1. They’re about half the size of a Top 10 list, so you can finish reading before your legs fall asleep.
2. They give you enough information to be helpful without making you eco-overwhelmed.
3. Let’s be honest, our attention spans aren’t what they used to be. I could explain this further, but you’d probably skip ahead.
4. They force me to prioritize the things I don’t want you to miss instead of dumping ten years of eco-nerd knowledge in your lap.
5. You can jump around and read whatever catches your eye. No guilt. No quizzes afterward.

It’s not like each of the 5 has a DON’T SKIP ME label on it, because that would be cheating. So anyway let’s get down to it…here are my Top 5 ways to go green and save money in your shower.

DON’T SKIP ME #1

Rethink Your Shampoo and Conditioner

You ever been at the bar late at night in your 20s when someone yells “Last Call!” Suddenly your options aren’t nearly as good as they were an hour ago. The same thing happens when you run to the pharmacy ten minutes before they close. You’ll find something that works, but it probably won’t be your first choice. To make your life easier, I did the research for you.  My point is if you want more options then you need to put in some effort.

Option #1: Shampoo and conditioner bars. They seem strange at first because they’re basically bars of soap for your hair, but after a week or two they become completely normal. You realize the bottle of shampoo was all water anyway so why waste space in your shower and all that packaging. I liked the Badger Shampoo Bar.

Option #2: Refillable subscriptions. We use Plaine Products and absolutely love them. They ship shampoo and conditioner in aluminum bottles. When you finish one, swap the pump onto the new bottle, stick the empty back in the original box, slap on the prepaid label and send it back to be cleaned and reused. If subscriptions aren’t your thing, you can simply order replacements whenever you need them.

Option #3: Zero-waste refill stores. Yep, they’re real. Bring your own container, fill it with exactly what you need and head home. It’s one of those ideas that makes you wonder why we weren’t doing this all along.

Option #4:  The DIY route. There are a ton of recipes to make your own. Skip the conditioner and make your own apple cider vinegar rinse (just google that one too). Or you can always reach out to me as I’ve done a lot of the work already. I’d be happy to share some of the recipes that have worked out for me (as well as some that haven’t).

DON’T SKIP ME #2

Drop Your Soap

I haven’t bought soap from a store since 2016! I have a soap dealer, yes you read that right. Years ago I was at a farmer’s market and came across a vendor selling homemade soap. This person was not the creator, just the seller. I had just had a conversation with my husband who swore he’d never leave his favorite green St. Patrick’s Day-themed brand of Leprechaun lather. Long story short, we never purchased green soap again (that’s a whole other story that you can read about here). Now as much as we loved our new soap it was expensive so I took out the middle man. I contacted the creator directly and we made a deal. We meet up (I’m dressed like Carmen Sandiego with dark glasses and I carry a briefcase, she dresses normal), I buy her soap in bulk and she gives me a discount. There’s no chemicals, it’s locally made, no shipping charges and lowers my impact on the environment. Biggest bonus…I’m supporting a local business and I know what’s in it. But if you can’t seem to find your own soap dealer there are tons of toxic free options on Etsy. Just be careful. My soap dealer says to make sure you read the ingredients (if they don’t list them then don’t buy it).

DON’T SKIP ME #3

Trade Razor Burn for a Safety Razor

Our shower caddy used to have at least 2-3 plastic razors in it, pink for me and blue for him. It looked like a goth gender reveal party and it was really just a lot of crappy plastic that we were paying for. Over the years we dumped the disposables and opted for buying the razor handles with the detachable heads, we were on the right track but still a lot of wasted material. Fortunately there is an even eco-friendlier option regaining some popularity. When I was a kid medicine cabinets had razor blade slots where you would toss used blades into an abyss. This was really just a hole in the wall where they would pile up. I’m not saying this is an excellent idea, especially for the contractor who finds the surprise when redoing your 1960s bathroom, BUT the old fashioned safety razor is making a comeback. It’s plastic free, sturdy (seriously this might be the one and only razor you use for the rest of your life), has steel recyclable blades and is WAY better for the environment. I have a test subject in mind (let’s call him husband) so be on the lookout for an article about that experience in the near future. Bonus option…if you’re an eco-loving, hairy crazy woman like me you can ditch the razors and shaving cream forever and go for laser hair removal. Warning – it’s EXPENSIVE but seriously it’s the best. I shave maybe once or twice a year. I figured with waxing, buying razors and shaving cream I’ll end up saving money over my lifetime.

DON’T SKIP ME #4

Low Flow Is Good to Go

I’ve been talking about low-flow shower heads for years. When low flow shower heads first came out all I heard was you’ll lose all your water pressure. Not sure what changed but they’ve come a long way and I have zero complaints about mine. My hubby loves all the different spray modes, they’re super easy to install, and they save both water and money. Here’s one of my picks to get you started. Bonus idea…you can get a Berkey shower filter to attach to make sure you’re bathing with clean, chemical free water.

