Discover the zero waste bathroom swaps you need to make your bathroom more eco-friendly – including zero waste toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo, cosmetics, period products & more.
Go take a look in your bathroom waste basket. No really! Humor me for a minute and go take a look!
Some of the things in your bathroom trash may include used cotton balls and Q-tips, an empty toothpaste tube, a disposable razor, used tampons and pads (ewwww! I know, sorry!), empty plastic deodorant containers, pumps from lotion bottles, plastic wrappers and more.
Hopefully you recycle, but think about all that stuff too: plastic shampoo bottles and face cream jars, cardboard packaging from products, plastic lids etc….
All those bathroom essentials add up to a pretty big pile of trash and recycling each month – and much of it is avoidable!
Zero Waste – Why It Matters
As I’ve mentioned in other articles about reducing waste, zero waste is more of an aspirational goal than an actual fact. Zero waste is a shift in mindset that helps us evaluate what we buy and bring into our homes in terms of its effect on the planet. The end result is a lot less trash and that’s a good thing no matter how imperfect you are in meeting your zero waste goals!
By focusing on making zero waste swaps whenever you can – whether it’s in the bathroom, kitchen, laundry room or on-the-go, you’ll be helping to keep plastic out of the oceans and reducing the amount of garbage in landfills and incinerators. Less demand for stuff = lower pollution and fewer greenhouse gasses – and we know this planet needs our help with this!
Zero Waste Bathroom Essentials
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So….getting back to the bathroom and all that waste. Let’s explore some of the zero waste swaps we can make to make our bathrooms more eco-friendly.
You’ll be surprised at how easy it is to make the switch to low or zero waste bathroom essentials – from personal care and showering, to cosmetics and women’s monthly needs. Some minor product swaps and a change in habit is all it takes for you to become a zero waste bathroom rockstar!
Zero Waste Bathroom Essentials – Personal Care
Your daily personal care routine can be more eco-friendly by switching from disposable to reusable, and from plastic to more sustainable materials.
Toothbrush – Instead of a plastic toothbrush, switch to a biodegradable bamboo toothbrush. You can even send them to the city compost if you cut off the head first – the bristles are not compostable.
Toothpaste – Instead of a non-recyclable tube of toothpaste, switch to a toothpaste powder in a reusable tin, toothpaste bits (I need to try these!) or homemade toothpaste in a reusable jar.
Dental Floss – Instead of traditional floss in a plastic box, switch to Dental Lace, a biodegradable dental floss in a refillable glass container.
Razors – Instead of disposable razors, switch to a reusable razor and just switch out the blades, or a try a sharpenable, straight-edge razor. My fav is Preserve, made from recycled plastic.
Deodorant – Instead of deodorant in the traditional plastic packaging (non-recyclable), switch to a deodorant cream in a glass container that can be reused or recycled. Better yet, make your own homemade deodorant! Fav brand: Schmidt’s deodorant cream
Brushes – Instead of plastic brushes and combs, switch to wood versions that are nicer to use and easier on your hair.
Zero Waste Bathroom Essentials for the Shower
Imagine a shower without any plastic bottles – believe it or not, it’s possible!
Soap – Instead of shower gel in a plastic bottle, switch to bar soap. Better yet, buy soap without any packaging – available at some natural food stores and Whole Foods.
Shampoo – Instead of shampoo in a plastic bottle, switch to a shampoo bar or dry shampoo. Or refill your shampoo bottle at your local co-op!
Conditioner – Instead of conditioner in a plastic bottle, switch to conditioner bar (on my must try list!) or use an apple cider vinegar (ACV) rinse, or condition your hair post shower with a tiny bit of organic coconut oil or argan oil.
Zero Waste Bathroom Essentials – Skin Care & Cosmetics
Skin care and makeup typically involves plenty of garbage including cotton balls, single-use wipes and product packaging. Let’s see how we can reduce that!
Body Lotion – Instead of lotion in a plastic bottle, switch to a lotion bar. Or refill your lotion bottle at your local co-op.
Face Moisturizer – Instead of moisturizer in a plastic bottle, switch to products in glass jars that can be reused. (I reuse small glass jars for my own DIY beauty products!) Current fav: DermaE
Lip Balm – Instead of lip balm in a plastic container (non-recyclable), switch to lip balm in a plastic-free cardboard tube or make homemade lip balm in a reusable tin.
Cosmetics – Instead of makeup in mostly plastic containers (non-recyclable), switch to makeup in cardboard, glass, metal or wood containers. Favorite brands include: RMS Beauty & Elate
Makeup Remover – Instead of disposable makeup remover cloths or cotton balls, switch to reusable makeup remover pads. My homemade makeup remover in a repurposed glass bottle is also great!
Cleansing Cloths – Instead of disposable face wipes, switch to reusable muslin cleansing cloths. Perfect for wiping off my homemade cleansing balm!
Zero Waste Bathroom Essentials – Women’s Period Needs
Your monthly period is always gonna be a bit messy and awkward, but it doesn’t have to be so wasteful.
Menstrual Cups – Instead of traditional tampons that go in the trash and may contain harmful chemicals, switch to a reusable menstrual cup. Popular brands include: DivaCup and Lena.
Reusable Pads – Instead of traditional menstrual pads made with plastic and fragrance, switch to reusable cloth pads.
Period Panties – Instead of risking a leak in your undies, switch to reusable period panties for backup and medium to light flow days.
Zero Waste Bathroom Essentials – Cleaning Products
Cleaning the bathroom can be a wasteful endeavor as well but it’s easy to switch to more eco-friendly options.
Bathroom Cleaner – Instead of using cleaning products in plastic bottles, switch to a naturally derived brand that is refillable or make your own homemade cleaning products.
Toilet Cleaner – Instead of using toxic toilet bowl cleaner, switch to a safer toilet bowl cleaner and supplement with my homemade fizzy toilet bombs, so you won’t have to clean so often!
Cleaning Cloths – Instead of disposable paper towels, switch to reusable paperless towels or use old t-shirts as rags for cleaning.
What are your favorite zero waste bathroom products?
Tammy Ford says
Wow that was interesting.. my favorite is the women’s period needs; menstrual cups especially. Also those in personal care. It’s nice to know that there are so many ways to easily switch into zero-waste. I love your blog!
Megann Eichner says
Those are such great ideas! Thank you! I totally agree with Thrive Market! I have gotten such great deals there, even things for my dog! I definitely want to try the fizzy toilet bombs!
Micaela says
So glad to hear you love Thrive Market! We have a new puppy so I need to check out their dog stuff! Hope you love the fizzy toilet bombs! I need to make a new batch!
Shelby @Fitasamamabear says
I don’t have a bamboo brush! How have I overlooked this? Thanks for the reminder!
Micaela says
You’re welcome! Of course no need to throw something out if it is still working for you!