Since I’ve had more time for reading and contemplation these last few months I’ve been looking into “greener” options for a few more of the products I use. I mentioned a while back that I had made a few changes already- including reusable straws and laundry pods- but I wanted to up my game even more.
I did switch to bar form shampoo from Love Beauty and Planet. It’s sold at Target, is more economical than most I found online, and the one I use is specifically designated safe for color treated hair. which turned out to be a LOT more rare than I expected. I also found a “greener” air freshener originally online, but that is also available at Target for use in my laundry room/ cat room. And no, this is a not an ad for Target, that just happens to be where I can get these items locally. And getting things locally is better for the planet than having to get them delivered.
Based on my success with these items, I decided to keep looking for more. I looked at bamboo “paper” towels. For as cheap as bamboo is supposed to be those certainly aren’t, plus I kept reading that the average family is using a roll a week. Who are these people?? I don’t think I use a roll a month! So that was out. I looked at green cleaners. The ones in stores are usually in very small plastic bottles. If I have to dispose of two or three times as much plastic that kind of defeats the purpose. The ones online are either the same, or you have to buy their special bottles AND sign up for a subscription plan for refills. And some say you need to use them up in as little as 2 weeks! Who is going though an entire bottle of household cleaner in 2 weeks? So that was out too.
I next turned my attention to other health and beauty products. Love Beauty and Planet makes body wash! YAY! But it is only sold in very small bottles. BOO! Same with Raw Sugar, Method, and the other greener body washes I looked at (And yes, I know I should switch from a wash to bar soap, but I’m not ready for that just yet). Moving on. Cosmetics are one of the worst offenders with excess packaging/ plastic. So you would think that brands focused on better for you products would have better packaging, but you would be wrong. And, along with having just as much plastic they are also often sold in smaller volume containers. I’m guessing this is supposed to guard against sticker shock, but more waste is not better for anyone.
So I’m a bit stumped right now. I want to keep doing good things for this blue rock we all live on, but it’s not as easy as it looks. So again, I’m asking for your suggestions. What changes have your made to be more green? What did you try that didn’t work? Let’s all work together to make the planet greener!