A Peak Inside My Medicine Cabinet + Homemade Toothpaste
Hello Friends!
As I've already said, I will often (try to) make my own products if I can't find them without plastic packaging. One of the first things I tried to make on my own was toothpaste. I found an incredibly simple & cheap plastic-free tooth powder recipe in Making It: Radical Home Ec for a Post-Consumer World by Kelly Coyne & Erik Knutzen, which you can probably find in your local library, or you can follow their blog here. I love this book and often turn to it for homemade-recipes and ideas for alternative living solutions. For toothpaste I tried out their variation of equal parts baking soda to powdered sage leaves. While I can't deny it gets the job done, I didn't like it much due to how salty it tastes and that it can be messy as it makes my mouth water so much while using it. Unfortunately even the best and most reliable of resources sometimes let us down. I still highly recommend this book if you can get your hands on a copy.
What I've settled on instead is still very simple, inexpensive, and to be honest, a little messy, all of which I'll explain below. So much of plastic-free/Zero Waste living is trial and error.
My current 3-ingredient toothpaste recipe:
As I've already said, I will often (try to) make my own products if I can't find them without plastic packaging. One of the first things I tried to make on my own was toothpaste. I found an incredibly simple & cheap plastic-free tooth powder recipe in Making It: Radical Home Ec for a Post-Consumer World by Kelly Coyne & Erik Knutzen, which you can probably find in your local library, or you can follow their blog here. I love this book and often turn to it for homemade-recipes and ideas for alternative living solutions. For toothpaste I tried out their variation of equal parts baking soda to powdered sage leaves. While I can't deny it gets the job done, I didn't like it much due to how salty it tastes and that it can be messy as it makes my mouth water so much while using it. Unfortunately even the best and most reliable of resources sometimes let us down. I still highly recommend this book if you can get your hands on a copy.
What I've settled on instead is still very simple, inexpensive, and to be honest, a little messy, all of which I'll explain below. So much of plastic-free/Zero Waste living is trial and error.
My current 3-ingredient toothpaste recipe:
- equal parts coconut oil and baking soda, mix well in a bowl to get all clumps out
- optional: add about 20 drops of peppermint essential oil per 1/2 cup of above made mixture, stir in well
- transfer to a small storage container with lid--I like to use old bouillon type jars
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Now I said that this can still be messy--that's because coconut oil is usually solid when below 75 degrees Fahrenheit. However, when it reaches 75 degrees or higher it will melt. This summer, my toothpaste was usually liquid and the oil and baking soda separated. I had to either shake or stir it before use and risked dripping on my shirt while trying to get it to my mouth. Therefore I like to have my paste heavy on the baking soda as I feel it makes the melted version thicker and less drippy. Now you could also keep your house at a cooler temperature, or store the paste in the fridge during the warmer months, or if you don't mind risking a drop of oil on your night shirt then this might be the recipe for you.
Some people also experience that baking soda is too abrasive for their teeth or gums. I did struggle with this a little too, but I found switching to a softer bristled toothbrush ended that for me. However, I have heard of people using arrowroot powder instead of baking soda. I'm lucky enough to have found that in bulk at my local co-op so I tried it out in a small quantity. I did not like the texture at all, so I don't think I'll be making that switch, but it's something to consider if you have sensitivity issues.
Alas, I have also promised you a peak into my medicine cabinet! I want to show you the plastic-free things I use on a daily basis:
WARNING: Not everything in here is plastic-free. I'm still transitioning. As I need to refill/replace something I'm trying to do so with plastic free option. Considering that I'm mostly going to highlight the plastic-free items and skip over the others unless I can tell you what I plan to replace it with.
