Eco-Friendly Personal Care – Powerful Daily Green Habits I Adopted for an Eco-Friendly Lifestyle – Series 6

Welcome to part 6 of my Daily Green Habits series.

Another key area of improvement is “Eco-Friendly Personal Care”.

Over the past few posts, I have provided alternate solutions to most products that generate the maximum amount of plastic waste. In my opinion, I can’t completely avoid plastic but can surely reduce the amount.

We generate a lot of plastic waste as part of our personal care routine and it has become unimaginable. Most of our landfills and waterways are filled with used toothbrushes, plastic bottles etc. Most of these plastic products can be easily replaced by natural eco-friendly products.

In this post, I am going to explain the changes I have made to reduce my plastic waste as I started following eco-friendly personal care routine.

Our daily bathroom habits, from brushing our teeth to selecting hygiene products, often contribute significantly to environmental waste, especially when you consider the disposable nature of many personal care items. In this post, I’ll be sharing the practical steps I’ve taken to minimize my impact, focusing on sustainable alternatives for everyday bathroom essentials like toothbrushes, Shampoo and Conditioners.

These changes are quite easy to implement as I have implemented them in my life. I am proud to say that my personal care routine generate minimum amount of plastic waste. These changes have a noticeable difference in reducing plastic waste and supporting a greener planet.

I am going to repeat please start with one small change. Stick with it until it becomes part of your routine, and then move on to the next. Starting on too many changes at once can be overwhelming and generally ends in burnout. If you start with one small habit, it’s much more manageable and won’t disrupt your daily life. Take a look at the posts, see what resonates with you, and start with the change that fits your lifestyle best.

Several of my friends have asked me the same question “How to make powerful daily green habits a part of your routine?”. I gave them the exact practice I followed, start small but be consistent. Consistency is the only way to turn anything into a habit. It will feel like a painful chore in the beginning but soon it will become a part of your daily life. Without you realizing it you have formed a green eco-friendly habit and doing your bit to save the environment.

Daily Green Habits – 6th Change I made for an Eco-Friendly Personal Care

We all have seen our homes and society’s rubbish bins overflowing with plastic bottles, toothbrushes etc. This is a common scene in almost every household as we all humans needs products for personal hygiene.

Powerful Daily Green Habits I Adopted for an Eco-Friendly Lifestyle – Series 5

Eco-friendly skincare – Powerful Daily Green Habits I Adopted for an Eco-Friendly Lifestyle – Series 7

Swap plastic toothbrushes with Bamboo toothbrushes

The first plastic toothbrush was made almost a century ago and its still exists somewhere on earth. Imagine the number of toothbrushes disposed of till now. I don’t need to tell you the number or show the picture. Your imagination is enough.

But still, we all need toothbrushes to clean our teeth. This is a constant need for our personal care routine for decades. We can’t think of getting rid of this most important item. I will not dare to do the same and neither I will ask you to do so.

But I have changed my plastic toothbrushes to bamboo toothbrushes for the last 6+ years. I tried it by myself and after using it for almost 6 months, I completely stopped buying plastic toothbrushes for the entire family.

My partner likes to replace his toothbrush every month or so, and I was getting frustrated just by seeing so many toothbrushes in my trash bin. But after I had replaced the plastic with bamboo toothbrushes, we just cut the front part of the toothbrush, and remaining handle goes into my garden.

Here is the picture of my pot which has composed at least 50-70 toothbrushes in the past few years. My partner who is responsible for gardening was hesitant in the beginning to put toothbrushes in the garden and I think it was a very valid concern as I didn’t want all the hard work to go for a waste.

So we agreed to test it on a small pot for 6 months and even after putting several toothbrushes in the pot, the flowers were growing well and there was no negative impact, we both agreed to put the toothbrushes in other pots, and the garden. Jokes apart, this has brought us closer that I at least participate in gardening even to just put the toothbrushes 😊

But jokes apart, this is one of the excellent changes you can make without putting in any effort. Just be conscious while buying. You can always buy in bulk like I generally buy at least 20-30 toothbrushes together and they last easily for more than a year.

I and my entire family have been using bamboo toothbrushes for almost 8 years. We have tried few brands but our favorite is “Eco-Friendly Bamboo Toothbrush- Goacyer“ which I buy from Amazon. I am very happy with the quality of this product and delivery service.

• Eco-Friendly Personal Care – These Goacyer Bamboo toothbrushes are made with the finest Mao bamboo, which is biodegradable and sustainable. Even their packaging is 100% biodegradable and compostable.

