Going Green- Shampoo and Toothpaste and getting rid of those plastics.

I'm feeling inspired today. Instead of getting depressed about the endless stream of bad news on how
we're trashing our planet, I have decided to make a bit more effort myself. If we all try a bit harder, maybe we can collectively make a difference, right?
So, I'm going to try and cut down on my pollutants- not just the ones I disperse into the environment, but the ones I disperse upon and into myself as well. I'm starting with simple things- I am, after all, a very busy person, with seemingly never enough time to do what I have to, let alone saving the planet. So, this week, while I'm off, I'm going to try alternatives to commercial shampoos and conditioners (and I have to say I'm sceptical) and toothpaste (which I'm less sceptical about). When my box of ecofriendly washing detergent runs out, I might have a go at that, as well.
These receipes have been gleaned from Madeleine Somerville

So, here's the shampoo-



Mix one tablespoon of baking soda into 250ml of warm water. Stir until dissolved, then pour it over wet hair. Massage this magical mixture into your scalp and rinse well.


And here's the conditioner-

a tablespoon or two of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice diluted in 250ml of warm water will do the trick. Pour over washed hair, leave to set in for a few minutes, then rinse.

The toothpaste is simply good old bicarb of soda, brushed onto the teeth. I have given up on the household brands and their micro plastic balls, but the alternative still comes in a plastic tube, so I'll try the bicarb so I can get rid of some more plastic containers.
  Like you, I thought what I'm prepared to give up won't change the world. But then I read Madeleine's shampoo article and her closing words-

"If you were reading about my strange little shampoo situation above, shaking your head and thinking, “There is no way this strange Canadian lady can convince me to wash my hair with the same stuff I use to unclog my kitchen sink,” does that make you a crap environmentalist? No.

Not doing anything because you can’t do everything? That makes you a crap environmentalist, and a defeatist. No one likes a defeatist.

Do what you can and ditch the guilt. You don’t have to wash your hair with baking soda to make a difference, although it would make a certain strange Canadian lady immensely happy if you did. Even just once."

The Guardian article is here

I'll let you know how I get on.



Update 6 November 2015


Well the hair wash of bicarb and vinegar has worked surprisingly well. My hair ( which, I have to say, is quite short) looks and smells clean, and my scalp, which can get maddeningly itchy, isn't half as irritated. The bicarb toothpaste is okay- my teeth feel as clean as with a regular toothpaste. There has been a wee bit of a setback, in that one of my molars broke at the side. This was not as a result of the new tooth regime- it had been an ongoing problem which my dentist hoped would sort itself out- which it obviously did. At least I can eat on that side now, which I haven't been able to do for some months.


The only problem I have is that I can only get 180g tubs of bicarb locally, and the tubs are plastic. Admittedly, they're more reusable than toothpaste tubes, but they're still plastic. So, I'm now in search of a larger, more recyclable pack. Watch this space..


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