Happy long weekend friends! Although to be honest, the past couple of weekends have felt like a long weekend anyway because of all the staying in. I thought I’d share some recent zero waste self-care things I’ve been loving and what better time than a long weekend of staying in, to give yourself a little pamper! So kick off your shoes, light a candle, grab a hot drink and let’s get into some cozy zero waste self-care ideas.

Body Scrubs

There are tons of DIY body scrubs out there that you can quickly whip up and use the next time you’re in the shower or having a bath. Body scrubs are an extremely relaxing thing to do and is great for your skin. It helps to remove dead skin cells, leaving your skin feeling refreshed and super soft! Here is a simple recipe you can create using some products you might already have in your home.

DIY Sweet Sugar Body Scrub

In a clean bowl, add 1/2 cup of sugar (I like to use brown sugar or raw turbinado sugar). Gradually add in 2-3 tbsp of sweet almond oil or jojoba oil. Slowly add in the oil and mix the two ingredients together until you reach a consistency that resembles wet sand. Scoop the scrub into an air-tight container. I love to upcycle jars for purposes just like this! I had an old coconut oil moisturizer that I recently finished using up so I cleaned out the container using hot, soapy water and it’s the perfect storage solution for this scrub.

I’ve written about reusing coffee grounds in a body scrub in a previous post which you can check out here if you’re interested in another recipe! If you like, you can try switching out the coconut oil used in that recipe for sweet almond oil.

How to use:

To use this scrub in the shower, scoop a small amount with your hands and gently apply the scrub onto your skin in light, circular motions. Rinse off the scrub with water and pat dry with a towel. Be sure to follow up with a luxurious body butter — see below!

Safety Razor

After exfoliating, now is the perfect time to shave if you wish. I wanted to highlight this safety razor that I’ve been using for the past couple of months from Canadian brand, Well Kept. Honestly, it was a little intimidating for me at the beginning, but after some practice and learning some tips and tricks to using a safety razor, I’ve really enjoyed this sustainable swap I’ve made. I’ve found that using a safety razor has slowed down my self-care process when I’m in the shower just simply because I have to be more careful. The simple act of shaving has become a reminder to slow down.

Do you use a safety razor and if so, do you have any tips for beginners?

Body Butter

I had to mention this body butter again because it is SO good! I have the driest skin ever and it is just so moisturizing and has such a lovely, whipped texture that makes it really enjoyable to use. If you use this body butter followed after the above mentioned sugar scrub, let me tell you, your skin will feel like a baby’s bottom.

DIY Whipped Body Butter

I’ve made an entire video on how to make this whipped body butter which you can find here. Here’s the TLDR version of that video. Melt 1/2 cup of shea butter, 1/4 cup of coconut oil, and 1/4 cup of sweet almond oil over a double boiler until completely liquid. Let the oils harden in the fridge. Whip up the oils with a whisk or electric hand mixer until you’ve reached a light, airy whipped icing consistency. Scoop into a clean air-tight container and there you have it!

How to use:

This body butter is best used after showering because your pores are open and ready to absorb the moisturizer. Apply a light layer of body butter all over your skin. Let the oils melt into your skin.

Clay Mask

I think after all that pampering in the shower, it’s time to work a little magic on our faces — cue the face mask. My personal favourite is doing a clay mask, but really any kind of mask is so soothing and relaxing for your skin. I’ve been using clay masks from Canadian brand, Eluo for the past year and have seen amazing results in my skin. I also thoroughly enjoy the slow, intentional process of mixing up my clay mask and applying it to my skin. Let me tell you, I’m not the only one in my house that enjoys doing a clay mask!

What are your favourite kinds of masks to do?

Get Brewin’

To complete this self-care evening, why not brew a comforting hot drink to enjoy. In the evenings I usually opt for tea and prefer to use loose leaf teas when I can, to reduce on packaging and also because a lot of tea bags are actually made of plastic and can’t be composted. So opt for loose leaf when you can! Other hot drinks I love are coffee (usually in the morning), matcha latte, or the occasional hot chocolate. Whatever your drink of choice, get brewing and enjoy a quiet moment.

