Zero Waste Bathroom Products I Am Still Using 6 Years Later

As graduation approached and I prepared to strike out on my own I considered the kind of lifestyle I wanted to lead. An intriguing trend I was seeing on Pinterest was ‘zero waste’. Essentially, reusable products that would not need to be regularly replaced or products that came in little to no packaging. Any packaging included can be recycled, composted or reused. I was most interested in the bathroom solutions on offer, so I purchased a safety razor (plus 5 blades), a menstrual cup, compostable dental floss, toothy tabs, shampoo and conditioner bars and bamboo toothbrushes. Go big or go home right.

While I still use bamboo toothbrushes (composting the handles once I am done) and the occasional bar of shampoo (good ones are hard to find), I think the most economical switches were the razor and the menstrual cup. I did buy another set of 100 blades for the razor about a year in but they only cost me $13.00 and I still have 35 left. I have also purchased a second menstrual cup recently because I was told they need to be replaced after a certain period of time (lol, pun intended) but I still use my original one as a purse back up, and I could easily manage without having two. 

The Safety Razor

The safety razor requires some practice and finesse but with a good bar of soap and some water you are good to go. I find I get less cuts when I exfoliate my skin first but I often skip this step and still have good results - the same is true with multi blade razors. I have had good success using the safety razor on legs, arms, armpits and bikini area. Usually, I shave while in the shower but the razor can also effectively be used in the bath or even with a bowl of hot water for dipping/cleaning, a wet cloth and a bar of soap for a more water saving method.  

When I first started with the safety razor I would disassemble, clean and dry it after every use. I would even sharpen the blade using the stropping method.  Since then I have reduced my maintenance and I have noticed that my blades do not last nearly as long but I disliked disassembling. I make sure that the razor is clean by running it under hot water and getting in all the cracks with a nail brush after each use. I've recently started stopping again. Before my shower I take the razor and stroke it with the direction of the blade on whatever pair of jeans I am wearing that day.  I have noticed a reduction in knicks while shavings.

I bought my Double Edge Safety Razor with Bamboo Handle from Wowe for about $45.00 in 2017. The price of similar products is significantly lower these days. This particular model has been discontinued and I wonder if it is because the bamboo handle splits - mine did. Although mine split, I figured in true zero-waste fashion I could not replace it because it still worked just fine, so here I am 6 years later, rocking the same razor. 

The Menstrual Cup

Now for the menstrual cup. I started with the Diva Cup and although it took some getting used to, I haven’t looked back since. In fact, I can count the number of times I’ve used a tampon since buying my menstrual cup on one hand. No more bleached cotton for me. Some of my friends find they can’t handle the insertion and removal process but I find that it is no worse than that of a tampon, plus no bloody garbage! And you can wear a menstrual cup for up to 12 hours, which is more than enough time to get me through the work day without having to worry about that dreaded public bathroom switch, no more taking your purse to the restroom. I personally cannot think of one downside to the menstrual cup. That being said I have recently started using period panties for those lighter days and can I just say GAME. CHANGER! 

My favorite things about these zero waste products are the reduced waste going to the landfill and the money I have saved by using them. Let’s break it down:

Let's Do The Math

Safety Razor vs. Gillette Venus Original Women's Razor (the razor I used to use)

Wowe Safety Razor + 5 blades Cost: $45.00

Replacement Blades pack of 100: $13.00. $0.13/blade  I have only used 65 of these = $8.45

Total Razor Costs for 6 Year: $53.45

Gillette Venus Original Women's Razor - 1 Handle + 2 Blade Refills: $12.97 = $4.97 for the handle. 

Gillette Venus Original Women's Razor Refill - 8 count - $31.97 $4.00/refill

I typically shave 1.5 times per week (depending on the season). Over 6 years that comes out to 468 shaves. A safety razor blade typically lasts me 6.69 shaves, the same can be said for Venus blades meaning I’ve used 70 blades in 6 years. It should be noted that one can prolong the life of the safety razor blades with regular stropping.

70 Venus blades + 6 handles (1 per year which is being generous because this handle likely would not last a full year) = $4.00/blade x 70 refills = $280.00 + $29.82 handles = $309.82 for 6 years of shaving with Gillette Venus blades. 

Cost of razors for the past 6 years:

Using a Wowe Safety Razor: $53.45 $0.11/shave

Using Gillette Venus Razor: $309.82 $0.66/shave

How much I saved by switching to the safety razor in 2017: $256.37

Diva Cup vs. Tampax Pearl Light/Regular Tampons

Diva Cup cost - $35.00

1, 34 count box Tampax Pearl Light/Regular - $10.99 $0.32/tampon

6 Years of Periods = 72 periods, lasting 5 days each = 360 days of periods (almost a year!)

On average people use 4-6 tampons a day. So we’ll make it easy and say I’d use 5/day.

360 days x 5 tampons per day = 1800 tampons x $0.32/tampon = $576.00 for 6 years of tampons.

Cost of menstrual products for the past 6 years:

Using a Diva Cup: $35.00

Using Tampax Pearl tampons: $576.00

Money saved since 2017: $541.00! Dang, that’s a lot of money!

Total savings from these two switches: $797.37

That’s $132.90 a year. It adds up fast!! I suspect I will not need to replace either product (besides getting some more blades in a few years) which means I will continue to save.

My Other OG Zero Waste Products

And now for a quick review on the aforementioned zero-waste bathroom products that didn’t save me as much money:

Compostable dental floss - weak. My husband snapped his piece every time.

Toothy tabs - I got gingivitis… I’m sure there are better options out there now but I’m a little afraid to try them.

Bamboo toothbrushes - why do most of them come in plastic packaging?! I still like them though. They do tend to look dirtier on the handles faster than plastic toothbrushes but it makes for a good reminder to replace them more regularly. 

Shampoo bars - these are hit or miss. I’ve tried some that work like a dream like this one from Outside the Shape and others were not so nice and made my hair feel waxy.  

The lesson I learned from this experience is something that I now apply when buying new products - invest in high quality goods. Look for things that are made to last and take care of them. I’m appreciating the beauty of hand made and reused products more everyday. The thrift store is my favorite haunt and my frequent perusals allow me to find the time tested, quality items that aren’t made that way anymore. But that is a story for another day. All in all, I am thanking my past self for investing in reusable products. If you are interested in making some swaps I encourage you to take a close look in your garbage can to see what you throw away most and then research reusable alternatives. Here’s some other bathroom swap recommendations that I enjoy: hankies instead of facial tissues - inspired by my Opa, a face cloth and cleanser instead of makeup wipes, homemade salves and balms - skip that plastic packaging and alphabet long chemicals, a bidet and tooshy towels instead of toilet paper, bar soap instead of liquid soap and homemade cleaners in reused spray bottles.