• Eco-friendly Personal Care – I like their design a lot, especially since my younger one has managed to hold the handle since she was a baby. These are safe even for kids as they are splinter-proof.
• Eco-friendly Personal Care – These toothbrushes don’t have any glue/paint/dyes or other chemicals, so very safe to use. The handle is reusable in arts & crafts, You can decorate the toothbrush handles according to your preferences. I am not much into art and crafts so all my toothbrush handles go straight to my pots for a green compost.
• Another good part is that these are available in 5 different colors so all of us can choose our favorite color and no more confusion.

Let all of us live more sustainably in eco-friendly way. Together we can save Our Planet. There is more than 2.5 billion disposable plastic toothbrushes that end up in oceans and landfills every year, The bamboo toothbrush good for the environment, They robust and long lasting, the best eco friendly gifts. We hope you will love your new bamboo toothbrushes！

If you would like to read more about bamboo toothbrushes and toilet paper, you can check out my post – 2 Essential Sustainable Bath Products for an Eco-Friendly Revolution.

Swap Shampoo & Conditioner Plastic bottles to Shampoo & Conditioner Bars

Many people will say that they wash these bottles and ensure to put it in recycle but we all know the state of recycling everywhere in the world. Even the most developed country like the USA recycles only a small percentage of total plastic waste generated. So, in my opinion, if I can help in reducing plastic waste that’s much better than recycling.

I don’t have any pictures to post from my home as I stopped using plastic bottle-packed shampoo and conditioners a few years ago. Since I stopped using it, my entire family also moved to using shampoo, and conditioner bars. Together we used to use almost 1-2 bottles of shampoo and conditioners in a month. All these plastic bottles are being saved as we only buy bars that come without any plastic packaging and don’t have any residue left so no wastage of any kind.

But I took a photo at my friend’s house and I was not surprised to see that she had a few bottles in the trash bin like most of the other houses. After clicking on the picture, she was very interested to know why am I taking a picture of her trash bin, don’t I have the same trash bin at home? When I told her about my sustainable lifestyle, she was quite surprised.

At that time, I didn’t have blog posts or written content and I could only speak about her. She insisted that I write my personalized blog post with my experiences. We had multiple discussions as she was behind me to start writing and I was not comfortable as I didn’t know that there was so much, I could write about these small changes and it would have an impact on people’s lives.

Some of my favorite brands are listed below. I try not to use the same brand continuously mainly because of my younger one. She is very choosy and gets bored very soon. If there is no variety, she might just skip washing her hair…. typical lazy behavior I would say.

Ethique

With over 71% of 5-star ratings on Amazon, this is one of the very popular choices in the USA. This is suitable for all hair types and it works well in all climates but needs to be stored in a dry place to prevent the bar from dissolving.

• I and everyone in my family like a shampoo that has a great lather, this is like a must-have requirement for us. Ethique passed this test with flying colors.
• I have researched several conditioner bars and Ethique uses fairly traded cocoa butter & coconut oil which is good for us and sustainable for the environment too.
• It provides excellent value for money. Each shampoo and conditioner bar lasts for around 60-70 washes for me but my younger one has amazing capabilities to finish it in 30-40 washes. This is equivalent to almost three bottles of liquid shampoo and liquid conditioner!
• It comes free from plastic packaging instead it comes with recyclable, home-compostable packaging. Simply tear up the box and pop it in your compost bin or bury it in your garden to return nutrients to the soil. I have done it several times and my garden is flourishing

Another tip to make shampoo and conditioner bar last long is to keep them dry after using.

I generally buy the combined package of eco-friendly shampoo and conditioner from Amazon and it lasts almost for 2-3 months.

Lush

No plastic, no packaging, no brainer! – My Favorite brand.

A very well-known brand in the field of eco-friendly, vegan world. They have almost all the skin care products available. I have been using Lush shampoo bars for the past several years and I just love them. I don’t even need to use any conditioner post shampooing my hair.

They have over 20+ different types of shampoos available to meet all your needs. You can take your pick. The best part of Lush Products at least the ones I have used is that they don’t come in any kind of plastic packaging. I have tried quite a few Lush shampoo bars and I can say with confidence that they are made and packed entirely in eco-friendly material.

Cost of a small shampoo bar is around 20$ and it easily lasts around 2 months which turns out to be pretty cost-effective. The only issue I have found is that this product is not available on Amazon though they have their website and you can buy directly from there.

Though I have tried several of Lush shampoo and conditioner bars, my all-time favorite is “Angel Hair Shampoo Bar”. The main reason for my preference is that I don’t need to use any conditioner post using this shampoo bar. It doesn’t make my hair dry and neither leave them oily.

