Shampoo, Conditioner And Soap Bars

Kitsch

There are many good reasons to buy bar soaps, shampoos, and conditioners. IMHO they make excellent pampering and practical gifts! Hint, hint!🎄

Bypassing liquid soaps, shampoos, and conditioners sold in plastic bottles is beneficial, i.e., great for the environment. Less plastic bottles filling up landfills.

I have this shampoo bar.

Bars are concentrated. Consumers skip paying for the water in liquid soap, shampoo, and condition. One bar of product often lasts 2 - 3 times longer than its liquid counterparts, saving you money!

In buying the various personal care bars, be sure to read labels to ensure the ingredients are natural or organic (backed up by an organic certification seal and/or a list of clean ingredients) and free of harmful chemicals such as sulfates and parabens that may be detrimental to human health, as well as, end up in our water supply.

Unlike their liquid peers, bars of soap, shampoo, and conditioner are ultra travel-friendly. You'll have less trouble fitting them into your suitcase or taking them on airplanes. You won't have to wait until you land to begin your vacation by looking for personal care products you like and can afford.

To get you started, here are 8 brands known for their good, clean ingredients, transparency, and minimal packaging to peruse:

EcoRoots

🧼 Ethique

🍃 Lush

🧼 EcoRoots

🍃 SheaMoisture

🧼 J.R. Liggett

🍃 Kitsch

🧼 Davines Love

🍃 Aari & Co.

According to the magazine Natural Awakenings which is free at health food stores, the use of bar soaps, shampoos, and conditioners is on the rise. It recommends keeping the bars dry in between uses to prolong the bars and to keep them hygienic. Keep in a soap dish with drainage holes or a reusable tin for storage. The bars are said to be as effective as liquid soap, shampoo, or conditioner. Says the article, "High-quality bars can produce an impressive leather."

Solid soap, shampoo, and condition for trips make thoughful holiday gifts that a giftee might not buy for themselves!

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SIRUM Aims To Save Lives With Unused Medicine

Occasionally my doctor gives me a prescription for medicine, and sometimes I have some leftover. I know what not to do with it:

1) Don't stop taking the medicine just because you feel better unless your doctor says it's OK. If she says take it as needed, you can stop when you no longer do. If she puts you on antibiotics for an ear infection, it's important to take it all.

2) Don't toss the extra medicine down the toilet, nor in the trash can, as it ends up in our waterways killing fish and harming the environment.

3) Don't take it upon yourself to share your medicine. You need to go to medical school and understand the medical history of another person to know what's safe.

So what should we do with unused medicine?

Recently I asked my pharmacist if New York state lets him redistribute unopened, unexpired medicine free of charge to patients in need who come in with a prescription they can't afford to fill. Not a surprise, the answer is no.

There is a conundrum in our country: 50 million people in the USA skip their medicine because they can't afford the cost. Moreover, it costs money to destroy medicine, and 70 of our waterways are polluted from pharmaceutical runoff.

Waste, waste, waste! But now there is a solution.

SIRUM (or Supporting Initiatives to Redistribute Unused Medicine), is an innovative website started by Stanford University students, which aims "to stop medication waste and save lives" by doing what my pharmacist cannot do. Accept donations from organizations, as well as, individuals and get it to the people who need, but can't afford to buy it.

The nonprofit venture has coordinated a network of medical, administrative and distribution facilities to collect, check, follow state regulations and redistribute the medicine safely and legally.

So whether you need medicine you can't afford, or have medicine you can donate, here is SIRUM's website (and a phone number: 650-488-7434 for questions) to get started.

It's been a goal of mine to find such a resource. So glad it exists!


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