waste.
Plastic isn’t the only concern when it comes to liquid shampoo and conditioner, there’s other waste involved. Mainly the fact that they’re almost entirely made up of water. Not only does this mean you’re getting less product and going through bottles faster but it also takes more carbon emissions to ship since the water adds waste.
The sustainable swap would be shampoo and conditioner bars! These are some of my absolute favourites that I’ve tried. They’re basically solid shampoo and conditioner that’s able to be condensed since they don’t have all that excess water. A single bar can easily last 3-6 months and will save you so much money and waste!
Another option would be refillable shampoo and conditioner that comes in an infinitely recyclable aluminum tube! I prefer shampoo and conditioner bars but this is still a really solid and sustainable swap if you’re not quite ready for the bars yet.
Read: How to use a shampoo bar
2. Soap
The most sustainable swap for a body wash that comes in a plastic bottle is simply soap! Good old fashion bar soap. Package free or packaged in cardboard if you can find, because there are a lit of brands that will try and sell you are soap wrapped in plastic. One of my favourite soap brands is Buck Naked Soap Company. They make as you guessed it naked bars of soap in so many wonderful scents!
I also use bar soap as “shaving cream”. This completely eliminates the need for another product and another bottle that isn’t recyclable.
3. Loofah
As I mentioned before, traditional loofahs are made out of plastic. Not only that but they’re also not very hygienic. All those little folds and layers are a breeding ground for mould which isn’t safe for you to use on your boy or breathe in.
You could simply use a face cloth but if you’re looking for a little extra exfoliant try a natural loofah! It’s actually made from a plant so it’s plastic-free and 100% compostable at the end of its life! How cool is that?
4. Razor
Even if the razor you got at the drugstore is designed to be reused, it’s still most likely plastic. And because of this it’ll wear and won’t last forever. When your plastic razor inevitably goes, don’t rush to the drugstore to replace it. Switch to an all-metal safety razor instead! If cared for properly, they’re designed to last a lifetime!
Read: How to use a safety razor
These 4 simple sustainable shower swaps will make a world of a difference when it comes to reducing waste! You’re already using all of the products anyway so just take the extra step and make them sustainable products! As always it’s important to use up what you already have first before making any new swaps. Use up your shampoo and conditioner bottle, use your razor until it reaches the end of it’s life and then consider switching to these moe sustainable shower swaps!
As always, thank you for reading! Please don’t forget to share this post and follow me on Instagram for daily low waste living tips!
Leave a Reply