In the bottom right you can see my wooden toothbrush by Brush with Bamboo. According to its packaging roughly 2 billion plastic toothbrushes end up in oceans and landfills each year. This brush and its packaging are made completely of plant sources. The bristle are made of 62% castor bean oil. The bristles are not compostable, but can be recycled. The brush comes wrapped in a (plant based) plastic sleeve & cardboard box. Plastics made from plants are better than those made from natural oils because they are made of a renewable resource and don't contain the same toxins as traditional plastics. However, while I'm not a scientist, it is my understanding that plastics made from plant sources are still plastics and still have difficulties breaking down in nature. The information on the box from Brush with Bamboo says that the wrapper they use is only compostable in commercial facilities. It does not mention if the sleeve can be recycled. Over all this toothbrush option uses a LOT less plastic and better sourced plastic than the conventional toothbrush. As with all things it is cheaper to buy these brushes in bulk which make them more comparable in unit price to the plastic brushes. If you're interested in getting one yourself, I've never found them in stores, but you can get them on Amazon.com or other shopping websites.
To the left of my toothbrush and drinking glass, I have my toothpaste and hair putty (in the small blue plastic container). I have fairly short hair. I don't feel the need to style it every day, but if I do I use this putty. I'm not in love with the product and I certainly don't care for its packaging. However, I got it before I started going plastic free. I'm currently researching recipes on how to make my own putty that I hope to try out sometime soon, but until then, this will have to do.
In the center of the bottom row I have my oil cleanser in a plastic pump. I use this typically only on days that I wear make up, and as such my cleanser lasts me several months. When I'm finally ready to replace this product I plan to buy some from a company called Urban Oreganics. I already have some of their facial cream that I love and some other face products (make-up remover, cleansing grains, and toner pictured in little vials on the top left shelf), which are fine but I honestly don't use that much. The thing that I really love about this company is that every product they sell is sold in glass or paper/cardboard. The glass containers usually have plastic lids (or at least the travel sizes do), but the company encourages customers who don't want to keep the containers for other uses to send them back to clean out and reuse. In exchange, the customer earns points toward free/reduced price products! How awesome is that??
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I love this face cream. Part of the reason I like it so much (other than its packaging) is I appreciate how hard it is to make a good lotion. I have tried making lotions using several recipes and haven't found anything I really like. Everything I've made is rather oily, which is fine for general use at home, but I don't like that for my face. This cream has a very neutral scent and absorbs very nicely into the skin.
To the left of my oil cleanser and on the top right I have some vitamins in glass jars. I searched all over, every store, on the internet, and asked my pharmacist while trying to track down vitamins in glass jars. It was very hard to find them, but I did eventually at a local health foods market with an extensive supplements/alternative medicines section. While these are more expensive than the grocery store counter part, I feel the reduced plastic waste is worth supporting the companies. If you're interested in the bands I've tried or other details, please leave a comment below .
In front of the Urban Oreganics vials on the top left you can see another pink vial, this is my floss and I'm super excited to share it with you. It's by a company called Dental Lace, which I found on Amazon.com, and advertises itself as eco-friendly and beautiful. The vial is glass and the lid is stainless steel. The floss itself is made of mulberry silk, candelilla wax, and natural mint flavoring. You can buy either starter packs which has one vial and two spools or refill packs which has just the two 33 yard spools. Since the product is of 100% organic matter, it can be composted safely. Win!
I have only two very minor disappointments with this product: 1) to make the container "beautiful" they put a plastic sticker on the glass vial. I find this completely unnecessary and would have purchased a blank option if it were available. And 2) while the shipping packaging was very impressive (a mailer pouched that was filled with recycled fibers for padding and the only plastic was the mailing sticker) the immediate packaging was soooo close to being perfect that it's one small mistake was so much more disappointing. It's sold in a box made of recycled paper with an open window, printed with soy-based ink. The first spool of floss is already in the glass vial, but the second one comes wrapped IN PLASTIC!!! Is this plastic wrapper recyclable or compostable? I don't know, there's nothing on the packaging indicating how one should dispose of it. Could they just as easily used paper wrapping? I believe so. I plan to write to the company with my praise and suggestions for improvement.
