I had some minor success t the grocery store today: to avoid the plastic bag deli lunchmeat was going to be put in I took a glass container (plastic lid but non-disposable at least)and a piece of wax paper. Small town folks are really very nice and the deli clerk didn’t mind weighing the sliced ham on the wax paper then putting it all in the box and slapping the tag on the top. She said it was a strange request but they aim to please so what the hey :-) I was delighted and plan to do it again :-)

I opened a box of Seventh Generation laundry powder today which I purchased because it came in a nice cardboard box. What’s inside? A plastic scoop. This really is a battle. Even at Whole Foods where they sell cloth produce and bulk food bags they stock tons of items in the plastic clam shell boxes. It’s disappointing. I find myself buying things I don’t really need because of the nice re-useable container they come in. Bought cornstarch because it came in a can. Pirouette cookies come in the nicest canister that could be repainted .. too bad I shouldn’t eat the cookies…

I gave up shampoo over 2 years ago and I’ll never go back! My hair is WAY softer and more manageable than it was before. Plus, no more spending a fortune on hair care.

I use a weak baking soda solution to wash and citric acid to rinse. (both mixed at about 2 tablespoons powder to 500 ml water).

Anyhow, if you do decide to try “no poo,” or any sort of soap-based shampoo bar, I have a few words of advice.

1) If you’ve used any products that contain silicone (anything ending in “cone”, “zane” or “xane” you should stop using them and do a clarifying wash before you go to either baking soda or a soap-based shampoo. The silicones are used to coat the hair shaft, which they do nicely, but they also prevent the natural oils from soaking into the hair, so your hair gets greasy quicker than it other wise would. They’re also hard to wash out with baking soda or soap based shampoo (hence the clarifying wash).

2) I’m in Colorado too, and we have really hard water. The hard water doesn’t do a very good job or rinsing clean either the baking soda or soap based cleaners. So you need to do some sort of acid rinse. Most people use apple cider vinegar, but I couldn’t stand the smell, so I use citric acid. I’ve also heard of people using ascorbic acid (vitamin c). I used lemon juice for a while which worked and smelled great. It can bleach and redden your hair though (not a problem for me since I’m strawberry blonde). My issue with lemon juice was that it has to be kept in the fridge and I’d ALWAYS forget to get it before I went to wash my hair, so I’d end up running through the house soaking wet to retrieve it from the fridge.

In terms of bottles… I’m afraid mine is stored in plastic water bottles salvaged from the recycling where I used to work. I’d be afraid to have glass in the tub… maybe some sort of metal canister? Good Luck!

Going to read your liquid soap story now. You are an inspiration, Beth, and I am so grateful for all you do!

Have you considered trying a bread box for your bread? I have this one:

http://www.target.com/Bread-Box/dp/B0014ZR0W6

Yes, it’s from target and probably made in China. But it works really, really well and I plan to keep it forever. You can find them used, too. My breadbox keeps the bread in perfect condition. It doesn’t dry out and it also doesn’t mold. I put the bread in there in paper or cloth bags and it works great.

Liquid soap — all I can provide is a funny story:

http://myplasticfreelife.com/2008/12/liquid-soap-fail-what-am-i-doin-wrong/

But check the comments on that post for some recipe ideas.

Regarding shampoo, have you considered using solid shampoo/conditioner bars instead of liquid? Or trying “No ‘Poo” method?

http://myplasticfreelife.com/2008/06/no-more-poo/