Biodegradable Shampoo & All about Switching to Plastic-Free Bars

Biodegradable shampoo bars and why we need to cancel plastic shampoo bottles.

For example, is the landfill exposed to the sun? Are there added bacteria or substances that help speed up the decomposition process?

Since there are so many variables, most people agree on at least 450 years per plastic bottle to decompose.

Is this getting too technical? Bear with me, I’m leading up to an important point!

As I said, there are a lot of different types of plastics, and shampoo bottles are made up of the kind called high-density polyethylene plastic or HDPE.

 

 

We are most familiar with polyethylene terephthalate bottles or PET plastic, which are the most recycled type of plastic bottles.

When you look at plastic bottles or containers, you can usually find a triangle with a number in it. These numbers tell you what type of plastic your container or bag is, and how it is recycled. HDPE containers are number two.

Are you still with me?

Now, only 12% of all HDPE bottles are recycled each year in the United States.

That means of all the shampoo bottles, conditioner bottles, motor oil bottles, milk bottles, and other plastic containers made up of HDPE plastic, only 12% is actually recovered.

 

 

Everything else either ends up in a landfill, ocean, or incinerator.

That’s where you come in. Even though a lot of big companies like Procter & Gamble are starting to use reclaimed and recycled plastics for their products, they still have a long way to go.

Other companies like Unilever are offering refillable products program for things like shampoo and body wash, but they still don’t offer a truly environmentally friendly shampoo.

Why not skip plastic altogether?

Consider this--you can single handedly eliminate plastic from your life starting with your bathroom products.

Think about it.

How much plastic can you find in the average bathroom?

There are shampoo and conditioner bottles (plastic in the products themselves!), disposable razors, plastic-based loofahs, soap bar holders--the list goes on.

I won’t even mention all the plastic behind our medicine cabinets, I’m sure you get the point.

The moral of the story: you can eliminate plastic in your home, starting with biodegradable shampoo bars.

 

 

What biodegradable shampoo means?

So how does a biodegradable shampoo work?

Biodegradable means a product can be broken down by other living things like fungi or bacteria.

For instance: food scraps and paper products break down and we use the material as compost.

Note: All compostable products are biodegradable, but not vice versa. Compostable just means it will break down into natural materials that act as a sort of fertilizer.

Another way to think about it is that a lot of biodegradable products (like tough cardboard) don’t break down to materials that benefit the soil.

By now you’ll have realized that most plastics are not biodegradable because bacteria can’t break down plastics. Instead, plastics rely on natural elements (like the sun) and on time.

The sad truth is, a lot of plastic will probably never really break down--they will only turn into microscopic pieces of plastic.

On the bright side, EcoRoots’ natural shampoo and conditioner are handmade with natural and vegan ingredients.

 

 

 

Does this sound to good to be true? Well, let me give you an example.

Our EcoRoots citrus fresh biodegradable shampoo bar is one of our most popular bars. It’s no surprise that it’s one of my favorites!

Like with all our shampoo bars, this one is made up of a coconut oil and cocoa butter base.

Be honest, when you hear oil-based, you probably think the product will leave you feeling greasy.

Let our shampoo bars prove you wrong!

The plant extracts and essential oils do not make your hair feel slimy at all.

 

 

On top of that, this particular bar is also made up of grapefruit extracts to help with new hair growth, and a pro-vitamin complex to add some shine to your hair.

The citrus scent comes from apricot seed oil, powdered lemon peel, grapefruit extract oil, lemon juice, and dried flower powder.

 

 

I know this sounds like a recipe for a refreshing smoothie, but it’s actually an amazing biodegradable shampoo bar. I only list the ingredients to show you that we take our environmentally friendly shampoo products seriously.

Check out our other shampoo bars for different scents and our conditioner bars to pamper your hair.

You've probably heard that a lot of shampoos contain parabens, silicones, and sulphates. You know what?

You don’t need all these chemicals and unnatural products in your shampoo, especially when we at EcoRoots have an organic, environmentally friendly shampoo you can try out.

Moreover, to keep our plastic-free pledge, we don’t use plastic packaging when we deliver our products. This is just another way we and you can help reduce plastic use.