To the right of my floss is my medication. You probably didn't notice it because its not in the normal yellow plastic pill bottle, but in a small glass jar with metal lid I picked up at my local co-op. I have a wonderful pharmacist. I don't know if she agrees with my lifestyle or thinks I'm crazy, but she tells all of the pharmacist assistants when I come in each month how to legally comply with my requests. This is what we do: I don't call in my prescription, but come in in person. I ask for my refill and tell them I've brought my own container. They inform me that they legally have to present me my prescription in their containers, but if the container never leaves their sight as I dump the prescription into my own bottle, they are allowed to reuse that bottle for another patient. However, if I were to use it as normal and bring it back to them later, they can't reuse the bottle, but have to send it in for melting down and recycling. Perhaps my pharmacy is lying to me--perhaps they can't reuse the bottle either way, but at least I'm trying and I'm letting someone in the industry know how I feel.
In the middle of the top shelf is a jar that I'm sure you've been wondering about. This is my compost collection jar for biodegradable materials from the bathroom. Mostly this is where I put my floss instead of the trash, but also hair from the sink, an occasional toilet paper roll or wrapper, or dead leaves from my bathroom palm.
There we have it! A look inside my medicine cabinet. What small changes are you making to your daily routine to eliminate plastic or waste in general? I'd love to hear about it, please share in the comments below. Until next time, take care.
To the left of my oil cleanser and on the top right I have some vitamins in glass jars. I searched all over, every store, on the internet, and asked my pharmacist while trying to track down vitamins in glass jars. It was very hard to find them, but I did eventually at a local health foods market with an extensive supplements/alternative medicines section. While these are more expensive than the grocery store counter part, I feel the reduced plastic waste is worth supporting the companies. If you're interested in the bands I've tried or other details, please leave a comment below .
In front of the Urban Oreganics vials on the top left you can see another pink vial, this is my floss and I'm super excited to share it with you. It's by a company called Dental Lace, which I found on Amazon.com, and advertises itself as eco-friendly and beautiful. The vial is glass and the lid is stainless steel. The floss itself is made of mulberry silk, candelilla wax, and natural mint flavoring. You can buy either starter packs which has one vial and two spools or refill packs which has just the two 33 yard spools. Since the product is of 100% organic matter, it can be composted safely. Win!
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I have only two very minor disappointments with this product: 1) to make the container "beautiful" they put a plastic sticker on the glass vial. I find this completely unnecessary and would have purchased a blank option if it were available. And 2) while the shipping packaging was very impressive (a mailer pouched that was filled with recycled fibers for padding and the only plastic was the mailing sticker) the immediate packaging was soooo close to being perfect that it's one small mistake was so much more disappointing. It's sold in a box made of recycled paper with an open window, printed with soy-based ink. The first spool of floss is already in the glass vial, but the second one comes wrapped IN PLASTIC!!! Is this plastic wrapper recyclable or compostable? I don't know, there's nothing on the packaging indicating how one should dispose of it. Could they just as easily used paper wrapping? I believe so. I plan to write to the company with my praise and suggestions for improvement.
To the right of my floss is my medication. You probably didn't notice it because its not in the normal yellow plastic pill bottle, but in a small glass jar with metal lid I picked up at my local co-op. I have a wonderful pharmacist. I don't know if she agrees with my lifestyle or thinks I'm crazy, but she tells all of the pharmacist assistants when I come in each month how to legally comply with my requests. This is what we do: I don't call in my prescription, but come in in person. I ask for my refill and tell them I've brought my own container. They inform me that they legally have to present me my prescription in their containers, but if the container never leaves their sight as I dump the prescription into my own bottle, they are allowed to reuse that bottle for another patient. However, if I were to use it as normal and bring it back to them later, they can't reuse the bottle, but have to send it in for melting down and recycling. Perhaps my pharmacy is lying to me--perhaps they can't reuse the bottle either way, but at least I'm trying and I'm letting someone in the industry know how I feel.
In the middle of the top shelf is a jar that I'm sure you've been wondering about. This is my compost collection jar for biodegradable materials from the bathroom. Mostly this is where I put my floss instead of the trash, but also hair from the sink, an occasional toilet paper roll or wrapper, or dead leaves from my bathroom palm.
There we have it! A look inside my medicine cabinet. What small changes are you making to your daily routine to eliminate plastic or waste in general? I'd love to hear about it, please share in the comments below. Until next time, take care.
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