4 ms·

For shampoo, I'd recommend going with a solid bar. They're hard to find outside of health food stores and the like, but oftentimes you can find them being sold

For shampoo, I'd recommend going with a solid bar. They're hard to find outside of health food stores and the like, but oftentimes you can find them being sold with only a simple paper wrapping for packaging, and a $5-10 bar will easily last many times longer than bottled shampoo as long as you're keeping it somewhere where it can get a chance to dry out between showers. Conditioner is trickier; I've yet to find a solid conditioner that I like. For detergents, we've recently switched to Dropps for both laundry and dish detergent, and I've been quite happy. It's mail order, so not zero packaging, but about as low as you can get, and they put some thought into designing a box that's easy to re-use. For dry foods, if there's a grocery store that sells in bulk in your area, that can make a big difference. We made some cheap muslin bags that we take to the store when we're stocking up; most food co-ops and Whole Foods will let you provide a tare weight so you don't have to pay an extra $0.10 for the weight of the bag. People like to malign Whole Foods for being expensive, but their bulk section tends to be priced comparably to packaged options at traditional grocery stores. For razors, double-edge safety razors are an option, but a bit tricky to learn to shave with. I've found I can also keep a standard Gillette Mach3 cartridge going for a good 3 months by drying it after each use (and keeping it dry - no storing in the shower), and "stropping" it on a tea towel before shaves. My hypothesis is that it's corrosion, not use, that is the main limiter of a blade's life span.

inertiatic 7y ago
Thank you for the useful tips, I'll certainly try the last one and I hadn't thought about looking for bar shampoo. However my main issue is that there are so many hoops to jump through, and most consumers won't even get to the point of considering things like this unless these are presented as equally valid alternatives to the plastic packaged goods on their local convenience store.
- mumblemumble 7y ago
  Agreed. But I don't think we'll get there without some people being willing to do the extra work to get the trail blazed. My city cut down on plastic bag usage considerably by introducing a $0.07 excise tax on every disposable grocery bag, but I don't think that would have been politically tenable if there weren't already a lot of people using reusable bags. Plastic packaged goods, I don't know. . . I almost wish that some organization would launch a big campaign against Trader Joe's to get them to reduce their packaging use. It's going to be really hard to convince a bodega to stop selling packaged goods, for all sorts of reasons. But Trader Joes has enough control over their supply chain to do it. Their clientele is bobo enough to maybe be a bit easier to get on a bandwagon. They individually shrink wrap the broccoli, so they're a pretty easy target. And they're popular enough that a successful campaign could have a big cultural impact.
  - inertiatic 7y ago
    Over here there was an EU mandated (I believe) tax imposed on plastic bags, initially just 4 cents and now up to 7, and it dramatically reduced plastic bag usage. So economic incentives do work, policy does work. As far as hoping that chain stores are pressured into doing the right thing goes, I don't know if we can afford to wait for this to happen organically.
    - Mirioron 7y ago
      I wonder if the system used for plastic bottles could also work for other types of packaging. Add a cost to the packaging that the consumer can get back when they bring the packaging to some recycling or similar place.
      - mumblemumble 7y ago
        Considering that, even if you ignore that 90% of what goes to the recycling center doesn't actually get recycled, plastic recycling's value is still fairly equivocal, I think it'd be better to just make it a straight up excise tax. Save the deposit method for the things where returning them leads to a clear win: aluminum cans and reusable bottles. That way you're encouraging reduce and reuse first. "Recycle" was never supposed to be the first resort in waste reduction, and, at this point, it's arguably not much of a waste reduction technique at all, and instead the centerpiese of an elaborate ecological shell game.
remarkEon 7y ago
>For razors, double-edge safety razors are an option, but a bit tricky to learn to shave with. Beyond reducing your plastic footprint, this method of shaving is substantially cheaper - albeit with some upfront costs. I switched years ago, and paid about $150 for a nice weighted blade handle, brush, and soap dish and now I spend maybe $60 a year on new razors and soap. The one draw back I can think of, aside from the fact that you have to learn how to shave like your grandfather (which isn't really a drawback, if you ask me) is that you can't bring these razors through airport security in your carry-on.
- icelancer 7y ago
  >> now I spend maybe $60 a year on new razors and soap I've heard that it's much cheaper to go this route, but people who use Barbasol and disposable razors from Dorco (particularly with coupons that show up regularly every quarter on Slickdeals) spend less than this every year as well.
  - mumblemumble 7y ago
    You could go cheaper with double edge razors, too. I have one of the more basic models from Merkur, and spent $20 on it. You can get a 1-2 year supply (assuming you don't require a fresh blade on every shave and/or don't shave daily) of basic Astra blades for about $10. The soap might end up being the most expensive part. The price goes up quickly if you go for the luxury brands. I've never tried them, because I'm cheap, so I couldn't really speak to whether they're worth the extra cost. But I assume that anyone who's in the Barbasol-and-disposables is also cheap, so they wouldn't be likely to consider the higher-end kit, either.
- tobias2014 7y ago
  I've switched to a shaving knife/razor a couple of years ago and don't regret it. The knife maybe needs sharpening once a year or even less if you take care to use the razor strop before every use. It was a one time investment and now the costs are $0 (except for soap/gel).
  - 7y ago
Cougher 7y ago
"For shampoo, I'd recommend going with a solid bar. They're hard to find outside of health food stores and the like . . ." They're not hard to find at all. They're called "soap". It's as easy to find as Dove Unscented soap or any boutique brand; just look for a soap with the fewest ingredients. Or better yet: if you have time, just make your own. We've been conditioned by shampoo manufacturers to believe that cleaning our hair is different than cleaning our skin and I just don't buy it. Aside from the convenience and the low cost, the fact that soap isn't an oil-attacking detergent like shampoo means that conditioner is probably unnecessary as well. Also, don't wash your hair every day. It may take time for your hair and scalp to adjust to not having to produce as much oil as it's used to, but my long hair has been absolutely fine for years using just soap.
ronaldj 7y ago
That’s awesome. I didn’t know about shampoo bars. Going to give them a try!

