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- Hi, everyone.
My name is Jhanneu, and I'm a sustainability influencer.
I use my YouTube channel, as well as my Instagram,
to teach people how to live a zero-waste lifestyle,
and I also make sure to make my content
as inclusive and accessible to everyone.
So today, I'm gonna share with you
a few of my favorite zero-waste bathroom swaps.
One of the swaps that I love
is using a menstrual cup,
as well as reusable period underwear.
So my favorite underwear
that I like to use is Spanx underwear.
You can wash them in the washing machine.
I just wash mine by hand.
What I really love about these
is you feel like you're wearing normal underwear.
You don't feel like you're wearing a pad.
In terms of menstrual cups,
I've had to play around with them.
I've been using one by Cora,
which is definitely kind of easier to put in.
A menstrual cup can stay in for up to 12 hours,
and it's as absorbent as two tampons.
A lot of people, what they'll do is
they'll just dump it out when they're taking a shower.
Menstrual cups are gonna last you up to 10 years,
so that's 10 years of not having to buy tampons or pads.
So not only are you saving money,
but you're also saving the planet as well.
My second tip is to switch your hand soap
from liquid soap to bar soap.
So if you're able to find your liquid soap in bulk, great,
but a lot of people don't have access to bulk stores.
So a great option is to buy bars.
So bars are also just super easy to use.
They take up less space,
and they also last you a very long time.
Most bars come unpackaged, or if they do come packaged,
they come packaged in cardboard or paper,
which is recyclable.
Most hand washes come in a ton of plastic.
It's so many different mixed plastics all together.
It's very difficult to recycle.
Opting for a bar soap is not only cost-effective,
but it also is great for the environment as well.
My next step is to use a deodorant that's either refillable
or comes in compostable packaging.
A lot of deodorants, as I'm sure you know,
come in a ton of plastic packaging,
and they also use very harsh chemicals as well,
so I opt for using deodorants that come packaged in paper
and are non-toxic and don't use aluminum,
because for me, I have very sensitive skin,
and not only do I want the packaging
to be good for the environment,
but I want to also make sure that the ingredients
that I'm putting onto my body are good for me as well.
There's also different DIYs that you can do.
I know deodorants for people, it's not a one-size-fits-all,
so you definitely have to try out what works for you.
So my next tip is to ditch the plastic razors
and opt for a reusable safety razor.
Billions of razors end up in the landfill every year.
Safety razors are just as effective as plastic razors.
It can be an investment upfront,
but it definitely is not something to be scared of.
The razor itself is made out of steel,
and that's gonna last forever.
You're buying the razor once,
and you're only replacing the razorblades.
The one tip I would give you
is to make sure that you dry it off after using it
and don't just have it sitting with water on it
because you don't want it to rust,
but it's definitely one of the best swaps I've made
because it saved me so much money in the long run.
My next tip is to ditch the shampoo and conditioner
that comes in plastic bottles and opt for bars.
Shampoo and conditioner bars are basically
just concentrated shampoo and conditioner.
Depending upon your hair type and how much hair you have,
it can last you up to two months.
So it just depends on how often I use it.
Depending upon your hair type,
it can be very difficult to find shampoo bars
and conditioner bars that work for you.
I know for me, it's been very difficult,
because a lot of shampoo bars, in my opinion,
don't cater to more ethnic hair types,
but I definitely have found ones that have worked for me.
There's one by Tree Naturals, which is a black-owned brand.
For me, it's important to talk about products
that everyone can use, because I feel like for a while
there weren't shampoo and conditioner bars out there
for people that had curly hair or textured hair.
So it's important to make sure
when we're creating these products
that we provide options for everyone.
And it also just aesthetically just looks so much better
when you just have two cute bars in your shower
versus all of these plastic bottles.
It looks better, it's better for the planet,
and it just makes my life so much easier when I'm traveling
'cause I don't have to worry about liquids.
So my next tip is to ditch the liquid body wash
and opt for a bar body wash.
Switching from body wash that comes in plastic
to either a bar that comes unpackaged
or a bar that comes wrapped in compostable recyclable paper
is just a better option.
The raw ingredients used in liquid soap
takes about five times as more energy
as it does for one that comes in a bar.
So it's definitely better for the environment
on so many different levels to use bar soap.
If you have a zero-waste store,
you can definitely go pick up a bar,
and there's definitely a variety of options as well online
from small businesses
'cause I try to support small and local businesses
as much as possible.
My next tip is to get a better alternative
to your traditional plastic loofah.
