2nd July 2019

Today I thought we could talk toiletries. But before we do, I have to admit to use of single use plastic. It was at work where the options were limited to literally just that or a significant amount of food waste. We regularly have meetings where food is ordered in and then doesn't get eaten. Today, the majority of that food was fruit. Had I finished work on time, it wouldn't have been an issue, I'd have left the building by the time the meeting ended, but I didn't and I didn't want the food to go to waste, plus we have mice in our office that would have thought it was Christmas if I'd left it out. The sandwiches which were in plastic trays I put in the fridge, but we don't have tubs to put leftovers in so all I could do to salvage it was wrap the platter in cling film before it went in the fridge. I had decided that letting all that food go to waste was worse. But I think I'll be suggesting we get some tupperware in the department so we don't keep having this issue.

So, toiletries. I did a very quick recce of my bathroom to see what I have that is in single use plastic. This is on the side of my bath...

By the sink I have toothpaste and mouthwash (the latter I rarely use and it's been there for months!) I don't often have baths, being a shower girl, and so I've had the bubble bath for a very long time. The femfresh I'm going to struggle to find a replacement for - fortunately the last bottle ran out last week which I decided was far enough from July that I was allowed to buy a replacement bottle. But you'll notice the shower gel is getting very low. When I returned to London I decided to ditch the shower gel and go for soap. I have been using this brand of shower gel for years, I love it. A lot. So it was difficult for me to let go of it. I decided to get the soap in the same range but it dried my skin out really badly. I then tried Dove but I never really got on with that either - plus I was only ever able to find it in packs of 2 wrapped in single use plastic. But I've decided that the shower gel has got to go. To be fair, a bottle lasts me 3 months. I use a body puff (yes it's plastic) that I learnt how to retie when it becomes untangled but this means I end up using very little each time. However, it's still gotta go. I decided to try Dr Bronner's.

 It's wrapped in recycled paper and gets really good reviews so I'm being positive about the change and looking forward to trying a new product.

I've been using a solid shampoo for quite a few months now. That change really wasn't difficult at all. I currently get one from Lush although when my Zero shop restocks it I'll be supporting them instead.

One thing I did like from Lush when I got this last night was that they no longer put a sticker on the bag automatically, they ask if you need one. Which of course I didn't so my bag is fully recyclable.

I do use a leave in conditioner though that is in a plastic bottle. You can get solid conditioners too and so I will need to start investigating those.

My friends have been listening to my tirade for months about how irritated I am that you can no longer buy toilet paper in the supermarket that isn't wrapped in plastic. It's nuts. Not a single brand. I had been having 'Who gives a crap' toilet advertised in my instagram feed quite a lot which I really wanted to try. They're a great company and donate 50% of their profits to help build toilets and improve sanitation in the developing world. This massively appealed to me but the problem I had was with delivery. If I'm not in, then packages can't be accepted in my building and I didn't really want to have it delivered to work and bring it home in batches. Cue my wonderful Zero shop again - they sell it!!

And so now I can buy recycled toilet paper, that's wrapped in paper, support my lovely little shop and also a socially responsible company. I now have a happy bum!!

I go to the dentist once a year (I have good teeth) but the one thing the dentist kept telling me is that I need to floss. I go through phases of being really good and being really bad at flossing. But one thing I did know is that floss is bad for the environment. Even when I was being good I was being bad. So I did what any sensible person does and asked the internet what my options were for environmentally friendly floss. Here I have cautionary tale. The first lot that I bought was from Planet Organic from a company call Georganics. All I had read seemed to recommend its green credentials but I subsequently discovered the carbon version I had bought has polyester yarn in it (they're now very open about this on their website). Not good. However, they also make a silk version which is fully biodegradable. It's a tricky one with the silk worms but they take the silk once the worms leave the cocoons and so this is much more humane. It comes in a glass bottle and is packaged in cardboard. It's a bit thicker than regular floss but I like it.

And now I can be good when I'm being good!

Toothpaste and deodorant were tricky ones for me. I'm putting these weirdly together because I bought them both from Zero at the weekend. I'm a sweater (as in I sweat a lot rather than I'm a knitted garment) and I find many antiperspirants don't work for me, My go-to at the moment is Dove 24hr invisible but of course it's in plastic. I'd done quite a bit of research on natural deodorants, but that's all they are, deodorants and not antiperspirants. However, in the name of research I've decided to give them a go. I'd read that the first two weeks of using them are the worst, as your body eliminates the aluminium which is the active ingredient in an antiperspirant. Don't know if that's true or not; bit sceptical. But the one the Zero shop sells in a cardboard tube gets pretty good reviews online and so I decided whilst I'm on leave the next 2 weeks will be the best time to try it. Yesterday it was brilliant, I literally did not smell at all. I think I put a little less on today and whilst I think I need to use a little more, again, I'd be completely happy being in public, which isn't something I can always say with regular deodorant at the end of the day without a reapplication.

Next to the deodorant in the picture are dentabs. These are toothpaste tablets that you chew and then brush your teeth. I used the first one this morning and my initial impression is not a good one. But I wasn't sure what to expect and I'm going to persevere. My teeth felt fine directly afterwards, but it wasn't long before they stopped feeling smooth and clean. I went a bit crazy buying them - there are a lot there! But as I say, I'll keep going and see how my teeth feel at the end of the month. If they're not great then I'll try a recommendation from my friend Alison for a toothpaste that's sold in a glass jar.

Finally, I am a big fan of Bioderma. Their products have rescued my skin after I changed my pill and my skin rebelled. The micellar water comes in single use plastic. It's recyclable but it's still single use. That's going to be a challenge to decide what to do about that. I have enough left for it not to be a huge thing a the moment. Similarly I'm hoping the serum doesn't run out by the end of the month. I have given up using cotton wool with the micellar water though. I have started using Cheeky Wipes makeup remover pads that you use then put them through the washing machine.

They won't work for nail varnish, so on the rare occasion that I use it, I do need to use cotton wool for removing it, but that 's once in a blue moon for my fingers, and so it's mainly for my toenails which I must admit are naked as the day I was born at the moment (I'm super lazy about this stuff these days!)

All of these changes have been expensive. As an example, the deodorant was £6.99, the Dove is £2.79. The soap was £4.99, the shower gel £2.50. It's really annoying that to have less of an environmental impact, my budget takes a significant hit.

Given I'm starting with new products at the beginning of the month, I'll review them at the end of the month to let you know how I get on.