I am quite lucky as they have a store very near to my New York office and I generally pick up from there directly. Though I miss out on the online offers somehow, I feel very satisfied buying from the shop. I think, I secretly like going there because it smells amazing with all the natural products kept in the open and several people trying them out.

If you would like to know more about other eco-friendly personal care brands, you can check out my post 7 Amazing Eco-Friendly Shampoos and conditioners for Luxurious Hair.

Another good thing I like about these eco-friendly personal care products is that they don’t have as many chemicals as other off the shelf products, which is good for our health too.

I would recommend you to try both the eco-friendly personal care brand products and take the call according to your hair type. This will be an investment in your health and environment for long term.

Over the past decade, I’ve been trying to make my lifestyle eco-friendly and sustainable for the environment. But it’s very recently that I have started documenting these small steps. The difference in the amount of plastic waste I produce now compared to back then is truly noticeable. Every time I have to the trash out, I am amazed at the reduction in the amount.

What I share here isn’t just theory; it’s based on products and practices that I’ve tried and tested myself over the years. This is what makes my recommendations authentic and practical—because I only stand behind what I’ve experienced firsthand.

I have asked my friends why they want me to document my sustainable lifestyle journey when you can easily find much more content on the internet, you just need to google it. The only answer I got from all of them was that information on the internet doesn’t sound authentic or personal while when you talk about it, we can feel the passion so we are sure that the products recommended by you are authentic.

I understand that this is just the view of my friends as they have seen the change in my lifestyle very closely but I do hope that all my readers will find the content authentic and useful.

I don’t want anyone to feel pressured to adopt a perfectly green lifestyle all at once, but there’s no better time to start making these shifts than now. With each small step, you’ll find that living sustainably becomes more natural and effortless.

This journey is about making progress, not achieving perfection, and I’m here to share what has worked for me in the hopes that it might inspire and assist you as well.

I warmly invite you to share your own inspiring and powerful daily green habits that contribute to a healthier planet in the comments section below. I believe that we can all learn from each other, and I’m genuinely eager to hear about the eco-friendly practices you’ve been following. Your experiences could offer fresh perspectives and practical tips for everyone in this community, including myself. Every single day, I make it a point to seek out new ways to reduce waste and minimize my environmental footprint, with the ultimate goal of leaving this planet better than I found it. By sharing our knowledge and habits, we can collectively make a greater impact.

You can read our other posts here.

FAQ

I always feel more comfortable reading any post if I get answers to the most frequently asked questions also on the same page. That’s the reason I try my best to answer as many questions as possible in my posts. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions I found on Google, pls read on.

• What is green personal care products?
  • The term green beauty refers to the beauty products that are sourced, produced, and packaged ethically and sustainably, that’s kind to the planet. The term ethical means to use natural, non-toxic ingredients and the absence of animal ingredients or animal by-products in our beauty products.
• What is an example of an eco-friendly lifestyle?
  • Reduce, reuse, and recycle: The first step towards an eco-friendly sustainable lifestyle is to reduce, reuse, and recycle. Reduce refers to reducing the amount of waste we produce by consuming fewer resources, such as energy, water, and raw materials.
• What are natural personal care products?
  • Under the Natural Standard for Personal Care Products, allowed ingredients come from or are made from a renewable resource found in nature (flora, fauna, mineral), with absolutely no petroleum compounds.
• What is the difference between eco-friendly and green products?
  • In short, the main difference between “green” and “eco-friendly” is their scope. “Green” is a broader term that encompasses environmentally conscious practices, while “eco-friendly” is more focused on products that don’t harm the environment.
• What is an eco-friendly routine?
  • Buy zero-waste shampoo, conditioner and body products. Turn off the shower when you’re applying products. Use a bamboo toothbrush. Use vegan make-up and skincare. Wear sustainably made or second-hand clothing.
• How to be more eco-friendly at home?
  • Use Renewable Energy Sources: Consider solar panels or other renewable energy options to power your home. Recycle and Upcycle: Reduce waste by recycling and repurposing materials whenever possible. Invest in Green Home Technology: Explore smart home devices and energy-saving technologies.
• What do you call an eco-friendly person?
  • An environmentalist is a person who is concerned with protecting and preserving the natural environment, for example, by preventing pollution. Synonyms: conservationist, ecologist, green, friend of the earth More Synonyms of environmentalist. I would prefer to call that person a good human.
• What is personal care examples?
  • Personal care is help with things like: bathing, showering, hair washing, shaving, brushing your teeth, and nail care. going to the toilet, catheter and stoma care, skin care, incontinence laundry and bed changing. eating, special diets, and food preparation.