Monday, October 8, 2012

Hello again!

So if you read this you might have noticed that I haven't been blogging much lately- actually not at all.  I was off for the summer and now that I am back I have been getting into the swing of things so haven't had much time to blog.  Now that things are more routine I thought I would start back up.  Luckily, I don't think many people read this so hopefully no one was devastated by my online absence.
Here's the latest.  I failed miserably at not spending.  I am thinking of trying again... so I will keep you posted.  New things include tracking our trash and recycling as a first step in starting to cut down.  My husband is in charge of this and he is doing a great job.  Soon we can analysize the data and start reducing.  I would like to compost more and we have a compost system but need to collect more kitchen scraps and take them outside to compost.  I thought about one of those counter top buckets for compost but I think they attract fruit flies and we already have a fruit fly problem because we like bananas.  Instead I am opting for a pyrex container with a lid.  We had one out but then didn't use it so I need to start again.  Sometimes progress is slow in our house.
Also new is that we are trying Chagrin Valley soaps.  I was using Lush bar shampoos but looked at their ingredients and they have a lot of dyes and parfums.  Additionally, they do not say their scents are phalate free and I noticed that they add parabens to their cosmetics so I am not inclined to trust them.  Per Beth Terry's recommendation in her awesome book Plastic-Free I ordered from Chagrin Valley.  I have yet to try the shampoo bars because we have some Lush we are using up but I will let you know.  I really like that they have castille soap for babies that is very pure.
In the bathing department, I have been looking for a plastic-free alternative to my bath pouf.  This has been mostly unsucessful.  I wanted something that would be small, lather well with bar soap, and not be gross.  I tried loofahs but they were too scratchy and I have sensitive skin.  Then I got a cotton crocheted bath pouf but this because a dense wet lump.  So I tried a ramie bath pouf from Amazon but the same problem.  And then I looked into ayate washclothes but they too didn't dry between showers, were too big for my small hands, and didn't lather up.  Natural sponges have been the best bet and I may go back to them as I tried them once before although they attract my long hair like a magnet.  I ordered a Vics washcloth from Amazon and cut it into four smaller pieces so I will try that on my face.  If anyone has recommendations let me know.  I am looking for something that makes a good lather and is not a big wet mess.  I found a recycled plastic pouf but sadly it is #4 plastic and so I can't recycle it where I live.  So the hunt is still on.

1 comment:

  1. It's pathetic how hard it is to be no-impact. I'm trying some supposedly biodegradable trash bags that are made from 100% recycled plastic (reuseit.com), but I don't know if they're still REALLY all that good for the environment.

    For your loofah woes, may I suggest you do as I do: don't bother with a loofah; hell, don't even bother with soap! Just follow these three easy steps:
    1) Apply shampoo to your hair
    2) Do not rinse the resultant lather from your palms! Instead, vigorously rub your sudsy hands under your arms and/or other fragrant body parts.
    3) Rinse everything and exit shower, secure in the delusion that you are fresh, feminine, and aromatic!

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