We are two friends living on opposite coasts (Brooklyn, New York and Santa Monica, California) that share a passion for living a minimal, zero waste lifestyle and on a mission to help others do the same.
Harper. Lives in Brooklyn with a +1. Sassy pup. Matcha. Wine. Whiskey. Cheese. Proscuitto.
Charley. Lives in Los Angeles with a +1. Doofy pup. Coffee. Wine. Whiskey. Cheese. Pasta.
All tagged Plastic-Free
Probably not a buy. We find that TANIT Revolubar Laundry Tablet ingredients might be risky in the production process, per EWG, as well as potential harm to marine life. We love that there is no PVA/PVOH. We also love that the packaging is thoughtfully crafted in compostable paper. Prices for TANIT are on the higher side, but more like in the median for other tablets and pods. Lastly, we love that the tablets are unscented.
BUY. We love using Meliora’s Dish Soap Bar along with our kitchen brushes, particularly when we clean pots and pans. We love that there is an unscented (and lemon) option so that we only taste and smell our food when our dishes are clean and dry. The Meliora soap cuts through grease effortlessly, with ingredients that are non-toxic. And of course, we love how affordable the dish soap is: a little goes a long way and switching from a liquid soaps to solid soaps really is cost efficient.
BUY. We have loved ❤️ using Lulu Organics Hair Powder over the last few months. Made with only 4 ingredients, and virtually plastic-free, we like that the powder keeps us neat between washes. Also, Lulu Orgranics is budget-friendly, comes in a travel-sized option, and has 6 different scent options.
PASS. Given the price point is not alluring enough, the tube is a little annoying, and the residue is something we can’t get over, we are a pass on Attitude’s aluminum-free deodorant. We DO love that it is aluminum free, cruelty-free, and plastic free. AND that there is an unscented option. Also, we enjoy that the application is super smooth and requires no ‘heat up’ time, but unfortunately, at this price point, there are better options.
OK Buy. Dropps Ultra Concentrated Laundry Detergent work well in cleaning and freshening up our laundry. The Clean & Crisp scent is very light and the laundry felt clean when taking it out of the wash. The product is 100% plastic-free and the glass bottle is quite sturdy. The only hang-up is the enzymes that may cause problems for factory workers but the unscented option does not contain enzymes. Overall, we thought Dropps Concentrated Laundry that replaced the small loads is a decent product that avoids the PVA.
Pipette sunscreen is the clear winner from the list we reviewed. The sunscreen has best ingredients, baby-friendly formula, limited cast, and a reasonable price point. We thought the other options (aside from La Roche-Posay) were also reasonable mineral sunscreen choices.
MAYBE buy. Dirty Labs dishwasher detergent has all of the components we love: clean, concentrated ingredients, recyclable packaging, and fragrance free. We also like that there is no PVA since it’s a powder. The only challenge is that it’s pricier than other dishwasher powder options — and even some dishwasher pod options.
BUY. Dropps OxiBoost Laundry Pods are a convenient, zero-waste option for laundry detergent. The product comes in a recyclable cardboard box and other than PVA, the ingredients are relatively clean. Price-wise, you pay for the convenience of pods compared to powder, but Dropps are some of the cheapest pre-measured options around. Clothes smell just plain old clean since these pods are free from fragrance.
It’s not really a buy from us. Kind Laundry detergent sheets are available in a scented and unscented options, and zero waste packaging, which we love. Sheets are lighter to ship, which means less carbon footprint overall. Unfortunately, they contain a sulfate which can be harmful to aquatic life and also isn’t one of the cheaper options. For convenience, and in a pinch, however, Kind Sheets are also available on Amazon.
Maybe buy. We liked the ingredients and ease of use of Dropps Active Wash. Our only beef with the active line is how pricey it is compared to powder and liquid detergents. To be honest, this is generally the case with standard laundry detergent. If you like the convenience, Dropps is the only brand that makes zero-waste pod detergent, and we like it.
We really like using Meliora’s foaming refillable hand soap - it’s a buy from us! The soap is super concentrated, light-weight and comes in unscented as well as a few scented options like Lavender, Lemongrass, and Tea Tree. The packaging is plastic-free and the soap is also palm oil-free. We have loved Meliora’s Laundry detergent ❤️ in the past and now we can buy the hand soap concentrate all in the same shipment! Plus, it is made in the USA.
Ethique, as a company, is pretty great - a b-corporation with zero plastic packaging who plants trees and donates portions of their sales. Additionally, their ingredients tend to be limited, with mostly natural and those that have low impact on the environment. We loved their solid shampoo and solid face cleanser. We liked their solid conditioner bar and their zero waste deodorant. If we’re using them at night, we don’t mind the solid face and body moisturizers, but the thickness of them are just a bit much for daytime.
Maybe — it’s on the price. Hammond Herbs deodorant is not only natural but zero waste and leaves no marks. We liked it way, way more when compared to Schmidt’s, whose texture is like rubbing gritty sandpaper against your skin. Comparing to Public Goods Natural Deodorant was unfair; their deodorant is so smooth that it’s like silk caressing your underarms. Hammond Herbs does have a major plus over the two - it’s zero waste.
MIXED buy. We enjoyed using the Papr deodorant. All natural ingredients, 100% paper packaging, a pleasant smell, lovely texture, and of course limited white residue. The only snag with Papr Deodorant is how much more it is even compared to already expensive deodorants like Myro, Native and Hammond Herbs. Note: given this is a deodorant and not an antiperspirant, so Papr is aluminum-free.
MAYBE buy. We like Ingredients Matter Laundry Soap Powder for our tougher wash loads like towels and denim. With safe ingredients, mostly paper packaging, and a lovely scent, we could keep it on our laundry shelf. The cost is near the lower end and we like that you can be flexible with how much detergent to use (unlike laundry pods). The only drawback is using the powder on delicate cycles with cold water: the granules do not dissolve all the way.
MIXED BUY — but know you will be paying a premium. We really like that most of the lotion is absorbed into our skin, which has been hard to find. The scent is very subtle: while we typically like that, given the price point, we would almost treat the Kate McLeod Daily Stone as a solid, moisturizing perfume. We also really like that it is completely zero waste that there are only a handful of ingredients — and no chemicals.
It depends! For the commitment-phobes, Hammond Herbs nets you the same cost per year without a subscription — while you would need to subscribe to Native to get the same price. On the other hand, if you like necessities showing up without having to think, then a subscription to the plastic free, zero waste (love, love) Native deodorant might be for you. One minor flaw, which we pointed out earlier, is that the push up part of the deodorant does not actually stay up. So, you are actively pushing as you apply! A little annoying, but we’ll take it that over white marks any day.
BUY. We love how HiBAR Maintain Shampoo and Conditioner makes our hair feel. We know that both components of the set are worth their while since we forgot to rinse with vinegar once and our hair was still silky smooth and lovely. The shampoo bars are plastic-free, zero-waste, and come in compostable/recyclable packaging. Ingredients are natural and use essential oil for fragrance. As a set, the duo is very affordable and has a flexible subscription model (though it’s not necessary). We are excited to try the other 2 types of hair washes.
Sadly, we are a no on byHumankind’s Shower Routine. Given that we are iffy on 2/3, we are a no on the whole kit.
