Will You Soap My Back? The Impact of Your Shower
Simran Sethi and Sarah Smarsh are writing a series on the impacts of everyday things. They will be posting previews on the Green Options Media blog network before launching the posts on Huffington Post. Here’s a sneak peek at what happens in the shower.
The magical cleaning agent in your bar of hygiene is likely cow fat or oil from, say, coconut. At the manufacturing plant, a chemical process removes the valuable glycerin in the fats and oils to be used in other products. The leftovers are mixed with sodium hydroxide and then blasted dry to form soap pellets, which are then mixed with the colorants, fragrances and other ingredients that allow a humble soap to go by the name of Carribean Breeze or Lilac Meadow.
While the production of soap—or anything, really—has environmental repercussions all its own, the pretty smells in our personal care products are, perhaps, the issue most worth examining here. Many of the chemicals producing fine aromas have been linked to not-so-fine human ailments or tested on animals, and their disposal—down your shower drain in a sudsy stream—fills our water system with chemicals that do not readily biodegrade (or breakdown).
Now, how about a shave?
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Razor production involves a lot of steel—made from our friend iron ore, a finite natural resource, through a process officially known as Carbon Emissions Nightmare.
Modern-day razors also owe a lot to the stinky plastics industry, as most are either entirely disposable or come with the nifty replaceable blade cartridge. An estimated 2 billion disposable razors wind up in U.S. landfills in each year. Don’t forget the packaging (the thick plastic encasing a new Venus Quad-Blade Mach 3000 is more accurately described as a booby trap). You’ve got the plastic bag around the disposable razors, the plastic tray holding razor cartridges, the various spots of cardboard. A group called the Dogwood Alliance is fighting for companies such as Procter & Gamble, Unilever and Revlon to reduce excessive paper packaging.
Thanks to the University of Kansas School of Journalism and Lacey Johnston for research assistance.
Two comments on shaving:
(1) I’ve been wondering where to buy an old fashioned straight blade razor. The disposable ones have two major disadvantages: they’re wasteful and they make me feel like a little bit less of a men every time I reach for the soft, moulded plastic with skin moisturizing gel cream on the tip.
(2) Instead of shaving foam in a can, I’ve found this really great hand bar shaving cream. It’s like a round cake of hand soap, except that it foams and becomes shaving cream when you use it. All natural and everything. Avoids the waste of a can, which only lasts.. I don’t know a couple of weeks? These bars last several months and they’re a couple bucks each.
You can certainly get straight razors online. Solingen is a great brand. I’ve been using mine for years. Get a good leather strop to “sharpen” the razor before each use.
I’ve stopped using soap entirely. Instead I shave just after a shower when the beard is as soft as it can get. Works fine.
Problem I’ve run into: Try getting one of these on an airplane in carry-on.
I’m always a bit leery of those products directly marketed on television, but came across one recently that looks it might help lighten one’s footprint somewhat on the shaving front:
http://www.asseenontv.com/prod-pages/sab_ontv.html
Now, of course, I have no idea of the lifecycle of this particular product, but I remember seeing this and thinking “Hmmm… that’s kind of a green product…” If my assessment is right, it also speaks to the idea of conservation as a marketing tactic… or, at least, saving money by getting more use out of a product.
Gents,
I have nothing to offer except a rousing endorsement of a clean-shaven face. Infinitely more kissable.
For soap, I have Filthy Farmgirl has the best quality all natural soap:
http://shop.filthyfarmgirl.com/
They’ve got tons of super lathery yummy flavors with no chemicals detergents or yucky stuff, and free shipping too. It’s like Lush without the petrochemicals.
I’ll be asking Santa for a solar powered razor for X-mess this year! Thanks for the great read.
Hi! I’m new here. I disagree - my husband’s beard is a turnon, we don’t shave, we use biodiesel glycerin soap made locally (also great to clean the shower!), the shower is low pressure & short.
I use soap my mom makes. She makes the soap using all natural, organic and mostly local supplies and essential oils for fragrance. I think it works better than the commercial stuff that often causes me to get dry patches and sneeze.
Ecokfb, you are so inspiring. Let’s agree to disagree on kissability. Gwenny, I get my soap from my farmer’s market.
Small Ball, if you need a razor while traveling and are forced to use a disposable, try the Recycline ones - they are made from recycled plastic and they will send you a postage-paid envelope so you can return it when done for continued recycling: http://www.recycline.com/triplerazor.html
I just gave up on shaving.
Laziness and saving the environment? I’m down.