My eco journey and zero waste swapping has not been a smooth one. Pinterest can be extremely misleading and I’ve got my fair share of nailed it experiences. Shops like Babipur help by stocking a huge range of ethical brands and products but they don’t always work for everyone. Some swaps and changes have been a tad more interesting than advertised…
There have been actual face palms…
If you’ve ever burnt your mouth to the point you actually have a blister from a Klean Kanteen full of hot coffee that you thought had cooled down because you filled it 6 HOURS AGO you’ll know what I mean!
Here are some of the mishaps and adventures from some of my eco swaps as it’s Zero Waste Week;
The awkward transitioning hair
I see posts all the time from folk questioning whether shampoo bars actually get the job done properly. A lot of people are left with dull, lifeless, quick to turn greasy hair after their first or second attempt going all natural with their hair are products.
I’ve been using solid shampoo for over a decade and my hair is used to it so I don’t tend to suffer with the transition when I try a new bar, but when I first swapped I did. It’s an awkward week where not even a mum bun can save you and wearing a hat is by far the best option.
I find a good rinse with Apple Cider Vinegar always gives my hair that squeaky clean feeling and it definitely helps when I swap products.
I highly recommend the Lamazuna shampoo bars!
The paper ear bud tweezer retrieval incident
Slight design flaw with some cheaper brands. When some paper earbuds come into contact with anything wet they promptly fall apart. This design flaw resulted in my husband using tweezers to retrieve fragments out of my ear. A lesson learned.
I can highly recommend Organyc buds – they’re extremely robust and do not fall apart even when soaked under the tap! They’re great for painting with too!
*Just to add no I didn’t insert them in my ear, just the edge, as I don’t like wet ears but they fell to bits and then got stuck!
The rainbow bamboo toothbrushes that grew new forms of life
I was gifted from a friend in a “saw this and thought of you” way, a set of bamboo toothbrushes with rainbow coloured bristles. They were unbranded but I was impressed. My whole be the change style attitude was working!
They were a good size and my boys wrote their names on the handles and used them happily. I thought they’d be a nice, cheaper alternative to our Hydrophil ones so was delighted.
We went away for a few days and took the boys old toothbrushes with us for convenience and we came back to the most amazing mould growth I have ever seen. It had completely consumed the 3 toothbrushes, most of the shelf and was working its way over our bathroom mirror in the most fascinating spectacle.
It was genuinely horrifying. The husband suggested getting rid of the mirror entirely and I still think cleansing it all with fire would have been the best way to go but… an enormous bottle of bleach later and I’ll be sticking with Hydrophil from now on!
The fiery armpits of Hell experience
Natural deodorants often use bicarbonate of soda which is great for most people, however I react to it so after trying out a fabulous eco natural deodorant I spent the next 5 days with my arm pits literally on fire!
A nasty rash and 5 days without being able to apply deodorant. I truly embraced the stereotypical hippy lifestyle and was stinking for a good week. I won’t lie I questioned whether or not eco deodorant is worth it at all at one point. My hunt continues…
The soy wax melt disaster
I love Pinterest for eco ideas and swaps. I saw a DIY method for soy wax wraps and thought I’d give it a bash. You can read how I got on <here>
What my blog post omitted was my first attempts where I used too much wax and melted it all over the inside of my oven door, the cupboard door and the floor… ooh and my bare feet.
Safety first and a little wax really does go a long way – or buy some ready made ones like Abeego!
The safety razor and the bald beaver
*I’m sharing with this story with permission!
Thanks to the Babipur Hangout you can get some real honest reviews of products and it’s also lovely safe space for folk to share their misadventures occasionally. We all need a good laugh every now and then and this had me howling.
When Babipur started stocking the Mühle safety razors lots of people were posting they’d braved them and survived and it was very reassuring for everyone who hadn’t quite mustered up the courage to give them a go – myself included.
Then a post pops up, a lovely Babipurian braved the shave, got carried away in the shower, her hand slipped and she ended up with a bald beaver…
Hilarity aside, a lesson learned you don’t muck about with a safety razor (or a beaver!)
Safety razor shenanigans part 2
This one is all me and it’s not fun at all, I seem to be having a war with my armpits right now!
I love the razor on my legs. It’s quick, easy and leaves you beautifully smooth. Armpit shaving took a bit more time to get used to. I won’t lie, I’ve still not got it sussed yet.
My first armpit shave with the safety razor saw me using multiple mirrors in the bathroom to make sure I’d got all the angles right and then I ended up taking it too close. I did moisturise during and afterwards but it was too late.
Sigh… razor burn (what fresh hell is this?!)
This time it was a week with burning armpits and a fantastic angry rash which (rather mortifyingly) needed a specialist burn cream to help clear…
But still, another lesson learned – moisturise, moisturise MOISTURISE!
The eco adventure continues…
I think it’s important to share the mishaps along the way and the fact that some products will work for some people and won’t for others.
If you’ve got any hilarious stories please feel free to get in touch to share.
*Ooh how about that lavender body bar that smelt so strong it actually left you heaving in the shower?! Nope… that just me?
Team Worrall
x
team worrall 