inertiatic 7y ago

Thank you for the useful tips, I'll certainly try the last one and I hadn't thought about looking for bar shampoo. However my main issue is that there are so many hoops to jump through, and most consumers won't even get to the point of considering things like this unless these are presented as equally valid alternatives to the plastic packaged goods on their local convenience store.

mumblemumble 7y ago
Agreed. But I don't think we'll get there without some people being willing to do the extra work to get the trail blazed. My city cut down on plastic bag usage considerably by introducing a $0.07 excise tax on every disposable grocery bag, but I don't think that would have been politically tenable if there weren't already a lot of people using reusable bags. Plastic packaged goods, I don't know. . . I almost wish that some organization would launch a big campaign against Trader Joe's to get them to reduce their packaging use. It's going to be really hard to convince a bodega to stop selling packaged goods, for all sorts of reasons. But Trader Joes has enough control over their supply chain to do it. Their clientele is bobo enough to maybe be a bit easier to get on a bandwagon. They individually shrink wrap the broccoli, so they're a pretty easy target. And they're popular enough that a successful campaign could have a big cultural impact.
- inertiatic 7y ago
  Over here there was an EU mandated (I believe) tax imposed on plastic bags, initially just 4 cents and now up to 7, and it dramatically reduced plastic bag usage. So economic incentives do work, policy does work. As far as hoping that chain stores are pressured into doing the right thing goes, I don't know if we can afford to wait for this to happen organically.
  - Mirioron 7y ago
    I wonder if the system used for plastic bottles could also work for other types of packaging. Add a cost to the packaging that the consumer can get back when they bring the packaging to some recycling or similar place.
    - mumblemumble 7y ago
      Considering that, even if you ignore that 90% of what goes to the recycling center doesn't actually get recycled, plastic recycling's value is still fairly equivocal, I think it'd be better to just make it a straight up excise tax. Save the deposit method for the things where returning them leads to a clear win: aluminum cans and reusable bottles. That way you're encouraging reduce and reuse first. "Recycle" was never supposed to be the first resort in waste reduction, and, at this point, it's arguably not much of a waste reduction technique at all, and instead the centerpiese of an elaborate ecological shell game.

remarkEon 7y ago

>For razors, double-edge safety razors are an option, but a bit tricky to learn to shave with. Beyond reducing your plastic footprint, this method of shaving is substantially cheaper - albeit with some upfront costs. I switched years ago, and paid about $150 for a nice weighted blade handle, brush, and soap dish and now I spend maybe $60 a year on new razors and soap. The one draw back I can think of, aside from the fact that you have to learn how to shave like your grandfather (which isn't really a drawback, if you ask me) is that you can't bring these razors through airport security in your carry-on.

icelancer 7y ago
>> now I spend maybe $60 a year on new razors and soap I've heard that it's much cheaper to go this route, but people who use Barbasol and disposable razors from Dorco (particularly with coupons that show up regularly every quarter on Slickdeals) spend less than this every year as well.
- mumblemumble 7y ago
  You could go cheaper with double edge razors, too. I have one of the more basic models from Merkur, and spent $20 on it. You can get a 1-2 year supply (assuming you don't require a fresh blade on every shave and/or don't shave daily) of basic Astra blades for about $10. The soap might end up being the most expensive part. The price goes up quickly if you go for the luxury brands. I've never tried them, because I'm cheap, so I couldn't really speak to whether they're worth the extra cost. But I assume that anyone who's in the Barbasol-and-disposables is also cheap, so they wouldn't be likely to consider the higher-end kit, either.
tobias2014 7y ago
I've switched to a shaving knife/razor a couple of years ago and don't regret it. The knife maybe needs sharpening once a year or even less if you take care to use the razor strop before every use. It was a one time investment and now the costs are $0 (except for soap/gel).
- 7y ago

Cougher 7y ago

"For shampoo, I'd recommend going with a solid bar. They're hard to find outside of health food stores and the like . . ." They're not hard to find at all. They're called "soap". It's as easy to find as Dove Unscented soap or any boutique brand; just look for a soap with the fewest ingredients. Or better yet: if you have time, just make your own. We've been conditioned by shampoo manufacturers to believe that cleaning our hair is different than cleaning our skin and I just don't buy it. Aside from the convenience and the low cost, the fact that soap isn't an oil-attacking detergent like shampoo means that conditioner is probably unnecessary as well. Also, don't wash your hair every day. It may take time for your hair and scalp to adjust to not having to produce as much oil as it's used to, but my long hair has been absolutely fine for years using just soap.

ronaldj 7y ago

That’s awesome. I didn’t know about shampoo bars. Going to give them a try!