I take old sweatpants and other similar materials (towels work too) and cut them in small squares to use instead of cotton pads. There will never be a reason why a cotton pad, and the excess waste it generates, is needed.

I’m Jessica! My plastic free beauty solution is making my own deodorant, shampoo, etc and storing them in mason jars :) Thanks for the chance to win!

Thank you :)

Diana, can you please e-mail me your recipe? I am gathering as much information as I can about home made tooth paste. Thank you.
Paris.

@Beth Terry Sure. Here is the link to it and sorry about the delay. Please let me know if you want me to e-mail it to you as well. Thank you Beth. I also just moved to Alameda and would love to meet you or attentd one of your speeches. I would appreciate it if you would let me know when is your next speech.

http://thegreenminimalist.blogspot.com/2013/09/home-made-plastic-free-toothpaste.html

Yes, please do send me the recipe!

I’ve really enjoyed reading all the comments, and I’ve learned some awesome tips! Thank you!

At work, my garbage can at my desk consists of only a brown paper bag from the grocery store. One day a co-worked asked me if I need a can and I said no and told her why! If I have liquids to dispose of I take them to the kitchen which is also a good way to get exercise.

My 2 grown daughters and I share healthy tips with each other. It is so much fun. I look for glass storage containers everywhere I go. I also buy tin cans and glass items at yard sales and resale shops on a regular basis. I do NOT like plastic. I found a store online that sells stainless steel containers with metal lids too! I just bought a stainless steel ice tray, and eventually I will have everything in my kitchen replaced with stainless steel or glass!! I heat everything up in glass or s-steel cookware with the stove. NO MICROWAVE IN my house. :) Just trying to plant seeds every day with friends and especially my grand-kids!

I use a lot of brown paper bags, and make sure I tell the grocery store checker how toxic plastic is for me.

I think the main tip I would give people for plastic free personal care is don’t be afraid to experiment! I was amazed how easy it was to switch to apple cider vinegar from conditioner but the transition from traditional bottled shampoo has been harder for me. I’ve tried to no poo method, then the shampoo/baking soda, now a shampoo bar but its still a work in progress. It also took a couple attempts to get a body scrub that I liked. I like that people posted about reuseable cotton rounds. I’m going to look into those because I’m almost out of the bag I had been using sparingly.
On a side note I just wanted to mention I just finished having a Traderpoint Creamery yogurt and am pretty excited about it. I realize you could make your own yogurt but I haven’t try to tackle that yet. My boyfriend came home a few days ago with this little glass jar of yogurt for me (he isn’t all the into the plastic free thing but humors me and knew this little jar of yogurt would make me happy) and I had been waiting to eat it but I just finished it and it was delicious and the jar is very cute! I’m deciding what I could use it for…maybe take off the label and put a tea candle in it?

I’m Jessie, and for gift giving, I like to wrap presents in colorful cloth rather than in paper or gift bags. Sometimes I make a bow using recycled newspaper or a map: http://howaboutorange.blogspot.com/2009/10/make-gift-bow-from-magazine-page.html. Also, I’m trying to be better about remembering to call online vendors ahead and ask if they have a packaging option that does not involve plastic. I’m guilty of forgetting to do this and being disappointed when a box that’s full of 80% plastic stuff and 20% of the thing I ordered >.<

1) Jessie
3) For gift giving, wrap presents in colorful cloth rather than wrapping paper or gift bags, and make a bow using recycled newspaper or a map: http://howaboutorange.blogspot.com/2009/10/make-gift-bow-from-magazine-page.html. Also, always remember to call ahead and ask if online vendors have a packaging option that does not involve plastic. I’m guilty of forgetting to do this and being disappointed when a box that’s full of 80% plastic stuff and 20% of the thing I ordered.
4) Bonus: you can get one extra entry by tweeting this give away. Be sure and tag both @Plasticfreebeth and @Aquarianbath and include the link to this post.

I reuse everything I can! I use a Norwex body cloth with just water for cleaning and use argan oil for moisturizing. I bought essential oils to address future possible needs. I am trying to get away from my stash of Tupperware and am switching to glass storage. I would love to try the shampoo bars and natural soaps :)

I mend everything. Learned that from my mother, many, many years ago.

My name is Alex, and my plastic-free personal care tip relates to our monthly female privilege. I fill an old shirt sleeve with rice, tie on the ends with twine, and heat when I need cramp relief.

I tweeted.

I am having so much fun reading everyone’s posts! Such creativity!

Plastic-free personal care tip: be brave, try something different. If it doesn’t work out, try something else!

I tweeted this https://twitter.com/moonstrucklife/status/379091064985890818

My favorite plastic free tip is to use a mug when staying for a long time at a coffee shop.

Would love to win an Aquarian gift pack!! Favorite plastic free personal care tip- hard to choose but #1 is using coconut oil for skin care, lip care, for DIY deodorant component. #2 is solid shampoo bars. Have been using LUSH but their fragrances are very strong

Personal care – started using coconut oil for hair, face and body. Baking soda and ACV for most hair washes.

I tweeted. https://twitter.com/Organicandcheap/status/378699819688009731

I use bar soaps to wash hands. No liquid soap in plastic.

I use cloth bags for shopping. I also use net produce bags. No paper towels are used at home. Mint and basil are grown at home for use as mouth refreshers.

I love Aquarian bath. Their bar shampoo is amazing especially with an apple cider vinegar rinse. One of my favorite plastic free personal care tips is to make or buy fabric cotton rounds. I have a bunch and a zippered laundry bag. I use them for cleaning my face with toner and then put them in the laundry bag that I hang from the towel rack. When it’s full I wash it and restock my jar. No going to the store or buying cotton rounds in plastic packaging. Also the fabric rounds are in cute colors and designs.

