Plastic at Your Sink
Look at your vanity area. Do you see plastic bottles? Plastic tubes? Plastic deodorant containers? Plastic cosmetic containers?
Perhaps you use liquid hand soap? That’s an easy one… switch to bar soap! I like Bronner’s Peppermint soap, which is entirely vegetable based, but anything is better than liquid soap in plastic pump bottles that end up in landfills. Most bar soaps come in paper or cardboard wrappers, which will decompose and end up as dirt some day.
How about toothpaste? Plastic leaches into liquids, and that includes toothpaste. Personally, I don’t like consuming plastic, and I especially don’t like putting it in my mouth if I can help it. Fortunately, there are alternatives to toothpaste in plastic squeeze tubes.
Get Rid of Plastic Toothpaste Tubes
Alternative #1: make your own. Here is the formula I use:
In a small jar, mix:
- 3 tbsp organic coconut oil
- 3 tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp peppermint oil
I dispense this using a ¼ tsp measuring spoon onto my toothbrush.
Alternative #2: Toothpaste bits
These are tiny “pills” that are stored in a glass jar, which you chew, then brush as usual. I am particularly fond of “Bite Toothpaste Bits“, which are available online (click the link). Sign up for regular deliveries, and Bite will send you what you need at an interval you can specify. They have two basic formulas, both of which incorporate sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), which neutralizes the acids that etch teeth. One contains fluoride, like Crest or Colgate. But the one I use contains nano hydroxy apetite which is literally the material that forms the enamel of your teeth. This works through re-mineralization — by basically patching the tiny pits formed by acidic food and the acids produced by the bacteria in tartar.
Bite also sells plastic-free deodorant and other personal care items.