My Zero Waste Bathroom

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Bathrooms tend to be overcrowded with all sorts of lotions and potions. Do we really need all this stuff? Check out my zero waste bathroom!

I want to start by addressing the term, zero waste.

Does anyone else feel like this term in unattainable? 

I use it because it is the keyword for what I want to discuss, but I much prefer low waste as an alternative.

A zero waste bathroom can be very scary for many people, mainly because of one key item – TOILET PAPER!  Today I am going to talk about my low waste/zero waste bathroom and am NOT going to tell you to give up toilet paper.

Family cloth or cloth wipes has its place, but that is not being discussed today.  If you want me to discuss cloth wipes as a zero waste bathroom alternative to toilet paper, please let me know in the comments below.

Oral Hygiene

When you think about oral hygiene, a lot of plastic probably comes to mind.

Floss is plastic and comes in plastic containers.  Toothpaste filled will all sorts of chemicals packaged in plastic.  Toothbrushes made mostly of PLASTIC!

While this kind of plastic is better than single-use, disposable plastics, there are better alternatives out there if a zero waste bathroom is your goal.

I, personally, use a commercially available toothpaste and a bamboo toothbrush.  My floss choice is still not a low waste option as I have not found one that fits my needs as of yet.  I am open to recommendations so let me know what you like!

Bamboo Toothbrushes

There are many different bamboo toothbrushes on the market.

I purchased the Brush Naked from Amazon and have been very pleased with it.  This is the first brand of bamboo toothbrush I have tried.  It feels like great quality and I love the texture of the bristles.  Some toothbrushes, bamboo or plastic, can be too firm or too soft for my liking.  A medium stiffness toothbrush is what I prefer, and this brush certainly is that.  It feels great when being used.

There are plenty of other brands available as well.  Here is a link to many different brands on Amazon so you can compare these toothbrushes for yourself.

Toothpaste

I have experimented with many different kinds of toothpaste that are a more natural product and lower waste.

Currently, I am using Nelson’s Natural charcoal toothpaste, as shown above, once a week.  Nelson’s Natural has plenty of other flavours as well as non-charcoal toothpaste.  I like this company because they are proudly plastic free and are a Canadian company.

Earthpaste is another brand of toothpaste that I like.  I use Earthpaste daily.  My 10-year-old son has actually claimed my Earthpaste as his own, so I need to purchase another for my bathroom.  I wish that Earthpaste had a package that fit better with my zero waste bathroom, but it is what it is.

This is all about improving yourself.  I feel better about putting this toothpaste into my mouth and into the water system as opposed to some more popular toothpaste options.

Another option for toothpaste is to make your own!  I will be experimenting with DIY Toothpaste and if you want to follow along with the journey, subscribe to our mailing list so you never miss a post!

Zero Waste Bathroom Soap

I love homemade soap.

Flat out, no lies.  It is fantastic.

I have struggled with dry skin and eczema on my hands for years, especially when I worked full-time in a salon.  My skin was cracking, sore, and just not pretty.

One day, my friend traded me some homemade soap for some fabric I had.  From that moment on, I was hooked.  Cold process soap, for my skin, has been a life changer.  Sure, I still have flare-ups on my skin, but nowhere near as bad or as frequent as they used to be.

When I discovered the low waste movement, I was happy to know that my soap was not another plastic ridden product that I needed to swap out to achieve a zero waste bathroom.

Is homemade soap perfectly low waste?  Of course not.

I love making my own soap or supporting soap artisans because I feel it is a lot more sustainable than commercially, mass-produced soaps.  Many soap artisans buy their oils and products in bulk, which reduces the packaging needed to create their products.  Many also package their products in low waste ways, like in cardboard boxes.  My friend sold her soap with a simple paper band around it – no plastic.

If you want to make your own soap, I highly recommend SoapQueen or Soaping101 as beginner resources.

Perhaps you do not want to make your own soap, that is perfectly understandable.  It is a complicated process with a lot to learn.  If this is the case, two of my favourite soap artisans are Holly from Missouri River Soap and Ariane from La Fille De La Mer.

Personal Care Items

There are many different personal care items that can be swapped with low waste alternatives in your zero waste bathroom.

My top 3 are a dry brush, foot file, and a loofah sponge.

Dry Brush

Dry brushing is said to exfoliate skin, improve circulation, detoxify, and other health benefits.

In terms of low waste, my dry brush mainly replaces all the products designed to exfoliate the skin.

There are so many disposable products designed to exfoliate the skin.  From lotions and potions with chemicals and harsh additives to plastic handled dry brushes and other tools designed to do the job.

As someone with sensitive skin, I struggled to find an exfoliation solution that worked but didn’t irritate my skin.  I also wanted a more natural alternative to some of the products on the drug store shelf.  Once I discovered dry brushing, I have never gone back.

