What you should buy: You actually don’t need anything for this one other than about 50 bits of cloth in wipe-sized pieces. You can use GOTS or Oeko-Tex certified cloth if you’d like. To make the spray, mix two tablespoons of castile soap and two tablespoons of olive oil and make sure they don’t separate. Boil two cups of water and let cool. Then add the mixture to it. Spray onto the cloth to create wipes. Put the soiled wipes in their own diaper pail and then launder them. (Make sure to use your handheld bidet to wash off any solids first.) These work great!
Dog beds made of plastic and full of fire retardants are bad for you AND bad for them. It’s a good idea to invest and get something good and (mostly) chemical-free. This was an expensive purchase for me, and I waited for a sale. But it could save me money on vet bills, human doctor bills AND give me more time with my beloved animals. Worth it.
I actually didn’t buy the bed that I recommended. It was too big for my dog’s crate. I ended up purchasing from The Futon. https://www.thefutonshop.com/certifications (If purchasing, make sure to get a wool filling, which is temperature-regulating and no outside coating.) I don’t recommend The Futon Shop if you’re not prepared to wait. It took a couple follow-up emails before they finally sent me a shipping confirmation. You can message the company directly to ask for a discount on the product as it and shipping are expensive. If you live in California or Seattle you can pick the beds up directly. They also ship the beds with a ridiculous amount of plastic and now I have a huge pile of the stuff that I have to repurpose somehow. It’s a huge pain and not environmentally friendly at all.
If I were to do it over, I’d get My Essentia. I wanted to use non-plastic, Oeko-Tex and/or GOTS certified materials. Several of the sites fill their beds with recycled water bottles, which is awesome but not for me. Avocado had some parts of the bed that were certified but not everything. The Rawganique looked amazing, but the price was more expensive than My Essentia.
No matter what you buy, ask the company to ship you the product without plastic.
NOTE: Bearaby and Omi mattress are both no longer available. You can still get Avocado but not through the site. You have to message customer support with exactly what you want and they’ll send you a link to buy it. (I asked but they wouldn’t tell me why it’s such an odd buying process!)
TLDR: It seems that the worry over what’s in our hair dye is slightly overblown. From the studies I’ve read, not too much dye comes into contact with your skin, and the stuff that DOES get on your skin isn’t usually absorbed to a dangerous degree. What you should avoid is dyes containing a chemical called PPD. If you do that, even pregnant people don’t have to worry. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK582739/
Why you should care: For this product, it comes down to plastic. I couldn’t find ANY dyes that didn’t involve plastic in some way. This is where the “adoption” part of my research comes into play. Am I willing to give up plastic, which is harmful to the environment, and stop coloring my hair? At this time, no. Coloring my hair is such a part of what makes me happy and what makes me feel comfortable in my body that giving it up would be too much of an ask. But if you can do it, I applaud you! The other issue is PPD—it’s not great for your health, and it’s looking like it’s pretty bad for the environment. https://assets.cureus.com/uploads/original_article/pdf/244736/20240623-5018-er6oe3.pdf and https://www.annallergy.org/article/S1081-1206(13)00737-0/abstract
In my research, there aren’t any dyes that are totally natural that’ll give you fun, long-lasting colors. There are dyes that will do the job with minimal synthetic chemicals that are also vegan and cruelty-free. (Henna is an all-natural dye, but experts caution against it as it reacts with each person’s hair differently and can cause some pretty odd streaks and patches. Get a professional to show you how to do it the first time!)
TLDR: Get good ingredients ‘cause this stuff is getting absorbed into your skin. And keep it sustainable!
Why you should care: Lotion gets absorbed into your body. Plus, the bottles are a waste of plastic, which takes resources to make and then lives in our landfills and oceans. Gross.
There are also a lot of sustainable options that come in glass jars. I keep lotion all over the house, and I know I’m going to knock one over or a pet will so that won’t work for me either. I need something in aluminum or cardboard.
I decided that cardboard was the most eco-friendly. And I went with a vegan option that didn’t use beeswax since I have a lot of questions about the sustainability of beehives from my honey research and potential glyphosate in beeswax. I can attest that the bars actually do last a long time so you only need a small amount.
“Single-use Q tips contribute to the global plastic waste crisis. An estimated 1.5 billion cotton swabs are produced every day in the world and the average person throws away approximately 415 of them each year, according to a report by market intelligence company Acute Market Reports. These products are frequently found in landfills and oceans, polluting the environment and posing a threat to marine life. By opting for reusable Q tips, individuals can play a part in minimizing their ecological footprint.” https://ecofriendlyhacks.com/reusable-q-tips/index.html
It sucks that my pick is a Walmart buy. But I honestly couldn’t find what I wanted elsewhere except Amazon, and I tried! UPDATE: I’ve had this for months, and it’s working really well!
