We are two adults who like our food and refuse plastic products whenever and wherever we can. We source biodegradable, compostable alternatives and blog about them.
We are currently backpacking plastic free – see how here
Stay at home type? check out our A-Z plastic free index.
Want to know more? Really? Then go to about us
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After you have made your own home made creams and lotions you need to store them in something. Old glass jam jars are fine for storing the excess but you want to think twice before using glass in the bathroom what the hard tiles, slippery hands, bare feet and shattering potential.
Nope this is a case for an unbreakable product and aluminium pots and bottles are ideal and look good. Please note – all the suppliers I use line their products with a resin ( plastic) liner. Your call.
Plastic bottle are good in the bathroom. You can see what you have and they are totally safe. The greenest way is to reuse the pots and bottles you already have – my old shampoo bottle is still going after 5 years of refills. But that lives in the gym bag. When it comes to bottles that can be seen I am shallow and I like the bathroom to look good. So I recycled all my old bottles and bought some funky plastic bottles for the side of the bath.
In the boudoir (a marginally less dangerous environment), you can use glass, by far the nicest product. Once again the umber green amongst can reuse jam jars however I went out and bought simple glass jars which I matched with aluminium lids. Which brings me to lids and closures
You can get all sorts of closures for bottles from simple screw caps to flip lids, pumps and sprays. It really depends on the nature of your product. I tend to use aluminium caps and lids because they look the best and last the longest. No matter how sturdy the plastic lid anything more complex then a screw top eventually falls apart and I don’t like that.
Please note that all closures almost always have a small plasticised paper disc inside. You can take it out without reducing the effectiveness of the product, which makes it all the more irritating!
I have been using my bottles jars and lids for years now and they are still looking good and working well.
Labelling
Believe me you will forget what is in your bottles and you will have to label them. You can write on the bottle with a waterproof pen though in my experience the writing does eventually wash off. You can buy plastic labels from the supplier below for a very reasonable rate. Apparently they last for five years so you might think that this is fair trade off. Or you can use wooden or aluminium labels ( try garden stores or craft stores), or even cardboard tags and tie them onto your bottles.
You can buy all the above from naturally thinking
For more on home made beauty products check out keep pretty plastic free
Check out the full range of plastic-free, compostable products as used by us with the >>>A-Z<<< plastic free index
Want to cut down on more of your plastic rubbish? Try the >>>A-Z<<< plastic free index
Bought this bottle of hydrogen peroxide from Boots in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The bottle is glass the cap is metal. Plastic free you might think well apart from the plastic lid liner and plasticised paper label. So massively plastic reduced is it that it is my choice of antiseptic for my travel medical kit.
As well as cleaning wounds it can also be used as a mouth wash and helps whiten the teeth.
I love a multi-tasking product.
For a great mouthwash recipe try this blog. And don’t stop at the mouthwash, there are lots of wonderful sounding things in there.
Other plastic free beauty products can be found right here.
Want to find more travel related plastic free tips? Check out the travel category
Stay at home type? Check out my range of U.K based plastic free products with the >>>A-Z<<< plastic free index
Plastic? Rubber? Just plain weird? Used for everything from ice cube trays to adult toys to cake tins it certainly gets around. So what is silicone??
Silicon is a natural chemical element. Silicone polymers are derived from silicon and so silicone is a man-made product derived from silicon a natural element.
Silicon is generally found in solid crystalline form like sand or glass, while silicone may be a liquid lubricant, a semi-solid adhesive or a rubber-like plastic polymer.
Liquid silicone is often used as a lubricant. A thicker form of rubberized silicone can also be used as a waterproof sealant.
Silicone caulk can be used as a basic sealant against water and air penetration. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Solid silicone – silicone rubber – is used for everything from cake baking cases to internal sanitary protection.
Silicone rubber is made by curing or vulcanizing natural rubber. Silicon is injected into the long hydrocarbon chains of natural rubber under high heat and pressure. The result is silicone rubber. A manmade derived from natural products – silicon and rubber..
Silicone rubber is a silicon polymer with rubberlike qualities. It was first produced under the chemical name of polydimethlysiloxane.
Silicone rubber is heat resistant so can be used to make cookware including oven mitts, tongs, pot holders and pan handles.
Silicone rubber also possesses non-stick qualities, so it can be formed into flexible cookware such as muffin and cake pans.
All silicone is inert, it does not react with other elements or compounds.
There are (as yet) no known health hazards of silicone.
Silicone is not biodegradable, but it can be recycled easily – where facilities exist.
Silicone comes in two grades, food and medical grade silicone.
Do I boycott silicone?
Actually no not always. This is one of those cases where I think certain plastic has a part to play in waste reduction and I use a range of silicone products because they help me reduce the amount of plastic throwaway trash I would otherwise create. For instance I use the reusable mooncup internal sanitary protection because it means I do not have to unwrap a thousand tampons from their plastic covers. I also used to use reusable cup cake cases because I could not buy cup cases in anything other then hard plastic cases. I am happy to report I have found a paper alternative. I never felt quite comfortable cooking with them.
