Zero Waste Personal Care Swaps

I'm a true believer in treating yourself. Personal care and hygiene are obviously very important and shouldn't be cast aside. But for the sake of convenience and the need to capitalize on every single insecurity we have, personal care or beauty products over the years have become increasingly wasteful. Not to mention all of the toxins we introduce into our homes, air, water, and bodies with many of those products.

In a perfect world, we'd drastically reduce our need for most of them. But no one is perfect and the reality is that we've formed habits and have found things that work well.

Not everyone is willing to give up their personal care routine, so why not replace the products you use with ones that are mostly zero waste, better for your health, and better for the environment?

I've slowly been replacing products over the past couple of years with those that are more ethical, less toxic, as well as less wasteful. Some products I have not replaced simply because I don't use them often, I don't use them at all, or I've found something that works well for my family.

Unless something is bad for my health or terrible for the environment (goodbye microbeads!!), I don't dump everything at once to go buy alternatives. I emphasize this so much, but buying a bunch of new products before using up your old ones TOTALLY defeats the purpose of reducing our waste.

Also, if there is a product that works well with your skin or your teeth, or is recommended by a medical professional, please don't feel that you need to compromise your health for a zero waste alternative. There's no judgment here, don't worry!

When I first started on my zero waste journey, there were a few resources for personal care swaps, but now there's a bunch more products and options I would love to share with you!

Some I've tried and some I've yet to try. The criteria I used to curate this list include (**one product might not fit all criteria, but most):

  • Small, ethical, and (mostly) women-owned businesses
  • Brands/products I have used or continue to use and like
  • Products from shops I trust and who put trust in the brands they sell 
  • Products made from renewable and/or sustainable materials
  • Products made with few and toxin-free ingredients
  • Products that are cruelty-free or vegan
  • Products with minimal, recyclable, compostable, and/or reusable packaging
  • Products that can be refilled
  • Products recommended by other zero wasters
There are a ton of wonderful DIY options out there as well; many of which come from fellow zero wasters I admire. If you opt for DIY products, I personally think it's better to buy some bulk ingredients with multiple uses than to buy a new bottle/container of something every time you need it. Some DIY ingredients might even be found in your kitchen/bathroom already!

My hope is that you can refer to this list when you're running low on a product and are looking for a better option. Many can be ordered online from zero waste shops I trust (brands are listed for you to order directly from if you'd like) and some can be found in retail stores/locations. All products and recipes can make for really great gifts that people will actually use!

Body

BODY WASH 🠊 BAR SOAP  
 LOTION 🠊 LOTION BAR, COCONUT OIL, REUSABLE CONTAINERS, OR DIY
EXFOLIANTS 🠊 DRY BRUSH OR DIY SUGAR/SALT SCRUB
SUNSCREEN 🠊 REEF FRIENDLY ZINC FORMULAS IN ALUMINUM
BUG SPRAY 🠊 DEET/TOXIN FREE FORMULAS IN PAPER/ALUMINUM

Face

LIQUID FACE WASH 🠊 BAR SOAP
EXFOLIANT 🠊 DIY SUGAR/SALT SCRUB
ALCOHOL TONER 🠊 WITCH HAZEL OR ROSEWATER
SHEET FACIAL MASKS 🠊 DIY OR FACE MASK IN GLASS/ALUMINUM
FACIAL SPF MOISTURIZER 🠊 IN GLASS/ALUMINUM
CHAPSTICK 🠊 IN TIN/PAPER TUBE

Makeup

PLASTIC PALLETS 🠊 REFILLABLE BAMBOO PALLET
FOUNDATION 🠊 REFILLABLE OR RECYCLABLE CONTAINER
PRIMER 🠊 RECYCLABLE CONTAINER
  • Primer in glass, bamboo, and recyclable plastic pump bottle by Elate Cosmetics
BRONZER, BLUSH, HIGHLIGHT 🠊 REFILLABLE PRESSED POWDERS OR TINS
EYE SHADOW 🠊 REFILLABLE PRESSED POWDERS
BROW FILL 🠊 REFILLABLE BALM OR USE EYESHADOW
EYELINER 🠊 DIY OR USE EYESHADOW
MASCARA 🠊 REFILLABLE MASCARA CAKE OR DIY
LIPSTICK/LIP BALM 🠊 DIY, IN PAPER TUBES OR TINS
COTTON BALLS, MAKEUP REMOVER WIPES 🠊 REUSABLE FACIAL ROUNDS
MAKEUP REMOVER 🠊 LIQUID COCONUT OIL
  • Liquid coconut oil in glass jar by Nutiva
MAKEUP BRUSHES 🠊 BAMBOO BRUSHES
  • Bamboo handle with taklon bristles (synthetic) by Elate Cosmetics
  • Bamboo handle, recycled aluminum top, & taklon bristles by Ecotools

