Switching From Bottled Shampoo to Bar Soap
Organic Needle did a post the other day about some cool green products she's tried and one of those products was a Burt's Bees Shampoo Bar. I've seen shampoo bars before but have never talked to anyone who has actually used one. But according to 'Orgie', as I've taken it upon myself to call her, "It's a Keeper".
I'm not usually one that is easily swayed (lie), but that's a pretty good review, so I had to try it for myself. Of course, being the impatient one that I am, I didn't bother to actually go out and buy a properly sanctioned shampoo bar. Instead, I just grabbed my Dr. Bronner's All-One Hemp Peppermint Castille Soap and used it this morning. Hey, it says "All-One" right in the name, which, to me, means "use it for any damn purpose you can think of". And you know what? I did. I rubbed that rectangular little bar all over my noodle and it worked like a frickin' charm.
It foamed up really nice (which my Burt's Bees Bottled Shampoo didn't do very well) and of course had that yum-o-licious peppermint smell. Unlike the aforementioned BBBS, it also did a good job of making me feel like it had stripped my hair clean. You know, in a scrub-down, antiseptic, Silkwood-decontamination-scene sort of way. Which I like, because it lets me go a day between washings without feeling all slimy and gross. But it didn't dry my hair all out either. My hair still feels pretty soft, but not greasy. All in all, I agree with Orgie, the concept of a shampoo bar is definitely "a keeper".
Savings:
I go through a bottle of BBBS every three months or so. That means a savings of four plastic bottles per year. If all the other 30-something American beauties joined me, together we could save about 360 MILLION plastic bottles each year.
And, with this (hopefully) final change to my shower routine, I am down to two bars of soap - both of which come wrapped in recycled/recyclable paper and/or cardboard. WOOHOO! I finally have plastic out of my shower! Except for my razor, but with Shavin' Season rapidly approaching, we'll be visiting that issue soon I'm sure.
Difficulty Level: 1 out of 5
It's a little awkward at first, wielding a rectangular bar across your head, but I'm sure I'll adjust.
15 comments:
OK, this is not personal experience but it's on the list. Apparently you can wash your hair with baking soda and then rinse with vinegar. And since I use vinegar to cut soap scum while cleaning I am betting that it would make a nice rinse post Dr. Bronner's. Thanks for the lowdown, I have been using up my giant bottle of Whole Foods shampoo and then I am going to take the plunge. (skid?)
Although I haven't personally tried it yet...I have read blogs that say this is a great bar shampoo: http://www.jrliggett.com/what/original.html
I'm thinking I'm going to break down and buy it when I use up the rest of my bottled shampoo.
The general direction of the "save the environment" movement is toward symbiosis with nature rather than modifying it to suit our convenience. This includes our own nature, which for purposes of social acceptance has been polluted with volatile deodorants, distorted by surgical silicon land fills, deforested by gillette and norelco bulldozers and paved over with impermeable make up to approach the ideal of a plastic Barbie Doll (our society's version of the goddess). Sorry 'bout the rant, it's a reaction to the vision of a shaved, paved and powdered arm pit when you menitoned Shavin' Season and its pale comparison to a luxurious natural growth in one of the body's damp places.
:)Thanks for reading my little review. I'm thrilled that it was actually helpful. (I'm sure 7th Generation isn't as thrilled with it.)
As far as shaving, Recycline, the company that makes the toothbrush I reviewed, makes a razor out of #5 recycled plastic in their Preserve line. They will take them back when you are done and recycle them into park benches. I haven't tried one yet, but I will add it to my growing list of To Be Reviewed.
And Burban...you can call me whatever you want...well...as long as you don't have have an eyelash in your eye at the time. :)
I'm currently using a shampoo bar I bought from Lush. It smells great and my hair feels and looks soft and shiny. I'm trying to convert my 3 kids (teen and college age) to using it as well though they are bit harder to sway. I'm looking forward to a "no plastic" shower stall!
CLM
I stopped using shampoo last year sometime. I've been using, instead, the liquid version of the "all-in-one." It's like Bonner's, but it's lavender-scented, and it's from Vermont - so local to me :).
I use it to wash my whole self, but apparently, it can be used for other things, too. I actually used Bonner's peppermint to wash my kitchen floors, once ;). I tried using it to shampoo the carpets, but that didn't work as well ;).
Mine does come in a plastic bottle. Maybe I'll see if there's a bar instead - and save some plastic ;).
All-in-one? Who knew! I use the Burt's Bees which I love and used to use the JR Liggetts which is also wonderful. It's funny to realize after all these years that we don't need all the speciality stuff in our shower. :)
I know. Where there used to be a bunch of products in my shower, there are now only a few and getting fewer by the day! I can't wait to try a shampoo bar, but I go through one shampoo bottle a year (about) so it's going to be a while before I manage to finish off my bottled shampoo....
Thanks to you, Bourbon, I spent far too much time today looking up recipes for making my own shampoo bars. If I ever get around to making it, I'll report on how badly I burn my scalp.
Another idea to get more uses out of your razor is to get one of these:
http://www.lehmans.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=5315&itemType=PRODUCT&RS=1&keyword=shaving
We have one and it has saved us tons of money on razor blades as well as the environment.
My fiance and I made our own organic soap a couple weeks ago and now that it has cured we are going to give it a whirl. Our goal is to use it as a body soap and shampoo.
I switched to a safety razor and while it took a couple weeks to achieve nick free shaving overall it wasn't to bad and was helped by the fact that we made our own shaving cream that was thicker and creamer then storebought.
N.
http://badhuman.wordpress.com
Oh, good idea! I switched to bar soap for body and have wanted to try the vinegar idea for hair. I haven't yet because I'm still working on what I've got.
I've also been pleased by switching to a deodorant stone. It provides great coverage, no plastic and it's better for your body. Shannon
Thanks for the info, I will try to find it, I am intriuged.
I love this idea....but does anyone use conditioner? And what can I do for that? I would love ideas! Thanks
hi - i love j. r. liggetts bar shampoo. also i have had good luck shampooing with grandpa's pine tar soap and chandrika! if you feel you need a conditioner afterwards (or to remove soap scum) or restore the pH of your hair - i sometimes use a small lime juiced in a liter of water and pour it on afterwards and then rinse it out. after you hair gets used to the poo bars - this doesn't seem as necessary i have found - but i still do it upon occasion. btw - the acidic rinse does act as a sort of conditioner by closing the cuticle.
i don't shave and now have NO plastic bottles in my bathroom! except for the virgin coconut oil which i refill from a giant one.
virgin coconut oil rocks for a body and hair moisturizer btw.
djh/texas
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