Field Trip: My Bathroom

SITE: The (Female) Bathroom
PURPOSE: Recognise the amount of plastic used by one person in the bathroom.
GOAL: Explore alternatives to plastic.

SHOWER PLASTIC INVENTORY:

3 regular bottles shampoo (regular, post show, post perm)
1 "jug" shampoo
1 bottle conditioner
2 body washes
2 body scrubs
1 face wash
1 shave lotion
1 disposable (for shame) razor
1 mesh shower poof thingy

COUNTER TOP PLASTIC INVENTORY:

3 tooth brushes (regular, travel, cleaning)
1 tube tooth paste
2 bottles hair product
1 face wash
1 bottle contact solution
1 tube neosporen
2 hair brushes
3 contact cases

MEDICINE CABINATE INVENTORY:

1 face wash (yes, another)
1 bottle moisterizer
2 bottles astringent
2 face masks (clay and peel)
1 face scrub (totally different than face wash)
1 stick deoderant
3 bottles contact solution (I don't really know how that happened)
1 bottle eye make-up remover
3 bottles pain killers
3 contact cases

MISCELLANEOUS:

21 bottles lotions, product, vitamins, etc.
1 "jug" bubble bath
3 lids on none plastic containers
countless cosmetics, including but not limited to eye liner, lipstick, chap stick, mascara, powder, blush, bronzers, shimmers, and shadows
3 curling irons
1 straight iron
1 set hot rollers
1 spray bottle
disposable contacts all stored in plastic
other crap


Ok. I can make all the excuses I want--they were gifts. It's been in there for years. I need it for theatre--it doesn't change the fact that I'm eventually going to have to throw it out (or recycle the 1 and 2).

How do we go about solving this? Well, what became blaring clear to me as I took this inventory is to STOP BEING SO EFFING VAIN!! Good gracious! How many products does one person need?

Ok, now that we solved about half the problem, let's take a closer look, keeping in mind I'm well aware that it's less convenient (that is, after all, why we use plastic), and a little more costly, but the links I'm giving are rather reasonable. Not to mention, the products are all natural (i.e. better for you), and saving the planet is kinda worth it.

THE SHOWER:

*shampoo: use a SHAMPOO BAR. It works as both shampoo and conditioner. Go here: http://chagrinvalleysoapandcraft.com/shambar.htm
*body wash: USE SOAP! Freakin' a. You can get fancy kinds or just buy dove. It comes in a box.
*body scrub: good ol' LOOFAH. you can even get loofah and soap in one (http://www.hydrasoap.com/loofahsoap.asp), or you could MAKE A SALT SCRUB(http://www.pretendingsanity.com/projects/salt_scrub.html)
*face wash: soap
*shave gel: Fill a small spritz bottle (yeah, it's plastic, but get a sturdy one and it'll last for years) with COCONUT OIL. It's a great moisturizer, and you can get it at Vitamin Cottage in a glass jar. You can also use it for your salt scrub.
*disposable razor: ok, all I have for this is buy a reusable razor. Aside from waxing or going al natural, I don't know how to do this with out plastic. Any suggestions?
*mesh shower poof thingy: Wash cloth or a SOAP SACK (http://chagrinvalleysoapandcraft.com/accessories.htm)

COUNTER TOP:

*tooth brush: WOODEN with natural bristles (http://www.caswellmassey.com/jump.jsp?itemType=PRODUCT&itemID=372)
*tooth paste: A little extreme, but...MAKE YOUR OWN(http://www.bathandbodyrecipes.com/tip.php?tipid=41)
*hair product: Ah, vainity. Use less.
*brush: Wooden with natural bristles...once the current ones die.
*contacts: This is a hard one, considering the contacts themselves are made of plastic. Since lasik surgery isn't in the near future, I'll just have to commit to WEARING MY GLASSES more to make the solution and the contacts last as long as possible.

MEDICINE CABINATE

Ok, I could load up on a bunch of recipes for creams and toners (http://www.bathandbodyrecipes.com/index.php), most of which are hard to make with out using products that come in plastic, or I could just say, BE REASONABLE.
*deoderant: Natrual, no plastic (http://usa.lush.com/cgi-bin/lushdb/catzoom.html?mv_arg=Deodorants&expand=Closeup)
*eye make up remover: Coconut oil should work, any oil for that matter...
*pain killers: I know I should just not use them, but SOMETIMES A GIRL JUST NEEDS AN IBUPROFEN. Any suggestions?

MISCELLANEOUS:

*lotion: LOTION BARS (http://chagrinvalleysoapandcraft.com/lotbar.htm)
*styling contraptions: BUY QUALITY and only what you need.
*cosmetics: I'm at a stand still here. It just comes in plastic. ANY SUGGESTIONS?

I've only tried a handfull of what's here (gotta use what I have first), but I'll keep you updated as long as you do the same. Also, any tips of your own are greatly appreciated.

GO PLANET