Guilt-Free Toiletries
- Cercopes
- Apr 9, 2019
- 5 min read
There are small things that you, as a consumer, can do every day to alter the market. One of those things is buying eco-friendly toiletries. This influences producers to create more eco-friendly products to support the markets demands. By buying eco-friendly toiletries you will end up using a lot less harmful plastics that end up in landfills, the ground, and the seas - remember: once you're finished with your shampoo or toothpaste and you throw the container away it doesn't cease to exist. In fact, every single plastic ever created is still in existence. Let's shower with clean consciences!
note: I have tried to find as many locally made products as possible, but in some cases there weren't any options or it wasn't clear where they came from
Natural Loofahs:
Most natural loofahs are made of a dried up vegetable called a gourd, or more specifically, the Luffa aegyptiaca. They are used as they are, or attached to bamboo handles and because they're completely natural they're also 100% biodegradable!
Unfortunately these loofahs are don't grow naturally in South Africa, and are instead imported from parts of Asia and Central America. Don't let this be a deterrent though, there is no perfect product!
The problem with synthetic loofahs, you see, is that they are almost 100% plastic (with maybe the exception of a cotton string). This plastic may be recyclable in some instances, but each piece of plastic has a limited number of times it can be recycled. So without further ado, here's some natural loofahs you can buy:
- A range of 100% natural loofahs from Clicks are available here. This link takes you to loofa with a bamboo handle and is made from natural lutta. It's available for R70.
- The "Scrub Pad" from Simply bamboo is made in India from coconut fibres and is available here for R65.
- An organic vegetable sponge from Faithful To Nature is available here for R40 for two. It's also Proudly South African!
Alternatively, you can use a 100% cotton wash cloth.
Bamboo Toothbrushes:
Hooray! I've been wanting a bamboo toothbrush since I first saw one on instagram a while ago and I am proud to announce we have our very own locally made bamboo toothbrushes now available! Most toothbrushes are made with bamboo handles (which are biodegradable) and nylon bristles (which are not). The bristles are still plastic which isn't ideal, however the less plastic we use the better and so having a bamboo toothbrush is much better for the environment because less plastic is needed to make it.
There are a variety of bamboo toothbrushes available in South Africa, some imported some not. The image is from a company that imports the toothbrushes from the US.
- Faithful to Nature stocks a locally made toothbrush that can be found here. It is available for R56.
- Takealot stocks a bulk pack of 8 for R600 (R370 currently). Available here. Alternatively you could buy 1 for R100. It's unclear if they are South African or not.
- Simply bamboo has a South African designed toothbrush that is available here. The toothbrushes aren't made in South Africa.
Shampoo Bars:
Shampoo bars! The myth! The Legend! Wait... they're important?
Yes. In fact, buying any bar of soap is better than buying a bottle of liquid soap. The amount of plastic in a bottle is a lot more than what comes as packaging around a bar of soap. Because there is more plastic, more energy is used to create and mould the plastic bottle for the liquid soap . Therefore not only will the plastic pollute the ground with microplastics and chemicals, but the electricity used in creating it will pollute the air with greenhouse gas emissions.
- Faithful to Nature has a variety of shampoo bars that are made in South Africa including the Coventry Bamboo Shampoo bar for R45, as well as many different variations from the Pure Simple range (each for R47). The Pure Simple range of shampoo bars boast a 100% plastic free product, pretty awesome!
- Lush stocks shampoo bars for R115-130 here, you can also buy a small reusable metal tin for the bar for R25.
- Takealot stocks a brand called Mr Bale that makes shampoo bars for men. Shop here. I couldn't find any information regarding where the shampoo bars are manufactured.
Review of Products:
Loofah: I happened to stumble across a natural loofah at Spar the other day and decided to buy it. I've been using it for several days now, and I've actually noticed my skin is softer than when I still used a synthetic loofah. It softens when wet and becomes a really soft and gentle scrub.
Bamboo Toothbrush: I bought several of the Pure Smile Environmental Bamboo Toothbrushes from Faithful to Nature for my family and myself. The toothbrushes are great, and my teeth definitely can't tell the difference between my regular toothbrush and this bamboo one. There's really no excuse to continue to use plastic toothbrushes when bamboo toothbrushes exist, so next time you need a new toothbrush get one of these instead!
Shampoo Bar: Along with the toothbrushes I also bought the Rosemary Pure Simple shampoo bar. Let me start by saying it smells incredible. It also works great, and I feel clean. I can already tell that it's going to last much longer than a bottle of liquid shampoo which is great!
Other things to look out for:
Microbeads in exfoliants: some face and body exfoliators have tiny beads of plastic in them called microbeads. They can be quite tricky to remove from the water, and often end up in the ocean. These pieces of plastic can end up in sea creatures and the water supply and end up back in your body! The most common names for microbeads on an ingredients list are polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polymethyl methacrylate, polylactic acid, or nylon. Opt for organic and plastic-free exfoliants instead. Here is an article about it.
Palm oil: the palm oil industry is one of the leading reasons for deforestation. Unfortunately labels have many different names for palm oil so it isn't always easy to pick up on. Here is a list of the alternative names for palm oil. Almost every single Dove product has palm oil in it, so try cut them out of your routine completely.
Soap bars: the packaging that soap bars come in is a lot less than liquid soaps, and reducing plastic usage is the goal! You can buy soap bars from Spar, Woolworths, etc. and this small change can make such a big difference in the long run.
Stainless Steel Razors: These razors are completely plastic free, and either have blades that are sharpenable or easily replaceable when they go blunt. Opt for one that can be sharpened to reduce your waste even more!
Plastic Free earbuds: I found a brand recently at Dischem that has 100% cotton earbuds that can be flushed down the loo or biodegraded. The packaging they come in is also recyclable. This is one of those small things you can change that you won't notice at all, but will reduce so much plastic. (Look on my instagram page for more detail)
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