The Toiletry Emergency.

I somehow have managed to (within the next couple of days) run out of toothpaste, face cream, shampoo and deodorant all at the same time. My assignment for this weekend will be to make all of the above!

Deodorant, however, is going to wait for a bit. My parents gave me a Lush deodorant bar for Christmas so I can start using that now. I still haven’t quite figured out how to use it. It’s a hard bar so it doesn’t really rub off onto your skin. Do I need to use water with it? I’ll have to check out Lush to see what the scoop is.

(By the way, at some point in the future I’m going to try making my own deodorant using one part baking soda to six parts cornstarch. The baking soda deodorizes while the cornstarch acts as an antiperspirant.)

I’m going to Lush for my shampoo because I like their shampoo bars. I’ve heard about using a variety of homemade shampoos like a simple mixture of baking soda and water, but my skin has always been really particular about what I can put on it and what I can’t and that, unfortunately, won’t do the trick.

So, my problems are face cream and toothpaste. I’ve found a bunch of face cream recipes but they all seem to have 100 ingredients that each cost an arm and a leg. Any suggestions? I’d love suggestions on making inexpensive toothpaste as well.

Day 12.

I’ve had one more infraction to report on since day 3. I’m a huge oatmeal fan. I’ve eaten oatmeal for the majority of my breakfasts for as long as I can remember. However, after doing a few experiments over the past few weeks, I’ve discovered that my oats must have gluten in them because I appear to be having reactions after eating oatmeal for breakfast!

Unfortunately, the only oats I’ve found that can claim 100% to be gluten-free are ones that are pre-packaged in plastic. So, those are out! I decided to make a big batch of rice pudding to have for breakfast during the week but needed vanilla. All the lids were the same size (small) so I figured at least I could minimize the plastic by at least getting the largest glass bottle of vanilla that the store had.

Is it possible to find vanilla (or other extracts) without a plastic lid?

Week one down and my first real success.

I’ve started to write a “week one complete” post about seven or eight times now, but I really have no idea what to say! It was a fairly insignificant week. I had one slip-up because I had to buy Robax for my little neck/back injury that happened on New Year’s Eve.

Otherwise, avoiding buying anything at all seems to have solved my plastic problems!

Obviously, general avoidance of any purchases at all isn’t a habit I can continue. I’ll have to buy something some time and when I do, I’ll have to make some choices. For example, I was in a store last night where they had the most brilliant pair of earrings I have ever seen; however, they were on a plastic tag. I thought to myself, “it’s just a tiny card. I guess that’s not really a big deal.” I took them off the rack and started towards the check-out.

And then I realized that this plastic-free challenge means NO plastics, big or small. Not just the common daily things like straws and wrapping around DVDs, but also little things like stickers on produce and earring tags.

That was my big revelation and I sadly (but with a greater feeling of empowerment) hung the earrings back on the rack. My first real success, I think!

Other than that, my week has been long and had lots of other ups and downs that aren’t appropriate for this blog! I think that’s put me into a “mood” and probably why I’m not really interested in writing much lately. But, I’m still here and still love and appreciate all the support you guys are giving me, so thanks! Week one down and just fifty-one to go!

Day 3 and my first infraction.

I was doing oh-so-well today! I was very productive! I made a new jar of soy milk, I made a bulk bag for flours and I walked to Granville Market to buy bulk stuff and local produce (sans stickers)… which happened to be closed (random, since it’s never closed!), but that’s besides the point.

I made it all the way until 8pm tonight. On Friday, I hurt my neck/shoulders/upper back pretty badly by trying to move my new (heavy, awkward) coffee table from my car in the underground parking up to my third-floor apartment.

I’ve done lots of stretching, used hot packs and cold packs, extra-strength Advil… everything I had on hand and nothing worked. Finally tonight I couldn’t put up with it anymore so I walked up to the drug store and bought a blister pack of “muscle and back pain relief” pills. 

My rule was that my health is my health and that’s above my plastic challenge, but I still feel like a failure! It’s only day 3! And I hate muscle relaxants because they wipe me right out and don’t get rid of the problem anyway. (I’d like to see an acupuncturist but I have to wait for an appointment.) So chances are I’ll only take the one I just took and then I won’t even use the rest of the pack.

Hopefully it’s worth it… 

Day 2.

It’s Day 2 and while I doubt I’ll write an update every single day (because that would just be boring), I figured I would write something today.

Today I went out with my friends Paige and Colin to the Lululemon Lab to donate all my toiletries. Well, turns out that despite what I was originally told, they’re no longer accepting donations! I had to take my huge bag o’ stuff home and will try to deliver it directly to the WISH Drop-In Centre later in the week. FYI – The WISH ctr accepts donations on Fridays and Saturdays after 4pm.

I bought a steamed soy milk at Starbucks, using my reusable glass mug, and a book at Book Warehouse, using my reusable bag. Nothing too exciting there.

The big problem for me today is that I have no food in my apartment! I’m busy making soy milk right now (go to my ‘how to’ section for directions) but other than that, crackers and a few other odds and ends, I really have nothing edible. Tomorrow I’ll try to make it over to Granville market to get some food.

And that is that!

Day 1 and the WISH Drop-In Centre.

My plastic-free challenge has officially begun and Day One was a success!! I went to Starbucks with my reusable (glass) tea mug, went to Chapters but didn’t buy anything (and if I had, I’d brought my reusable bag just in case) and then had dinner with a friend where I had no left-overs.

Okay, so it was a pretty easy day! I expect things will likely become more difficult as I go on, but I am happy to say that so far, so good. 

I also want to say a huge THANKS to everyone who’s supporting me on this journey! I’ve already had a few emails and texts saying “good luck”, which is hugely appreciated! This is why I decided to tell everyone and write this blog – because I know that you’re watching and I need that support!

Oh! Before I go, I meant to tell everyone that the Lululemon Lab on W. Broadway at Cambie is currently accepting donated new AND partially used toiletries. All donated items will be given to the WISH Drop-In Centre. WISH is a really great centre in Vancouver for women who used to work in the sex trade. They do a lot of good here in Vancouver. As you all know, I’m getting rid of all my plastic toiletries. I gave most of them to friends but I have lots more than are unopened and didn’t know what to do with them. Tomorrow I’m going to take them down to the Lulu Lab to donate. If you live in Vancouver, please consider doing the same! These women are brave and need our support to reintegrate themselves into society.

Again, thank you and happy new year!!

New Year’s Eve…

By this time tomorrow I will officially be on Day One of my plastic-free year! Today I went out and bought a bunch of plastic-less stuff for my home. I got new drinking glasses (my old ones are mostly broken), a stainless steel grater, four stainless steel cooking utensils, two glass jugs and a new mat for the floor of my kitchen. I also got a leather bench! It’s one of the storage types that is also a coffee table. It’s a bit massive in my living room but I love it anyway.

I got some white flannel and am making “cotton balls.” I cut 2″ x 2″ squares and stitched around the edges. They can be used just the same way as cotton balls but without having to buy the ones in the plastic bag at the drug store. And, I got some light muslin to make bags to use for bulk things like flours, sugars, etc.

The other day I finally found the charger for my camera! Now I’ll be able to share photos of… whatever I want to share photos of!

Oh! I also ordered a book online called Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen. The recipes look really incredible – easy and healthy using whole foods (ie: unprocessed). They’re all gluten-, dairy- and egg-free! The majority of the recipes are meatless as well. (There are only 20 pages of meat recipes out of the 440 page book.) When I ordered the book, I asked them to not put any plastic packaging with it, so we’ll see how it arrives!

Happy new year!