Our shower and personal care routines are notoriously plastic-intensive. Think about it – the big plastic shampoo bottle, the single-use plastic cotton buds and sanitary products – not to mention the plastic bag that lines the bin. These are the biggest culprits that fill our bathroom bin and all this non-biodegradable waste lingers in landfills for years and years while leaching toxins into our soil and waterways.

The good news: there are so many plastic-free alternatives made from materials such as bamboo, coconut and silk. We’ve made a list of a few common bathroom items you can swap out to lighten your plastic load without adding extra effort to your bathroom routine.

Swap your plastic toothbrush for a bamboo toothbrush

Did you know that the last plastic toothbrush you used still exists somewhere in the world? Yep, it’ll still be here for at least another 400 years! And the bristles? They’re most likely made of nylon fibre – another hazardous material. Plastic toothbrushes are also non-biodegradable, extremely dangerous for marine life and detrimental to our own health.

Bamboo toothbrushes are the eco-friendly alternative to plastic toothbrushes. Bamboo is a renewable and sustainable resource and can grow up to 3ft (91cm) in a day given correct sunlight – wow! The average toothbrush lasts 3-4 months so after you’ve finished with yours, you could put it to another use, like cleaning your bike or jewellery. Then when it’s really done its dash, pull the bristles off with pliers to recycle, and throw the handle into compost!

Opt for a natural and plastic-free toothpaste

We get a lot of questions about what plastic-free alternatives to use for toothpaste. Let us introduce you to the Georganics range.

• Natural Toothpaste: A specially formulated toothpaste designed to cleanse and remineralise your teeth using only the most natural ingredients and minerals like calcium, potassium, magnesium and natural organic silica. It even has whitening properties!
• Natural Toothpowder: These natural and non-toxic toothpowders work by polishing away stains and plaque that naturally form on our teeth. They’re completely safe and made without synthetic chemicals like peroxides.
• Natural Toothtablets: A clean and refreshing way of brushing your teeth! You won’t find synthetic ingredients or colourants here. These bad boys use natural agents like cream of tartar and sodium bicarbonate to give it their naturally foaming property.

You can find them all on our website here!

Switch to bar soaps

Are you still pumping shampoo, conditioner or body wash from a plastic bottle? Bar soaps have been jumping back into the spotlight lately and we can tell you why! Firstly, regardless of whether you need body care, skin care or cleaning products, there is already a bar soap version of it. We’re talking shampoo bars, conditioner bars, face cleansing bars, exfoliating bars and dishwashing bars! Secondly, most bar soaps can be found naked (a.k.a. zero packaging), otherwise paper-wrapped which can then be recycled. Thirdly, have a look around and opt for bar soaps that use natural ingredients – they’re kinder to our environment, more gentle on your skin and the natural ingredients give them healing properties!

Swap your bath loofah for a natural sea sponge

Seas sponges. They’re eco-friendly and natural. Soft and gentle. Come from a renewable resource and are super sustainable. Natural sea sponges are just about everything our plastic-free and eco-friendly dreams are made of! Sustainable sponges use no harsh chemicals in farming or processing. The Eco Warrior Natural Body Sponges are the only truly ecologically farmed sea sponges in the world, grown on an organic farm in Pohnpei, Micronesia by local farmers. Once wet, they’re as soft as a lamb’s wool and lather perfectly with all kinds of soap.

It turns out there is a lot we can do to make our bathroom routines more eco-friendly and sustainable. We haven’t even mentioned DIY skincare and bodycare products! (Perhaps we’ll save it for another blog). We are the only animals causing harm to our planet and we are the only animals who have the ability to fix it. It all starts with us.