 

 

No worries, I’ll walk you through the whole process of switching to shampoo bars.

Upgrading from plastic bottled shampoos to biodegradable shampoo bars

Plastic bottled shampoos are the norm in a lot of places. They’re easy to use, store, and throw away.

 

 

But guess what? Our shampoo & conditioner bars are even less maintenance, and they are zero-waste.

When you’re transitioning to shampoo bars, you might want to buy two bars and/or conditioners just in case you prefer one scent over another.

Some of our other scents include Summer Breeze, Forest Mist, Moroccan Oil, CocoLime Colada, HoneyDew, Fresh Mint, Or Unscented.

 

 

Yum!

It’s also important to test out our product first in case you have a sensitivity to any of our natural ingredients.

But here’s the great thing!

Our customers actually reported relief from sensitivity when they tried our shampoo bars.

Natural products are meant to be soothing and rejuvenating, not harsh and heavy like traditional shampoos.

 

 

We’re helping eliminate plastic, but who’s to say we can’t indulge ourselves at the same time?

Trust me when I say you’ll end up using all of the bars. They smell amazing, and the texture is better than most people expect.

A lot of first-time users are hesitant because they think shampoo bars will either be: greasy, weak, too strong, or difficult to use.

The secret to switching to shampoo bars seamlessly?

Give yourself time to get used to it. Most people report an adjustment period of two or three washes. Personally, it took me about four to perfect just how much shampoo I needed for my hair.

Ready to learn how to lather like a pro? Let’s jump right in!

 

 

 

When you use the biodegradable shampoo, simply massage the bar into wet hair, rinse, and then use the conditioner bar if you choose. Wash your hair with the foam you made from wetting the bar.

 

 

Pretty simple.

When you’re finished with your shower, let the bar(s) dry until your next wash. You might notice that your hair is drier or that your scalp feels more sensitive, but don’t worry--a lot of our customers experience something similar.

The good news is they all ended up loving the switch.

EcoRoots’ biodegradable shampoo bar works on all hair types and can be used for 50-75 washes. All these washes from a 2.25-ounce shampoo bar.

 

 

 

 

Amazing, right?

But you’re probably thinking, this shampoo is great for home, but what about when I travel?

Traveling plastic-free with ease

 

 

Most of us are used to those small, plastic travel-size toiletry containers. You know, the ones we hoard from hotel bathrooms that go unused under our bathroom sinks.

Well, we’ve come up with a solution. Our soap saver bag is great for transporting your biodegradable shampoo bar.

 

 

No, it’s not a plastic bag for your soap. Think of it as a loofah-container hybrid made of Mexican agave plant fibers. Yes, it is as organic and natural as it sounds.

What’s more, it’s a great exfoliator without being too abrasive or wasteful.

Why is this important?

A lot of liquid exfoliators use plastic beads that act as skin scrubbers and a lot of facial sponges are plastic-based.

 

 

Our plant-based soap saver bag lets you transport your soap and replaces a plastic-based loofah.

Most importantly, the bag will keep your biodegradable shampoo bar dry and make sure you use it to the last piece. You don’t have to waste that last bit of soap by accidentally dropping it down the drain anymore!

 

However, don’t forget: to make sure the bag lasts longer, rinse it out and then hang it up to air-dry.

After many uses and a long time, simply add the bag to your compost bin--nothing wasted.

Plastic-free shampoo and its positive impacts

The best thing about using a biodegradable shampoo bar is that you’re eliminating waste in every step. You’re ditching plastics in traditional shampoos, bottles, soap dishes and loofahs.

This is going to sound unbelievable, but since the 1950s, the world has produced 8.3 billion tons of plastic. A lot of that are plastic bottles and containers.

By switching to the best shampoo bars, you can help keep this statistic the same.

The road to a plastic-free world is long and bumpy, but we can make a huge impact just from removing plastic from our homes.

Pledge to stop contributing to plastic waste. You can help by trying out our plastic-free biodegradable shampoo bars and conditioners.

 

 

Let us know how the transition from plastic bottled shampoo to biodegradable shampoo bars goes for you.

We at EcoRoots would love to hear about your experience!