Hands & Nails

LIQUID HAND SOAP 🠊 BAR SOAP
HAND CREAM 🠊 IN TIN/GLASS 
PLASTIC NAIL BRUSH 🠊 WOOD/BAMBOO NAIL BRUSH
CUTICLE CREAM 🠊 DIY
NAIL POLISH 🠊 NORMALLY IN GLASS BUT OPT FOR LESS TOXIC BRANDS
NAIL POLISH REMOVER 🠊 ACETONE ALTERNATIVE 

Deodorize

DEODORANT 🠊 DIY OR IN PAPER TUBE/GLASS
PERFUME/COLOGNE ðŸ Š LOCKET (yeah it's a thing) OR SOLID PERFUME/COLOGNE

Hair

LIQUID SHAMPOO 🠊 BAR SHAMPOO
LIQUID CONDITIONER 🠊 BAR CONDITIONER OR APPLE CIDER VINEGAR
  • Conditioning shampoo bar by Brooklyn Made Natural
  • Conditioner bars from Package Free Shop
  • Dilute 2 Tbsp of AVC in water (old shampoo/conditioner bottle works). Squirt a little in your hair, leave in for a few minutes and rinse. 
DRY SHAMPOO 🠊 DIY OR POWDER FORM IN GLASS
  • Dust cornstarch or arrowroot powder on your roots using an old makeup brush. Mix in a bit of cocoa powder if you have brown/black hair. Brush and shake out your hair a bit to blend in. It will soak up all that oil.
  • Arrowroot powder & bentonite clay dry shampoo from Package Free Shop
HAIRSPRAY/SALT SPRAY/POMADE 🠊 DIY, AEROSOL & TOXIN-FREE, OR STYLING CREAM IN A TIN
HAIRBRUSH/COMB 🠊 WOOD/BAMBOO
HAIR DYE 🠊 HENNA DYE (free from metallic salts)
HAIR TIES 🠊 COMPOSTABLE PLASTIC-FREE HAIR TIES 

Hair removal

DISPOSABLE RAZORS 🠊 SAFETY RAZORS
  • Stainless steel safety razor from Plastic Free Shop
  • Replacement blades from Plastic Free Shop (Albatross has a take-back program to recycle blades)
  • Safety razor kit (blades, stand, razor, sleeve) from Wild Minimalist
  • Electric razors work great too!
SHAVING CREAM 🠊 PLAIN OL' SOAP,  BAR SOAP FORMULATED FOR SHAVING
AFTERSHAVE ðŸ Š AFTERSHAVE IN A TIN OR IN GLASS
WAX STRIPS ðŸ Š ASK FOR A SUGAR WAX AT THE SALON OR DIY

Oral care

PLASTIC TOOTHBRUSH ðŸ Š BAMBOO TOOTHBRUSH
TOOTHPASTE ðŸ Š POWDERED, TABLET FORM, IN A JAR, OR DIY
FLOSS ðŸ Š REFILLABLE FLOSS
  • Refillable silk floss (compostable) by Dental Lace
  • Refillable vegan floss (not compostable) by Dental Lace
MOUTHWASH ðŸ Š TABLET FORM
PLASTIC TONGUE SCRAPER ðŸ Š METAL TONGUE SCRAPER

Period

TAMPONS ðŸ Š MENSTRUAL CUPS
PADS ðŸ Š REUSABLE CLOTH PADS

Mom & baby

COCOA BUTTER/STRETCH MARK STUFF  ðŸ Š IN A TIN/GLASS
NIPPLE RELIEF  ðŸ Š SALVE IN A TIN OR SILVER NURSING CUPS
DISPOSABLE NURSING PADS  ðŸ Š REUSABLE CLOTH PADS
LIQUID BABY SOAP  ðŸ Š BAR SOAP OR IN A GLASS

Other bathroom essentials/accessories

TOILET PAPER ðŸ Š RECYCLED/BAMBOO TP IN PAPER PACKAGING OR BIDET
COTTON SWABS ðŸ Š GO WITHOUT OR COMPOSTABLE ONES
PLASTIC LOOFAH ðŸ Š NATURAL SPONGE OR LOOFAH
SOAP DISHES ðŸ Š DISHES THAT PROVIDE GOOD DRAINAGE FOR BAR SOAPS











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