Travel for Bliss

One of the most important things you can do as a traveller is to be sustainable and ethical with your travel practices. There are many ways to do this, and one area that can be so important and easy to be sustainable in is your travel toiletries. Millions of plastics are sent to landfill each year, and many of these are single-use. Our oceans and ecosystems are under threat due to our simple toiletry practices, which we have taken for granted for so many years.

If you were to add all the travel in the world together and class it as a country it would be the third most polluting country in the world. This is a sobering statistic, and something to always remember. Travel is good for the soul and our personal development, but we also need to ensure that our travel is sustainable and ethical for our planet. Leave no trace should be everyone’s motto, and this should apply to your toiletry habits as well as your adventuring.

I was brought up in a family that focused on natural food and products. My make up has always been ethical and organic, and my shampoos never have SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulphate) in them. However, for years I was blind to the unsustainable impact of my travel toiletries. Now I imagine all the plastic razors and sanitary items that I’ve used still lying in a landfill and spreading microplastics in our beautiful planet.

My first feeling when I began my sustainable journey was overwhelmed. I’d start noticing the plastics I’d been blithely using and want to instantly get rid of them. However, some good advice that I’ve tried to stick to is not to just throw everything unsustainable away. You’re still wasting plastic this way. Use it up and once finished replace it with a sustainable item.

Below is a list of easy sustainable and ethical travel toiletry products. I have tested all of them and can attest to how well they work. These sustainable travel toiletries can care for the planet, but can also save you money, and time in security at the airport.

This is one of the easiest and cheapest sustainable toiletry travel items that you can buy. I still don’t understand why they’re not stocked in supermarkets to make it easier for people to be sustainable. The bamboo is obviously sustainable and lasts just as long as a plastic toothbrush. I’m happy with any brand but you can look at these great options

Life Basics

TEA Natura

A sustainable travel toiletry item that can actually save the planet and your time in security lines is sustainable toothpaste. I’ve always been aware of making sure my toothpaste is natural and doesn’t contain any nasties, but it’s actually taken me until this year to make the move from plastic tubes. One of the problems was the scarcity of products you could actually find that were sustainable. Now there definitely are a few companies paving the way for sustainable toothpaste.

Georganics is a great option that I have been using. I’ve used three of their products. The toothpaste tablets are very easy to travel with and make no mess. You chew the tablet in your mouth and they foam up easily. The flavour of bi-carb is quite strong, however. The charcoal tooth whitening powder is messy but works really well. You only need a little bit as it goes a long way. The actual toothpaste is the best one I’ve tried. The taste is not as intense and the aftertaste is really nice.

Georganics

These are so simple and so easy. They are little squares of soft fabric that you soak with water. You can then easily wipe the makeup off your face. Keep them clean by washing them in the washing machine or just under the tap. It’s a good idea to have a few, so if one gets dirty you can put it in the wash and start using another one.

Pure Skin Food

This was probably the sustainable travel item that I was most unsure about. I knew I wanted to get rid of my plastic razors, but using an actual razor seemed kind of scary. Then I found my razor, and it looked so pretty and normal I knew I had to buy it. The good news is that it’s very easy to use and very easy to replace the blade. I was afraid of cutting myself, but it’s still a safety razor, so is safe to use just like a plastic razor. The only problem with this sustainable travel toiletry is that you’ll have to check it or lose it through security.

Eco Roots

I’ve always made sure that my shampoo is ethical and natural, but I’m still new to making it sustainable. When travelling I’ve usually used refillable bottles, which is okay, but still not as sustainable is I want it to be. One of them has also started leaking, which is not fun to discover after a flight. My newest purchase has been a shampoo bar. It’s small and easy to travel with and you don’t need to worry about mess or the liquid rule. The packaging is sustainable that it comes with, and it’s still importantly natural.

I’ve been trying the shampoo bar by Co.So and I can honestly say it’s great. I was afraid it wouldn’t lather up and be hard to soap in the hair. However, you just rub it between your wet hands and it goes onto the hair easily. Best of all my hair looks super healthy and luscious after using it.

Co.So

Secrets De Provence

This is one of the best natural, ethical and sustainable purchases I’ve ever made. I highly recommend changing to a natural deodorant paste because of how good they are for your body, the planet, and how well it works. A normal deodorant will come in a plastic can, but will also contain aluminium, which is toxic for your body. A natural deodorant will come in either a recycled or glass container and contain nothing toxic for your body.

I swear by Axilla Black Chicken Remedies. It’s a little Australian brand and is super easy to apply. You only need to use it once in the morning, and it will easily last all day, even when it’s hot. Another 100% sustainable item is i+m and comes in a glass container, which is even better.

Axilla Black Chicken Remedies

i+m

I’d heard rave reviews about moon cups but was always too nervous to try one as it looked weird and messy and uncomfortable. However, when I found out that every non-sustainable sanitary product I was using was going to take 500 – 800 years to decompose I knew it was time to try a sustainable item. After a bit of research, I decided to try a moon cup.

Read the instructions as a moon cup can be quite uncomfortable if you do it wrong. Once I’d figured it out I never looked back. It’s so much easier to use with so much less waste. The best part is that it’s super simple to travel with one. Instead of worrying that you’ve packed enough sanitary items you just need one moon cup and you’re set.

Lamazuna

Mooncup

This product is super easy to change to, but can still make a difference to the planet. Why use a plastic brush when a bamboo alternative is just as good? You can buy bamboo brushes now in a lot of shops for all different hair types. If you’re looking for a simple ethical and sustainable travel toiletry to start with then these are great.

Tek

Kostkamm