@Sarah Do you have recommended instructions for this? Thanks

I would love to win the gift set – I am new to plastic free living and came about it because as a state legislator for 8 years chairing the Regulatory Rules Committee I was largely unaware of the dangers of plastic until I got a job in the consumer product industry as a regulatory compliance manager. I am now convinced that plastic is unhealthful for us, and I do my very best to avoid it for myself and family, and I caution my friends. They have watched with curiosity as I have gone from plastic commuter coffee mugs to a stainless thermos, from plastic food containers to glass containers, from store bought facial products to buying the essential oils and making my own and storing them in glass bottles. Life is good – digestion is better, monthly cycle is better and lines on the face are improved. Are these results from my new habits? Time will tell. As a state legislator I am studying more and reading more reports. I do think that one day there will be recommendations or even laws regarding food contact / body contact articles and plastic.

I LOVE using shampoo bars since discovering them this year instead of using shampoo in plastic bottles. I also make my own hairspray with lemons.

We use bar soap (sold with no wrapper only a narrow paper band) as bath soap, face soap, and shaving cream.

I lived in Japan for a number of years on the JET Programme- I love continuing the Japanese habit of bringing along my own washcloth to dry my hands on at public restrooms!

Sandra
Making your own lotion and putting it in an old mason jar.
sandra.guerrero29@gmail.com

Susan Nelson, , The lightweight lotion you use on your hands can double as hair pomade very well. You just run your hands through your hair after moisturizing in the morning.

Buying fun glass containers at thrift shops to use for homemade personal care products!

I use cloth bags. To keep them organized (instead of awkwardly bringing lots of bulky cloth bags into grocery store) I fold them in half length-wise, then roll then tightly with the handles at end. Then tie them off with the handles, so they don’t unroll. They’re nice and compact (instead of buying the plastic reusable bags that scrunch up). Then I store several cloth bags in the largest cloth bag I have. Saves space and hassle.

My favorite plastic-free personal care tip:
Baking soda for gentle skin exfoliation, and coconut oil for a moisturizer. It’s AWESOME not to have to purchase products specifically for personal care, they work great, and I know EXACTLY what is in them!

Maggie_fout at yahoo dot com
I use baking soda for cleaning my face and wash cloths instead of make-up wipes.

Thank you for the give away. I am just starting to work harder at no plastics. We’d been plastic freeing toys for over a decade as well as no plastic cups but not much more. I now see plastic everywhere! It’s overwhelming to think of replacing it all but I too bought reuse able cotton rounds on etsy, switched to soap it’s for laundry, gave up liquid hand soap for bar (loving the soap dish give away), ditched paper towels…..well and more basic things. Great blog. I’m enjoying your book. Peace.

We use shampoo bars instead of bottles of shampoo. Lots less packaging, and simpler ingredients. We also use coconut oil as moisturizer, and it’s great to keep hair smooth!

I switched to reusable cotton rounds which I bought off of Etsy. They work great and I love the amount of trash it eliminates. My daughter is three and she loves using them to wash her face. It’s never too early to share eco friendly tips with your little ones.

I use coconut oil or ghee (clarified butter) in a glass jar as makeup remover. It is very gentle for the eyes, in particular. I just apply some of the oil, then use a warm wet cotton handkerchief to wipe it away. Then just rinse the handkerchief with water or a bit of soap and hang to dry. You can use it again the next day and so on, and the washed handkerchief also makes a wonderful exfoliator for the whole face. Just wet with very warm water and gently scrub in circles over your skin. Traces of the coconut oil in the wet handkerchief make it even better for cleaning out your pores!

Use glass jars for storing items instead of acrylic containers.

we’ve switched to buying soaps locally to avoid packaging at all… and we LOVE it!

Instead of using facial scrubs that contain microbeads of plastic, i use a loofah pad with castile soap.

I make my own toothpaste (coconut oil, mint oil and baking soda), and keep it in a little glass jar.

My favorite tip: getting my daughter involved in all my plastic-free life, so she too can spread the love. We make our own plastic-free home and personal care products and use them together to clean and nourish our environment and our bodies. I hope she has as much fun as I do!

Finding a bulk supply grocery store (Wheatsville) in Austin, TX has allowed us to skip a ton of plastic. I also think my To Go bamboo utensils and pyrex straw have cut out a lot of plastic use.

I have started the No shampoo routine and it is working out great—when I do wash my hair I use baking soda and an Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse! No plastic purchased with either item!

Cloth diapers x 3 kids ! And buying and refashioning second hand clothes and accessories.

We use homemade soap free of chemicals. Recycle and reuse almost everything,or offer a friend if they need it.

i use the keeper when i’m on my period. much less work than cloth sanitary pads that have to be washed. i love it. i’ve had mine for 6 years and it cost me 30$ and is going to last many more years. made of all natural rubber and nothing else.

another thing i do is that i don’t have multiples in my bathroom. i don’t have three sets of shampoo, conditioner, soap, shower gel, shaving gel, exfoliator, etc in the shower. I only have one of what i use and don’t buy more until it’s finished. It’s more aesthetic too. You can go along time this way if your bathroom is full of products. plain old salt or sugar can be used as an exfoliator. it works great. just add a little water. i learned this from a japanese spa in San Francisco- they use salt.

and i always take my titanium spork to catered meals at work so i don’t have to use a plastic one.

We just reused all the old pickle jars for homemade pickles!