beauty:design:life

In my never-ending efforts toward a greener lifestyle, I've all but eradicated plastic from my shower. And it was surprisingly easy!

To be honest, I never really considered the environmental impact of using products in plastic bottles until last summer, when my mom, tired of constantly throwing away plastic bottles, decided to stop buying body wash and switch to bar soap. "But I recycle plastic bottles," you're probably thinking. And I commend you for that, of course, but plastic recycling is not as efficient or eco-friendly as we would like to think (you can read more information about plastic and recycling here). So, really, the best way to reduce the impact of plastic bottles on the environment is to buy less of them.

So I made the switch to soap.

 

Buying bar soap is actually kind of fun. There are so many delicious-smelling soaps around, and it's easy to find soap that is locally-made from eco-friendly products that are good for your skin (check farmer's markets or local gift shops). A few of my favorite national products are Toms of Maine Daily Moisture Beauty Bar, Trader Joe's Oatmeal and Honey Soap, and the heavenly Archipelago Pomegranate Body Soap (which I got in my January Birchbox!)

 

 

 

 

After tackling body wash bottles, I moved on to shampoo. I had read about Lush's bar shampoos but was a little freaked out by them, to tell the truth. But after I bought and started using the Seanik Shampoo Bar, I was afraid no more.  It is easy to use, lasts forever (I'm going on 2+ months of daily use and still have about half the bar left), and leaves my hair soft, shiny, and healthy. Win, win.

If you use this, I highly recommend getting a wire soap rack - unless, of course, you want to turn your bathtub bright blue...

What about you? Do you think you could make your shower plastic-free?