New Year New Me

by Kaylynn Senne, ’23

Sustainability Studies major

Fresh into the new year, 2020, everyone is making their new year’s resolution and unsurprisingly, I have a few, myself. Number one at the top of my list is to be more eco-friendly. I am fresh out of a sustainability class and looking to make a difference. My last presentation in class was a poster on how to change something small in my life and make it sustainable. I was given the topic personal hygiene. I was already aware of things that could transform the way I was using personal hygiene products. I decided to use the advice I had given to my sustainability class about changing their personal hygiene and take on this challenge myself as part of my 2020 new year’s resolution.

Most personal hygiene products that people buy come in plastic packaging, and so did mine until now. I used to shop for my personal hygiene needs at the nearest Walgreens and get my soaps and deodorants, which came in plastic bottles with plastic packaging. Now, however, I shop at Lush for all my personal hygiene needs. Lush is a business that shies away from packaging, lots of its products being zero waste or “naked” as their website calls it. Lush fights animal testing, provides fresh ingredients, naked packaging, they sell handmade products, they are 100% vegetarian, and they work with suppliers with their same interests.

As part of my resolution, I drove to my closest Lush. The Lush located closest to me is the one in West Des Moines, Iowa in the Jordan Creek Mall. I purchased a naked shampoo and conditioner bar specific to my hair and its needs, along with a face scrub/exfoliator. Since the new year has started, I have been trying out these new products and I have got to say I am in love with them. Not only am I helping the environment by not throwing away a ton of plastic bottles from my personal hygiene, but I am also allowing my hair to become healthy again. The problem with bottles of shampoo and conditioner we are buying from stores now is that we do not really know what is in them. Many have chemicals that are harming our hair instead of helping them. When shopping at Lush I could read on the signs next to their products exactly what was in their products and they were all oils and natural ingredients. With help from the workers in Lush I was able to find an environmentally friendly alternative from the Tresemmé I was using, to the naked bars I’m am currently using. The shampoo and conditioner bars have changed the way I shop for my personal hygiene products forever. I love the way my hair looks and feels after I use them, and they last up to 80 times longer than normal bottles do! As a college kid, I know what it is like to live on a budget, considering the use you get out of these bars compared to the bottles, they really are such a deal. Shampoo and conditioner bars range from ten to thirteen dollars and save you from buying a ton of bottles from the same price multiple times. I only spent around 25 dollars on mine. If you were to spend 40 dollars on these bars that give you up to 80 washes, that’s 50 cents a wash! I could not being satisfied with my experience with “naked” shampoo and conditioner and would recommend it highly to anybody looking to make their new year’s more eco-friendly without making drastic life changes. My new year’s resolution is holding strong for sure.

Of course, there are other options when it comes to purchasing shampoo and conditioner bars, not just Lush. Some other options I have found are Zero Waste Store and Love Beauty and Planet. Zero Waste Store sells not only shampoo and conditioner bars, but they sell other eco-friendly items too, like hairbrushes and razors. All products from here are naturally, and sustainability sourced. However, this company is not far off, price wise, from what Lush items cost. Since I know lots of people like a cheap option, I also found that Love Beauty and Planet sells their shampoo bars for around 5 dollars apiece. If you liked this article, keep checking for my next on my switch to using stainless steel straws…