Scilicone products I use or reccomend
I am not a paper cup – a pottery cup with reusable scilicone lid.
plastic free menstruation scilicone mooncups
Nice buns cases for baking muffins and buns in
For more information on types of plastics try these pages
All about polystyrene (styrofoam)
Check out my collection of plastic-free, compostable products with the >>>A-Z<<< plastic free index
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I don’t know what you do in a downtown hotel room in Bangkok but I make body lotion. I have been making my own creams and lotions successfully at home for ages now but since then of course I have packed my bags to travel the world. Obviously I don’t want to go back to using plastic packed cosmetics but carrying a years supply of creams and lotions was not an option. So I thought why not continue to make my own creams WHILE back packing.
As I am sure you know, cream, body lotion and the like is basically water and oil mixed together in varying quantities. The more oil the richer the cream. As water and fat do not naturally mix you need to use an emulsifier.
The process is simple – mix the oils and emulsifier and heat to a certain temperature. Heat the water to a certain temperature. Mix the two together to make cream.
So before I left I weighed out, mixed up and melted together a batch of oils and emulsifiers. I used hard oils like Shea so the end mix set firm – think butter in the fridge consistency. I planned to add the water at a later stage.
So when my body lotion ran out in Thailand it was time to see if my cunning stunt was going to work.
I set out my equipment.
Tiffin Tin 2
Metal cup
Heating element I had brought along to make tea (and cream) with.
Shea butter emulsifying oil mix
Let the show begin.
I put a dollop of the oil/emulsifying mix in the metal cup and some water in the tiffin tin.
I clipped the tin cup to the side of the tiffin tin with my tweezers.
I heated the water in the tiffin tin with the element.
When I thought everything was hot enough I added some of the water to the melted oils and mixed vigorously.
Not a complete success. The oil and water did emulsify but didn’t thicken quite as much as I had hoped. I had created a kind of sloppy lotion rather than a cream but it was good enough for moisturising.
I refilled my plastic bottle and went on my merry moisturised way.
Lots more information about my cream making exploits can be found on the following pages
Lots more information about my cream making exploits can be found on the following pages
How do you make cosmetic creams and lotions the basics
The Aromantics cream making starter pack some more details
Other plastic free beauty products can be found right here
Want to find more travel related plastic free tips? Check out the travel category
Stay at home type? Check out my range of U.K based plastic free products with the >>>A-Z<<< plastic free index
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Bit excited today as the PIR. Blog
is featured over in Gadling Travel Blog, a worthy publication with obviously good taste. You can read the full article here
It also mentions some good old (plastic free) timers, Beth over at fake plastic fish and plastic manners … Let’s hear it for the girls.
Best of all I am so pleased that plastic free travel is of interest to a wider audience. Is the tide turning? I truly hope so.
Want to find travel related plastic free tips? Check out the travel category.
Stay at home type? Check out my range of U.K. based plastic free products with the >>>A-Z<<< plastic free index.
Like this:
York Minster church as seen from Low Petergate. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
And not just because the Minster is lovely. No there is a new plastic boycotter blogging in the uk and they say there is a whole food scoop shop in York – who knew? As soon as I get back to blighty I will be off up there with my plastic free bags. Oh the power of the net – tis mighty awesome.
Anywayback to the blogger - her name is Rose and her blog can be found right here. Check it out.
Done that? Why not meet other plastic refuseniks here
If you want your anti plastic project, waste busting, dumpster diving project featured in the Plastic Free Who’s Who do this now – we would love to have you xx
Want to cut down on more of your plastic rubbish? – find plastic free products with the A-Z plastic free index
People are always asking me how I stay so young and lovely looking with no plastic in my bathroom cabinet.
Easy I say – I get all Blue Peter and make my own products. Its quicker then looking round Boots and trying to choose between a hundred different shampoos all promising the world; its really simple and fun to; best of all I get to control what goes on my and in my body, where it comes from and what environmental impact it has. Yazoo!!
Incidentally have you seen what goes into commercial cosmetics? Try toxic chemicals in cosmetics, safe cosmetics website and the ewg database of all the chemicals you are rubbing in daily. If you are of a nervous disposition you might want to skip these and just resolve to reform.
Here’s a beauty list that allows you to choose and control what goes on your skin and in your body.
Creams, lotions and Moisturisers
how to make everything from daily moisturizer to sun block, rich night creams to light lotions and what’s more, how to make them when backpacking. Find out more here
Accessories
| Cotton Buds | |
| hankies | |
| Nail brush | |
| paper tissues in a box | |
| Q tips | |
| tissues in a box | |
| toilet roll |
Dental Care
General Beauty
| Anti perspirants | |
| Bicarbonate of soda | |
| Deodorants | |
| Lip Balm | |
| Skin Cleanser | |
| skin toner | |
| soap | |
| toner – skin |
Hair Care
| brush – hand brush | |
| Combs | |
| Conditioner | |
| hair gel | |
| Hairbrushes | |
| hairspray | |
| Shampoo | |
| soap shampoo |
Sanitary Protecton
For internal and external protection check out our page Plastic free menstruation
For more plastic free products go to the >>>A-Z<<< plastic free index.
Cleaning your teeth involves so much plastic what with the tooth brushes and tubes of toothpaste. Lucky for you I have researched a number of plastic free products for you to try.
There are these all natural toothbrushes from Germany and these compostable scrubbers from Australia.
Plastic free dentifrices are listed here:
| tooth cleanser – bi carb |
| tooth paste metal tubes |
| tooth powder home made |
I recommend the home-made tooth powder as being the nicest tasting, best all round option.
Want to cut down on more of your plastic rubbish? – find plastic free products with the >>>A-Z
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