This is another option: https://lastobject.com/products/lastswab?Color=Turquoise I don’t like that it’s made of “durable materials,” which tells me absolutely nothing about what it’s actually made of. I also think the plastic carrying case is completely unnecessary.
Some Q-tips say they’re compostable/biodegradable. I’m extremely skeptical of this. I’ve tried composting those Q-tips and three years later they haven’t decomposed one bit!
TLDR: It’s better to invest in sustainable bath towels for your own health and the health of the planet.
Why you should care: “Towels marketed as ‘ultra absorbent’ often shed microfiber plastics when washed and dried.” https://www.leafscore.com/eco-friendly-bath-products/best-eco-friendly-towels/ Microfiber plastics pollute our soil and water. Plus, we rub these towels all over our bodies so they should be made of stuff that’s safe for our skin.
These towels are effing expensive! I got them on sale at Christmas.
The following link is actually a great primer on towel materials and it’s consistent with all my reading but in a much more concise form. The only info that’s not exactly accurate is the part about some fabrics being antimicrobial. Studies don’t support that so ignore that paragraph! https://fiveadrift.com/blogs/news/7-reasons-why-you-should-be-using-eco-friendly-towels
I liked these towels because they last a long time. They have the GOTS and Oeko-Tex certifications, which means they were made with safe and environmentally friendly practices.
Plus, you can throw cotton towels in the washer, whereas other materials don’t fare as well in a machine.
One of the big downsides of this product is that it’s made from Turkish cotton, which means a larger carbon footprint for shipping. But since I’m only buying it once and then keeping it for many years, I’m less concerned about this issue.
TLDR: We know that plastic “normal” floss isn’t good for your health. More sustainable floss might not be good for the environment.
Why you should care: “Dental floss is often made with PFAS. PTFE, commonly known as Teflon, is one of many PFAS chemicals and is widely used in floss. PFAS are associated with numerous health effects, such as impairing the immune system, cancer, fertility concerns, reproductive and developmental impacts, and kidney disease. Some PFAS are toxic at low levels and are known to build up in the body. PFAS in dental floss could be particularly concerning, considering you put it directly in your mouth and flossing can cause bleeding gums, providing direct access to the bloodstream.” https://www.consumerreports.org/toxic-chemicals-substances/dental-floss-without-pfas-and-other-harmful-chemicals-a9722832754/
Again, I’m recommending Etee. They’re based in Canada so they’re not too far away. They donate to good causes. They don’t do plastic. They don’t test on animals, and use safe materials. They care about their workers and supply chain. Their floss works. They address a lot of my questions about sustainability here: https://www.shopetee.com/blogs/sustainability/silk-or-no-silk-lets-talk-about-it
Floss is a fascinating topic. It’s one of those dental hygiene issues where the big health/safety, sustainability and adoption come into play quite separately.
We know that plastic floss isn’t good for your health. It would be great if there was silicone floss that lasted for years so we could just reuse. One company called “simplyfloss” has this option, but the silicone floss doesn’t last very long. And because silicone is energy intensive to make, this wouldn’t be eco-friendly. https://simplyfloss.com/
We already have electric toothbrushes, which are not environmentally friendly. So I wouldn’t recommend getting one if you don’t already have it. Since I got it as a gift ages ago, for now, my husband and I are getting sustainable toothbrush heads. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41415-020-2124-3
Ultimately, what you choose is going to depend on what type of electric toothbrush you have. Luckily, most sustainable toothbrush heads have taken this into account and don’t make you buy a whole new electric toothbrush just to use their better product.
I liked Brush Mable because it’s FSC. That means the bamboo was harvested sustainably and no one clear cut forests to make it. I bought in bulk, which means a lower carbon footprint.
TLDR: Store-bought hand soap is a waste of water and money. We’re getting scammed.
Why you should care: Check the ingredients of your hand soap. It’s mostly water! All that water means a bigger carbon footprint when shipping. Plus, it’s a waste of plastic, which takes resources to make and then lives in our landfills and oceans forever. Gross.
I like Etee hand soap for SO many reasons. They’re based in Canada so they’re not too far away. They donate to good causes. They don’t do plastic. They don’t test on animals, and use safe materials. They care about their workers and supply chain. Their hand soap doesn’t have a strong scent, which is great if you have smell sensitivities.
If you want to be even more eco-friendly, buy a bar of soap. But if you’re gonna go with liquid hand soap, this is your brand.
TLDR: Paper towels are a waste of money and shouldn’t exist.
Why you should care: The average American spends about $200 annually on paper towels. Yuck. Do something fun with that money. Also, deforestation, water pollution, etc. https://www.greenmatters.com/p/impact-paper-towels
What you should buy: Don’t buy anything! Cut up old clothes and sheets that can’t be donated. Don’t have any? Ask your neighbors. These make cheap paper towels that can be washed and re-used or just tossed if the mess is truly too yucky.
