My Plastic Free Shower

I love showering. I love the warm embrace of steamy, hot water. I love the smells of my soaps. And I love the feeling of freshly washed hair. What I don’t love is waste. Which is why I have a plastic-free shower. 

According to the ‘Our World In Data’ organisation, product packaging is the most dominant generator of plastic waste in the world, contributing nearly half of the global total of plastic waste. In 2015, 381 million tonnes of plastic was produced, and 141 million tonnes of it was used for packaging. Out of the total amount of plastic produced, only 19.5% was recycled, while 55% was thrown away. 

Numbers like that are enough to make you nauseous. 

Numbers like that are why I decided to take it upon myself to further decrease my plastic and packaging waste. Which is why I turned my attention to the shower. 

I use one shampoo and conditioner bottle a month. On top of this, I also use liquid soap, bought especially for my sensitive skin, which would last me about two months. So, in my shower alone I was throwing away about five plastic bottles every two months, equating to thirty bottles a year. And this was just in my shower.

I decided then that I needed to make a change in the way I consumed hygiene goods. So, I set out to buy my first shampoo bar. 

Now, everyone’s hair is different, and buying shampoo and conditioner bars sometimes requires pretty extensive research to find the best combination for you. For my hair, I needed something that wasn’t too heavy, since I have pretty oily hair, and I needed something that would create volume. On top of my natural hair requirements, I also have dyed blonde hair, which required toning products to maintain my colour. My hair is pretty damn demanding. 

After some research into what was on offer in my area, I decided to purchase my products from Lush. I made this choice partly because I have had good experiences with their products before, but I also admired their efforts towards the environmentally friendly cause that includes cruelty-free products, reusable and recyclable packaging, and a monumental shift towards package-free products. 

Since my move towards plastic-free products, I have trialled four different bars to better understand which products work best for me, and figure out the differences between bar and bottle. 

My first shampoo bar was ‘Jumping Juniper’ ($15.95 AU).

Filled with a mix of lavender, rosemary, and lemony lime, this bar was a very refreshing start to my plastic-free shower. The bar had a very striking scent, and a weightless feeling in my hair, with no extra weight or heavy moisture. Although fantastic to start, personally the lemony fragrance did become a bit too much, despite the fantastic effects it had on my hair. 

I paired my first shampoo bar with ‘Big’ conditioner bar ($11.95 AU).

This conditioner was made for my hair. Filled with kelp, coconut oil, and sea-salty goodness, this bar gave my hair volume I had never experienced before. The salt created a very workable texture into my hair which was great for styling, and despite the ingredients had a very mellow smell. Although I initially struggled to get enough of the lather into my hair, the longer I used it the more familiar I became with how the bar worked and how to apply it properly to my hair.

Once my first bars ran out, which took about two months (I wash my hair quite a bit), I decided to try another bar combo to compare to the first. 

My second combo included the ‘Honey I Washed My Hair’ shampoo ($15.95 AU), and the ‘Sugar Daddy-O’ conditioner ($11.95 AU). 

Although a very heavy shampoo bar, ‘Honey I Washed My Hair’ has a very sweet, delicious smell and despite first impressions didn’t leave my hair oily or flat. I found that the moisturising honey made my hair soft and shiny. This bar was more favourable for me, but very much came down to the scent. And despite the lightness the first bar gave my hair, the softness that I achieved with the second bar was also a winning component.

When it came to buying my second conditioner bar I began to consider what the new products were doing to my hair colour. I had noticed that my first combo did nothing to maintain my blonde tones. Which is why I decided on the ‘Sugar Daddy-O’ conditioner as it was made for higher shades and was supposed to keep them from turning brassy. Although the colour change wasn’t instant, as it usually is with bottled toning products, over two weeks of use I found my dyed colour regaining its desirable shade. This purple bar was my favourite due to its compatibility with my hair colour. 

After trialling four different shampoo and conditioner bars, and using Lush’s ‘Ro’s Argan’ body soap wash ($13.95. AU p/100g),

I found this soap to be extremely moisturising, and despite fragrances had no negative effects on my sensitive skin, I realised three key differences between the bottle and bar that have convinced me that not only is bar better for the environment, its better for you: 

1. They Last Longer

Due to the concentration of the product (no extra liquids to dilute it), I found, despite my perhaps excessive hair washing, that the bars lasted about two months and have an estimate of 80 washes, which far exceeds the span of most bottled products.

2. Easier to Manage

These bars require nothing more than to sit in your shower or a lush tin ($4.95-$5.95 AU). They are quick to dry and easy to travel with, and perfect for your trip away or overseas with no worry about liquid limits. The tins are completely reusable and are perfect for shower storage. 

3. Natural Ingredients

With these bars, what you see is what you get. No hidden nasties. Unlike many bottled products, these bars contain all-natural ingredients that work great in your hair. All ingredients are also listed on the Lush website, so you can see exactly what you’re getting when you invest in a bar of your own.

All in all, even though the main instigator of this change towards a package and plastic-free shower was my passion for eco-living, the personal benefits of these products, I believe, is enough for anyone to make this change in their own showers.