Zero Waste Blog

I'm a huge fan of long soaks in the tub and always prefer a bath over a shower (I know - I'm weird!). If you're like me, you might enjoy having some lovely scent in your nightly soak as well! Adding a bath salts mix to a hot bath can really set my mood and help me fully relax after a stressful day at work. The Main Ingredient The most important part of any bath salts I create is the Epsom salts. I love including Epsom salts because of the therapeutic benefits they have on my

Unlike companies want you to believe, the tiny "recycle" symbol on the back of most deodorant sticks doesn't actually mean that you can recycle it. That symbol merely indicates the type of plastic that it is made of in case it can be recycled. In places like Portland and Seattle, for example, plastic deodorant sticks belong in the trash. Given that I put on deodorant (almost) every day, that can add up to a lot of plastic waste! Although there are mail-in programs for recycli

There are so many different types of lotions and moisturizers out there! This new one I've been trying out is not your standard liquid squeeze-bottle type lotion though. Instead, this lotion is actually solid and in the shape of a bar! Solid lotions are beneficial for a variety of reasons. One, if you travel a lot you don't have to worry about whether or not you are over the three ounce limit on your liquid lotion - it's a solid bar! Camping is also super easy because it can'

Your zero waste hair care routine is something that can take time to figure out. If you've been following me long enough, you've realized that I've tried a variety of products and plundered my way through experiments to see what my hair can handle. Unfortunately, I have really greasy hair and most of the bulk shampoos, DIY remedies, and shampoo bars haven't really done the trick (or have stopped working after a little while). Recently though, I've discovered a zero waste sham

Every winter the wind and rain do a number on my skin. My hands start to crack and my lips feel dry all the time! Thankfully a simple moisturizer can usually do the trick! This Hibiscus Rose Body Butter is has a fun twist on a traditional moisturizer, colored pink to brighten things up! If you're looking for a Valentine's Day gift for a friend or partner, this is a cute way of saying "I Love You!" as well! This recipe is really simple and easy to whip up in just a few minutes

Aloe Vera is a truly magical plant. It's gel is amazing for intestinal and gut health (I drank it a lot after messing my system up in Mexico a while back). It's also amazing for cuts, burns, sunburns, and bites. I also use use aloe vera as a main ingredient in my hand sanitizer. What you might not know though, is that aloe can be added to your moisturizer too! I love a good moisturizer recipe, especially ones that aren't too greasy and help heal any facial scabs I have going

There are many reasons to switch from a disposable razor to a safety razor. First off, you'll avoid throwing plastic in the landfill every couple months. You'll promote reusables over disposables. You'll save money! You'll improve your bathrooms aesthetic by using more metal, sleek products. All that being said though, I absolutely understand why a safety razor can be intimidating. This post contains affiliate links. Purchases made through the links earn us a small commission

We all know that feeling of putting up your hair only to have your hair tie snap, ricocheting off the wall and hurting your fingers. Unfortunately the same hair tie is also bound to hurt the planet too as it is headed for the landfill, made totally of plastic. For those of you that check my monthly waste audits, you will frequently see those broken hair ties in my trash. Until now. This post was sponsored by Kooshoo - they provided me with the hair ties to review free of char

DIY always seems like a fun option for skin care, house decor, or reinventing clothing. But what about makeup? Makeup is not the typical outlet for DIY’s as the final product may seem unrealistic or unusable. However, there are many DIY makeup recipes that work wonderfully and are extremely cost effective! Many people choose to make their own makeup for health reasons, being that totally organic, natural makeup that is affordable is hard to come by. Creating your own makeup c

Our hair, on average, grows six inches ever year. That means, depending on how often you cut it, you have a lot of hair to take care of! My hair has always been thick and straight, but strangely prone to tangling. When I gave up using disposable products, I needed to develop a zero waste hair care routine that would keep my hair happy and the landfill empty. Shampoo and Conditioner I absolutely fell in love with shampoo bars once I first started using them. I found that J.R.L

Sunburns are the absolute worst. Getting one is the fastest and easiest way to ruin a fun vacation and wind up laying in a bed unable to move. Not only a sunburns extremely painful, they also increase the risk of developing skin cancer. That is why it is super important that we stay safe when having fun in the sun! There are a variety of ways to keep yourself from getting sunburned that don't involve putting sunscreen on your skin. They are great options if you are able to ac

As anyone in a profession dealing with children knows, sometimes hand sanitizer can come in really handy. Now normally, I hate putting the Purell stuff on my hands because it kills off not only the bad bacteria, but the good bacteria too. If we are going to keep our immune systems working, we don't want to kill everything we come in contact with. What most people think of as hand sanitizer is labeled as "antibacterial" which means it actually kills what is on our hands whethe

It wasn't very long ago that the idea of using a bidet really freaked me out. When I was living abroad for a year in high school, my host family had one and I never used it - not once! So I don't blame you if you are also hesitant about installing a bidet in your bathroom. I think you'll find though that they are not quite as intimidating (or weird) as you might have thought. But why even use a bidet? Why not just keep using toilet paper? First, it doesn't actually use more w

Enjoy this guest post by Sania from The Smart Women Blog! Fall is here and so is dry, dull and itchy skin. With the change in weather, we must update our skincare routine and incorporate the right ingredients to mitigate the bad effects of the climate change on our skin. However, we do not always have the budget to invest in new skincare products. In such circumstances, you need not to fret and only head to the kitchen where you can make nice and fruity masks for brighter and

Have you been looking for alternatives to your cosmetic routine? This brief overview will give you a place to get started. If you want more detail on a certain item, follow my links to specific products or recipes. You can always email me for more information too! (Please note that although none of the mentioned brands have paid to be featured, some have sent me free samples to try. I only though recommend those that I truly love - sponsored or not!) BLUSH - Try combining bee

In honor of the completion of Plastic Free July, I've compiled a list of the thirty-one practices you should take up today to ditch plastic for good! How many of these do you already do? Tip #1: Don't rely on recycling! Relying on recycling doesn't always work in your favor. There is only a 30% recycling rate in the US and it is an energy intensive process. You can read more about why I don't think recycling is the answer in a separate post! Tip #2: Buy food without packaging

If you haven't heard about the microplastics in your body wash, it's time to do a little research. Many common bathroom products (especially body washes and facial scrubs) are filled with microplastics that act as an exfoliate. The problem with these tiny bits of plastic is that they don't degrade once sent down the drain. Animals like fish each them up thinking they are food and they build up in their stomachs. Many fish nowadays can be cut up to find plastic inside of them.

If you're anything like me, those horrible aerosol air fresheners in public bathrooms make your head hurt and start you sneezing like crazy! Aerosol cans are also nearly impossible to recycle and often times have to be disposed of in hazardous materials sites because of the pressure inside. At the same time, I'm not a fan of a stinky room either...To avoid spraying nasty fragrances in my own home, I've started making my own air freshener. You'll only need four ingredients to

This recipe has been a long time coming! I’ve tried many different mascara recipes all to no avail (and some burning eyes and smudgy marks!). Mascara is especially hard because you want it to be liquid when you put it on, dry hard after just a minute or two, not smear on your face, and come off easily at the end of the day. It can be a tall order to make something so complex using natural ingredients I can get in bulk! Just one example of how it looks when done wrong! After q

Setting Powder Ingredients: Cocoa Powder Corn Starch Start with mostly corn starch and add in pinches of cocoa powder at a time. For my complexion, I need very little cocoa powder and have to be careful not to add to much. Once you find the right mixture it gets easier and easier each time you mix it! Depending on your shade, you can also add in beet root powder or make an easy blush with corn starch and beet root powder alone! If you don't have corn starch or want an alterna