Beyond food: soaps, shampoos, make up, etc.

[Krista Harris / Edible Santa Barbara]

Trish asked on the Facebook page: "Any ideas on personal care
products/ make up without lots of packaging?"

Yes, I've started thinking about this, too.

First off, at the Isla Vista Food Co-op, you can buy all sorts of
liquid soaps, shampoo, detergents in bulk. You bring your empty
refillable container, they weigh it, then you fill it and they weigh
it again to see how much to charge you. Sounds pretty cool. I don't
know of anyone else doing these types of products in bulk. I
definitely plan on taking advantage of this. http://www.islavistafoodcoop.blogspot.com/

Also, think about going back to bar soap (remember the days before
liquid hand soap and shower gel?). There are so many wonderful scented
bars of soap made with pure ingredients. Just look for ones that are
sold without plastic packaging. You can also find delicious smelling
soaps that are made locally at the farmers market. And I just heard
about this new local company called The Grapeseed Company that has
some wonderful looking "wine bar" soaps. http://www.thegrapeseedcompany.com

One of my favorite companies for minimal packaging and an extreme
commitment to the environment is Lush. They are world-wide, so
definitely not a local company, but they are doing some amazing
things. They try to use no packaging whenever possible, and when they
do have to use plastic, they offer incentives for you to bring them
back to be recycled. For this challenge, I have started using their
shampoo bar - think bar of soap for your head. It smells delicious and
works better than the liquid shampoo I used to use. I also like their
lip balms (packaged in metal) and their bar soap and bath balls, which
don't have any packaging, though they usually wrap them in recycled
paper when you buy them. The Santa Barbara store is located in Paseo
Nuevo. http://www.lushusa.com. Also check out their "Top 10 Tips for
an Eco-Friendly Bathroom": http://www.lushusa.com/shop/about-us/green-bathroom/

Anyone else have some favorite products that aren't encased in
plastic?

-Krista