My skin feels so much healthier and it also does not produce any waste!  Plus, dry brushing just feels fantastic to do.

Wooden Foot File

There are many different foot files on the market.  Electric ones that do the work for you, plastic ones, and wooden ones.  There might be others but these are the ones I am familiar with.

I remember being in cosmetology school and the teacher specifically telling us that you could call this a pedi paddle, foot paddle, foot file, but never a pedi file. lol

I love my wooden foot file because it is very sturdy, plus it is not made of plastic!  My foot file is double-sided, which allows for different levels of abrasives depending on your needs.  With the wooden handle, you can really put some pressure behind the tool when giving yourself a pedicure at home for the best possible results.

I have seen some calloused feet and, in all honesty, my feet are not terrible by any means.  But that being said, even I have broken plastic files in the past before I became plastic wise and switched away from purchasing plastic for my low waste life and zero waste bathroom.  I like a product that feels sturdy in my hand when I am using it, and that is exactly what this foot file is.

Loofah Sponge

This might be one of my favourite zero waste bathroom swaps – the loofah sponge!

A loofah actually comes from a gourd, making it the most environmentally conscious item on my list today.

I wish I lived in a climate where I could grow my own loofah gourds so that I could harvest my own sponges, but instead I just have to buy them.  You can buy them almost anywhere – I have even seen them at grocery stores.

Instead of using a colourful, plastic loofah, choose a natural loofah.  They exfoliate better and I love how clean they make my skin feel.

I have an assortment of loofahs in my home.  The one in the picture is kept in my shower.  I love it for larger areas of my body and use it in combination with my homemade soap.  I also have a loofah that I embedded in melt and pour soap for an extra scrubby bar of soap which I use after being in the garden or after a day in the woods.  One thing I recently discovered, which isn’t related to a zero waste bathroom, is that you can use a loofah to wash your dishes in the kitchen!  It seems so obvious now that I know it is a great tool for that job, but one I never thought of before.

Menstrual Products

Menstrual products, for many people, consist of single-use, disposable products.  These products are made of plastics and chemicals.  They can be potentially dangerous to our bodies as well as harmful to the environment.

If you are a menstruating human, I highly recommend looking into the world of reusable menstrual products.

I use a combination of cloth pads and menstrual cups.  That is my personal preference.  There are other items out there, and if you would like me to do a whole blog post just about a low waste period, let me know!

I am not ashamed to talk about my period.  As a woman, it is something that I deal with and it is just a fact of life.

Cloth Pads

There are many different brands of cloth pads on the market.  My stash mainly consists of homemade pads, pads that I have bought off of different sites (like Etsy or Amazon), or Tree Huggers Cloth Pads.

Tree Hugger Cloth Pads is a Canadian brand that I absolutely love to support.  It has been years since I bought my first Tree Hugger pad and they are still working great and looking great!  Crystal is such an amazing person who created this amazing brand.  Their products are great and I can’t speak of them highly enough.  If you are looking to buy cloth pads, definitely check out Tree Hugger Cloth Pads.

This video is almost embarrassingly old, I really should update it, but here is my review of Tree Hugger Pads.

Believe it or not, all the items pictured are ones that I use frequently and have owned for many years.  They are perfectly clean and a great addition to any zero waste bathroom!

Cloth menstrual pads snap around your undergarments and you change them just like you would a disposable pads.  They are a lot more comfortable than disposable pads and also do not have that weird smell that disposable pads have.

I would love to do a Q&A about cloth menstrual pads, please DM me on Instagram if you have any questions!  @NourishingParenting

Menstrual Cups

If you have a heavy period, I highly recommend you try a menstrual cup.  Even if you do not have a heavy flow, try one out!

Menstrual cups improved my life dramatically.  For years, I had severely heavy periods.  Before reusable products, I would use a pad AND tampon just to be able to make it through class.  With a menstrual cup, I do not need to worry about my period if I won’t be able to get to a bathroom in an hour or two.

Besides the functionality, menstrual cups are a great alternative if you are looking for environmentally friendly period products.  Menstrual cups can be reused for years and years.

There are many different brands.  So far I have tried the DivaCup (which was my first brand I tried) and the Lunette Cup.  I hope to try other brands in the future, but so far my experience with menstrual cups has been nothing but positive.

I hope you loved these ideas for a zero waste bathroom.

Reducing our waste, even one product at a time can help to improve life on our planet.  Protecting our environment is so important.  These plastic-free items can also be better for your health than the plastic items they replace.

I hope I have inspired you to take a step towards living a more low waste lifestyle, even if it is just a small one.

Remember that every little step counts and that if everyone made one small change, the impact would be dramatic.

Please share with all your friends and let them know that you are taking the steps to live a better life!