DON’T SKIP ME #5

A Better Option Than Paper or Plastic

I first learned about soap bags when I cheated on my soap lady and ordered this bar of soap that caught my eye. It came with a soap bag. I thought it was just for packaging, but turns out it’s great for exfoliation and foaming up. It dries in between showers keeping it from disintegrating which also saves you money. When your soap bar gets super small it won’t matter because it’s in the bag and won’t keep falling out of your hands (which means one less thing rolling around your shower floor). So if you don’t want to be feeling around on the wet shower floor with your eyes squinted shut like Velma looking for her glasses (Scooby Dooby Doo!) then you should definitely check these out. They sell tons of them on Etsy and Amazon (like this one) and if you buy a good one, you can wash it and use it for a really, really, really long time.

I should point out, my husband made his own Top 5 Shower list for me. It went about as you’d expect.

It came as no surprise that every single suggestion somehow involved showering with me.

I chose not to publish his version.

You’re welcome.

The post Top 5 Ways to Go Green and Save Money in Your Shower appeared first on Living Clean and Dirty.

It’s the rallying cry behind a lot of crappy decisions.

Let’s take the morally questionable and sexually philanthropic decade that I like to refer to as “My 20s.” There were certainly more than a few challenges during that time of my life, but most of my friends and I seemed to glom onto the worst boyfriend material we could find. If he was nice, considerate and treated you right then he was a dud. Bring on the bad boyfriend.

• Treat you like shit? Check!
• Blow you off to do stupid stuff with his friends? Check!
• In the middle of sex ask you if you have a sister? Check!

MMMM-HMMMMM…he’s perfect.

And when a friend would look at your situation and say, “Um…what the fuck is the matter with you?” like little pre-programmed robots we’d all answer, “I love a challenge.”

Fortunately I moved on from my twenties and I’d like to think my decision-making skills have improved. As a society, though, we still seem drawn to positively absurd challenges. Here are five social media challenges. Four are real. One I made up. Can you spot the fake?

1. The Hot Pepper Challenge
2. The Space Monkey Challenge
3. The Charlie Charlie Challenge
4. The Purple Nutsack Challenge
5. The Kylie Jenner Lip Challenge

OK, while they’re all terrible ideas, The Purple Nutsack isn’t actually a challenge. When I suggested adding it to the list, my husband just winced, crossed his legs and wandered off.

OK, while these are all awful and I can’t recommend enough to NOT try these I will admit that The Purple Nutsack is not a challenge and when I suggested to my husband that I add this to the list he just winced and wandered off.

My whole point is this. There are a literal fuck-ton of awful, dangerous and downright ridiculous challenges out there. So why not use our love of challenges for something that actually makes the world a little better?

Enter the Plastic Free Challenge.

www.plasticfreechallenge.org/what-is-single-use-plastic

We all know plastic isn’t great for the environment, but recycling isn’t the magical solution most of us wish it was. A lot of that plastic still ends up in landfills or the ocean. Have you ever heard of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch? If not, look it up and prepare to be horrified.

Now, I’m not saying we should eliminate every piece of plastic from our lives overnight. That’s not realistic. Like blow jobs, I believe everything should be in moderation.

Plastic grocery bags, plastic straws, plastic forks, plastic cups, plastic coffee lids. Single-use plastic is exactly what it sounds like. You use it once, throw it away and then someone else gets to deal with it.

The good news is most of it is avoidable.

Reusable shopping bags. Metal straws. BPA-free water bottles. Small changes really do add up.

Is it doable?  Hell yeah.

Is it a pain in the ass?  Hell yeah.

But we love a challenge, right?

I already do most of those things, but recently I found another easy swap. We cook a lot at home, which means we wash a lot of dishes. I also go through an embarrassing number of kitchen sponges and plastic dish scrapers, so I started looking for a more eco-friendly option.

That’s when I found Scrufah.

It’s basically a loofah for your dishes. No plastic. Biodegradable. Compostable. Non-toxic.

Why do we go through all the trouble of buying organic food but never stop to think about what we’re scrubbing our dishes with?

They’re soft when wet (insert giggling here) but still tough enough to clean without scratching my cookware. They come three to a box, each lasting about two to three months, and they’re compressed flat until you get them wet, when they expand to full size.

Now it almost feels like they’re writing these jokes for my husband.

I’ve been using my Scrufah to clean everything from dishes and pots to reusable water bottles and metal straws, and I’ve been really happy with it.

So now it’s your turn, you challenge-loving freaks.

Join the fight against single-use plastics. Maybe a Scrufah isn’t your thing, but replace one disposable item in your house with something reusable. Every little bit helps.

The amazing company that makes Scrufah, Oliver Flynn Lifestyles, is a small family business started by two sisters who wanted to create a low-tox lifestyle for their kids while reducing plastic waste. They’re also offering Living Clean and Dirty readers 15% off on Amazon with coupon code HBIC3MCK.

Check out their Website, Facebook and Instagram

They’re up to the challenge. Are you?

Oliver Flynn Lifestyles provided me with a Scrufah to facilitate this review; however, all opinions expressed are my own.

The post Scrufah says…Challenge Accepted! appeared first on Living Clean and Dirty.