Prevent plastic soup in your bathroom
If you take a look around your bathroom, it is probably completely full of plastic pots, tubes, aerosol cans and bottles. Your multiblade cartridge blade also contains plastic. Some toothpastes from well-known drugstore brands strangely contain so-called microplastics. 'Huh', yes you read that right: plastic in toothpaste. After use, it all disappears into the waste or into the sewer. More and more men want to get rid of all that plastic. In this blog we have 10 super useful tips and product advice to reduce plastic use in the bathroom.
Most likely some people will say: 'Not shaving or grooming at all prevents 'plastic soup' in the bathroom.' But for the sake of convenience we assume that our customers do care.
Tip 1: Shave classically
Throw away that spray can of ready-made shaving cream and switch to classic wet shaving. Although an aerosol can is not plastic, it does create a whole mountain of waste.
What you need for a classic wet shave:
- a razor with accompanying razor blade ;
- shaving brush and;
- shaving soap or shaving cream.
The only thing you throw away after several shaves is a loose razor blade. If you maintain your shaving brush properly, you will enjoy it for at least 5-10 years. A shaving soap or shaving cream lasts much longer than an aerosol shaving foam. On average you can shave for 3 months with a shaving soap. In addition, shaving with a classic shaving soap is much more pleasant and smoother. In short, better for the environment and it makes you happy.
Tip 2: Shave with the straight razor
The straight razor is the most durable razor system. Don't throw it away after use. After use, clean it, polish it sharply over the shaving belt and you're ready for the next use. If you maintain your straight razor properly, you can pass it on to your grandchildren. We regularly speak to customers who have recently inherited their deceased grandfather's straight razor.
Another plus is that the straight razor is the most economical shaving system. It is a one-time investment. You can find excellent straight razors from DOVO and Böker from €90. You should also purchase a razor sling and sharpening stone for periodic maintenance.
Tip 3: Shave with the safety razor
If you find the straight razor a bridge too far, you always have the safety razor with the accompanying double edge razor blades.
The modern cartridge razor blades from Gillette, Boldking or Raz*War consist of metal and plastic. Double edge blades consist only of metal. In the waste processing process, everything made of metal is fished out with a large magnet. Because these blades only contain metals, they are easily recyclable. Many men switch to the safety razor because it has some major advantages, namely:
- price;
- fewer razor burns;
- lots of choice;
- and more sustainable (more environmentally friendly)
Tip 4: Shaving soap with refill
Many hard shaving soaps come in a beautiful luxurious wooden jar or a simple (hard) plastic jar. After 3 or 4 months of shaving, the shaving soap is gone. Fortunately, many shaving brands have a refill. You put this refill back in the jar and you can continue shaving. In particular, the classic English shaving brands, such as Truefitt and Hill and Geo F Trumper, have a huge range of shaving soaps with refills in a beautiful wooden jar.
The German Muhle has shaving soaps in a sturdy white porcelain jar. You can also put a shaving soap refill in here.
In addition to sustainability, a shaving soap or shaving cream in a jar is also useful because you can easily foam it up. You will always have plenty of fresh, warm shaving foam at hand.
Tip 5: Shaving cream in metal jar
Do you hate plastic? Then use a shaving cream in a metal jar. Various artisan soap manufacturers sell their luxurious shaving cream in beautiful sturdy metal pots. After use, you can use the jar as a luxurious storage box for screws and nails in your handyman garage. The shaving creams from the French Le Pere Lucien come in sturdy, sturdy metal pots.
Tip 6: Use bath soaps
Instead of a shower gel in a tube, you can also wash and clean yourself with a hard bath soap. Every day we sell various luxury bath soaps on a string . Super handy. You always have your soap at hand in the shower. A bath soap is more economical to use than a shower gel. The bath soaps from the Portuguese Antiga Barbearia de Bairro and the English DR Harris are very popular.
Tip 7: Use shower and shampoo bars
Most bottles in your bathroom are shampoos. More and more manufacturers are selling so-called shampoo bars or pucks. It is shampoo in solid form. The existing men's brands, such as DR Harris and Meissner Tremonia, also have an extensive range. There is a shampoo available for every type of hair. DR Harris bars are packaged in a small metal box. The Meissner pucks come in a cardboard box.
A shampoo bar is very easy to use. Just wet it, rub it between your palms and then distribute the shampoo foam well and massage it into your hair. After use, dry it slightly and put it back in the container.
Tip 8: Use toothpaste without microplastics
Various toothpastes from the major brands contain microplastics, such as Polyethylene (PE) and/or Polyethylene glycol. We have always been amazed at the use of plastics in toothpaste. Fortunately, there are alternative oral hygiene products without these plastics, such as the Italian Acca Kappa and Marvis .
In addition, Marvis has an impressive range of toothpastes with fantastic and exciting flavors: mint, licorice, anise, jasmine and ginger.
I hear you thinking: 'Yes, but then you still have toothpaste in a plastic tube.' Fortunately, there are 100% plastic-free toothbrushes. Meissner Tremonia produces toothbrush powder in a glass jar and in a paper bag as a refill. When the jar is empty, fill it again with toothbrush powder in the refill bag. This minty toothbrush contains only natural ingredients and minerals, such as: chalk (calcium carbonate) and mint oil.
You press your toothbrush briefly into the powder and you can brush nicely. The added chalk removes dental plaque, food residues and yellowish deposits from coffee, tea and cigarettes.
Tip 9: Use deodorant cream
Many deodorants come in an aerosol can or a plastic can. The commonly used deodorant sticks come in a plastic can with a plastic rotating mechanism inside. The German Meissner Tremonia has various deodorant creams in a small glass jar. They are natural deodorants based on baking soda, vegetable organic oils and natural essential oils.
Tip 10: Use pomade without microplastics
Without you often knowing it, pomades or hair gels also contain microplastics, such as:
- Acrylate Copolymer, Acrylate Crosspolymer (ACS)
- Dimethicol
- Methicone
The above list is a limited overview. There are dozens of different types of plastics that you can encounter in pomades and shampoos. Microplastics or microbeads are not harmful to health, but they are ultimately washed away through the sewer and naturally end up in the environment. These plastics do not break down and accumulate in our rivers and oceans. A useful app has been available for some time now: www.beatthemicrobead.org . In this app you can easily check whether your favorite hair gel or shampoo contains microplastics.
Many of our customers would like to know which ingredients are in their care products. More and more people are concerned about these plastics. As best we could, we have sorted this out as much as possible based on the list of microplastics per article. We therefore state for various pomades and shampoos whether the article contains microplastics. Hair styling products from American barbershop and hairdressing brands in particular contain microplastics: American Crew, Layrite and Suavecito. Please note, not all products from these brands contain these ingredients.
This notification allows the customer to decide for themselves whether or not you will still use your favorite pomade.
There are of course plenty of pomades and shampoos without microbeads, for example:
