Farmers Market and bulk bin scores!
Going plastic free has gotten easier in a few ways as I establish new routines. For example: food shopping is at the farmers market, the bulk bin, and a few other items that come in cans and jars. I had a delicious leek, squash soup that Ive never tried before. Its definitely work to start new patterns but once they are established it feels much easier then at the beginning.
I bought, and am using, my first shampoo bar! Honestly, my hair felt a little greasy the first few days but now it just feels think and hydrated (on the description it says it takes 3 weeks to adapt but for me it was much faster). I love the actual experience of using it, its so different than I expected in that the lather is super foamy. I expected it to be like a bar of soap and have no lather! Im excited to try the conditioner bar too. The brand I bought is: rocktopsoap.com. I also tried some products by a seller on Etsy that are plastic free and come in cardboard and tin. I never knew one could buy chapstick, lipgloss and lipstick that comes in cardboard! I’m so excited and like these products a lot. The face cream is nice too but the tinted moisturizer is made out of cocoa (and smells like it), which turns out I don’t like. And, the hair mouse makes my hair a greesy mess. Its made out of Shea butter. I have to keep searching for products that will work for me in those ways. Its clearly a trial and error process.
I’ve also been using the same piece of floss for a week at a time. I was at first wondering if this is sanitary, but when I think about my toothbrush being rinsed off and reused after brushing I decided that rinsing and reusing floss after use was no different. I might see how long it lasts before it tears.
I made my own toothpaste which was super easy with equal parts baking soda and coconut oil. I used the coconut oil from Trader Joes that comes in a glass jar. The taste is salty from the baking soda, so I’m getting used to that. But my teeth feel so clean! Honestly, way cleaner than store bought toothpaste.
I still have things I need to figure out as I run out of products that are packaged in plastic. The 30 days Plastic Free Challenge is a good time to really focus on finding new products and creating new habits. I imagine my brain cells working to reach out to each other..and the moment they make that little connection everything just gets easier :).
Challenges are abundant: my plastic free products came with tape on the package which Im pretty sure would contain plastic? Bummer. How to get around that? Honestly not sure as I’m probably not going to stop shopping online completely, and my local stores don’t carry plastic free items. I think the key is approaching it like a detective solving a problem. It’s not about guilt, it’s about inspiration to create a better world, one choice at a time.
Toothpaste with ingredients I already had on the shelf.
Shopping for spice refills in the bulk area.