So if you don't know, plastic loofah contain microplastics,
which end up going down your drain
and can end up in the oceans, which we don't want.
So what I opt to do is to use washcloths
that are made out of cotton or natural materials.
You can also use different sorts of brushes
that are made from wood and other natural materials.
Washcloths basically last forever,
so for me, I just try to buy cotton washcloths
and I just reuse them,
and that's just really simple and easy,
and it saves you money as well.
A lot of these swaps,
although it might be a little bit of an investment upfront
can definitely save you money in the long run,
because when you're using a plastic loofah,
you're only supposed to be using that for a month or so.
So another eco-friendly alternative
that's often overlooked is toilet paper.
So when you go to the store,
toilet paper tends to come wrapped in a ton of plastic,
and the toilet paper itself is coming from trees,
and it's usually dyed and has harmful chemicals in it
that you didn't even know that are there.
So I will opt for buying either recycled toilet paper
or toilet paper made from bamboo.
I prefer the bamboo,
because I think the texture's a little bit better
than recycled toilet paper that's recycled from trees.
It comes 100% plastic free and ships in a cardboard box,
so from start to finish,
you don't have to worry about sending anything to landfill.
Bamboo also grows really quickly.
It can grow up to three to four feet every single day.
When you think about the production of toilet paper
and you think about trees,
trees take a very long time to grow
and they also take up more space as well.
So bamboo is taking up less resources,
so it's just better on that end as well.
My next tip is to opt for a bamboo toothbrush
versus a plastic toothbrush.
So it's estimated that over 23 billion plastic toothbrushes
end up in landfill every single year.
They can end up in the ocean,
and then animals can be consuming the toothbrushes,
which are obviously very harmful to them.
Bamboo is also just less resource-intensive.
When it comes to producing plastic,
that requires fossil fuels.
So for me, switching to a bamboo toothbrush
is definitely a great alternative.
If you're not someone that loves bamboo toothbrushes,
using an electric toothbrush is a little bit better
because you're just replacing the heads
and there are certain companies
that can actually just return the heads,
and so they'll recycle them for you.
So when it comes to disposing bamboo toothbrushes,
some bamboo toothbrushes do come with bristles
that are petroleum-derived,
which means you cannot compost that,
but you can take out the bristles with pliers.
You can compost the bamboo stick and the bristles.
Unfortunately, if they're derived from petroleum,
you would have to throw it in the trash,
but it's definitely less wasteful
than having a full toothbrush made out of entirely plastic.
My next step is to ditch toothpaste
that comes in plastic tubes.
So over one billion plastic tubes end up in landfill
each and every year.
So what I opt to do is to use tooth tabs,
and these two tabs come in either glass or aluminum.
They look like little mints
and you pop them in in your mouth and you bite down
and you can just purchase refills from a lot of companies.
I like using bite tooth tabs,
and it's also just a very cute packaging as well,
which I want cute packaging.
I want to save the planet,
but I also want aesthetically for things
to look cute in my home as well.
My next tip is to ditch the plastic floss.
So as I'm sure you know, you go into the store,
and you see floss that comes wrapped in plastic
in a plastic container,
and the faucet itself is also plastic.
Typical floss is made from nylon
or petroleum-based materials,
so not only are you putting petroleum-based materials
in your mouth, but they're also ending up in landfill
or harming marine life.
And what's also cool about zero-waste floss
is that it tends to be packaged in a reusable aluminum
or a glass container.
So all you have to do is purchase the refills.
So I know not everyone has access to a zero-waste store,
but you can definitely purchase
from the small and local businesses online as well.
And after you're done using the floss,
you can just throw it right into your compost bin,
and it's super easy and super convenient,
and I can take it to a local farmer's market.
My next tip is to ditch the mouthwash
that comes in plastic
and opt for one that comes in tablets
that you can dissolve.
So I feel like this is a new one.
I feel like mouthwash tablets have only become a new thing.
It's been hard to find.
All you do is you drop one tablet in,
you add the water, you mix it around, it dissolves,
and then you use it like you would any normal mouthwash,
and what's great is that there isn't any plastic involved,
and you're cutting down on so much water waste,
and you're also cutting down a ton of plastic waste.
Even if we dispose of plastic properly,
chances of it actually getting recycled are very low.
It's only about 9%.
So for me, I'm always trying to find ways
that I can cut down on plastic.
So a lot of these zero-waste options,
what I love is they're minimal, they're easy to use
and really great for traveling.
They take up less space and less resources,
and they're just all around better for you and the planet.
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