How To Pack Eco-Friendly Toiletries

When embarking on trips growing up, I was accustomed to buying a travel-size everything. All of those disposable, single-use bottles and tubes use unnecessary amounts of resources for production though and many parts of them can’t be recycled. Here are a few ideas to make traveling a little lighter on the earth.

1. Save a few small, light bottles, tins & tubs in advance

Before being more aware of my impact on the health of the world, I bought some toiletries that came in small, plastic bottles and saved a couple for travel or making my own products (it's the artist's "I'll use it for a project someday" mentality). Of course, I haven't made anything to put in them but they make great travel-size dispensers for lotion, contact solution, toothpaste and hair products. Just transfer the amount you'll need for your trip from your regular-sized product. Lip balm and pomade tins are great for powdered toiletries like dry shampoo and a travel size portion of this blush that I'm using. 

2. Buy Re-Usable Tubes

Don't have any little containers stored up or need a few more? Buy re-usable tubes that can be used many times. Lots of people love the GoToob by Humangear because they are guaranteed to last a lifetime, are easy to squeeze and come with different labels and colors for customization. I just bought this pack of zip tubes by Tubism because they are made in California, are re-usable and recyclable. I also really like how the whole bottoms of the tubes open for easy filling and how they will gradually take up less room in my bag as I use the product inside.

3. Look for Eco-Friendly Travel-Size Toiletries 

Despite most travel toiletries being carelessly and wastefully made, there are some wonderful products out there that make traveling easier and keep the Earth in mind as well. La Fresh makes toiletries in the form of wipes that are 100% biodegradable with recyclable packaging. Depending on the length of your trip, you can buy a large pack of wipes that come in one package or you can buy a pack of individuals to take for a weekend adventure. These Face Cleanser Wipes are also made in California using clean, renewable solar energy! Anchors Hair Company makes several different pomades and they all come in a 2.5 oz, recyclable jar. The base is plastic which is much lighter than glass, but still recyclable!

Credits: Photo by Ilya Lustenko