Now that I’m at the end of this post, I’m feeling extremely relaxed and ready to grab a hot cup of chamomile tea and snuggle up on the couch for an evening in.

My evening plans? Maybe read a book or catch some reruns on Netflix!

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This post is not sponsored and but mentions some gifted items. I only share products and brands I love and support. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting Candice Tay!

Earth Week Tips: Low-waste Bathroom

Part II: Sustainable Bathroom

Now that we’ve covered the kitchen, let’s move onto health and beauty. What do you think of when you consider sustainability in the bathroom? Where do you create the most waste and how can we tackle those issues? I get that in the bathroom in particular, we have to consider hygiene and cleanliness, but let me reassure you that these swaps are hygienic, practical, and sustainable!

Zero Waste Swaps: Bathroom

Bar Soap

The first and easiest swap in the bathroom is to swap to bar soap. It’s a cheap, plastic free option that is also easily accessible. You can find great natural bar soaps that are not only good for your skin and healthy for your body, but are actually better for the environment. Bar soap can often be found packaged in cardboard boxes which can be recycled or even package free, which is awesome!

Things I recommend:

• Bar Soap: Public Goods (get 15% off your Public Goods order with the code CANDICEPGA), Unscented Co.

Shampoo & Conditioner Bars/Refillable Shampoo & Conditioner

Shampoo and conditioner bars might take longer to adjust to and find the right bars for your hair type and to find one to your liking. These are used essentially the same way as traditional bar soap. You lather up the soap in your hands with some water and then you apply it to your hair normally and rinse it out. 

If shampoo and conditioner bars aren’t for you, you can opt for bulk refillable shampoo and conditioner.

Things I recommend:

• Shampoo/Conditioner Bars: BKIND, Unscented Co., Public Goods

• Refillable: Unscented Co., Bare Market, Public Goods

Menstrual Cup/Other Natural or Reusable Period Products

This was another challenging swap for me that took a little while for me to get used to. But honestly once you get the hang of it, it reduces SO MUCH WASTE. The cup is a swap for all disposable period products. If you want to learn more about my menstrual cup journey, you can see the two links below:

• How-to: Have a Low Waste Period

• Answering your FAQ about my Zero Waste Period

I also get that the cup is not for everyone and that’s okay! Maybe you could try period underwear, or organic/natural products, or reusable pads. There are other options out there for you!

Things I use:

• Diva Cup

• Knixwear Leakproof Underwear

• Hannah Pads

Reusable Cotton Rounds

This is a relatively new swap for me because instead of continuing to use cotton rounds, I just cut them out completely. I just didn’t find that I needed to use them that often because I apply toner with my hands and I also usually use an oil makeup remover. However, I wanted to try out this DIY and also have a few on hand for when I did want to use cotton rounds.

There are reusable cotton rounds out there that you can purchase if you don’t want to make your own. But you can actually repurpose an old t-shirt and sew your own reusable cotton rounds! Reusable cotton rounds and used like normal cotton rounds and then I keep them in this small delicates bag and toss them in to the laundry when I have a load to do. So simple, and so effective!

Safety Razor

I only recently switched to a safety razor because to be honest, I was scared of the blades. However after switching, I realized it’s actually quite simple to use and it is a lot more space and cost efficient. There is a tiny bit of a learning curve to get used to the process and feel of handling a safety razor, but once that’s covered, you’re good to go! A sustainable swap to disposable razors!

Things I recommend:

• My razor - Well Kept

Sustainable habits in the bathroom

And now for some general tips! Here are just a few ideas to keep in mind to be more intentionally sustainable in the area of the bathroom and health and beauty.

• Take shorter showers!

  • This one is so easy and everyone can take part in this. Simply shorten your showers to save water and energy.

• Don’t wash your hair as often

  • Related to my first point, try not washing your hair everyday. Not only is it better for your hair, it’s also better for the environment. This will help you out with point number one!

• one in, one out

  • With beauty and self-care products, it can be tempting to hoard products to try. I’m definitely guilty of this and am working on sticking to this “one in, one out” rule. Finish your products before you swap them. If a product really sucks, try to find a different use for it to use it up or maybe you have a friend or family member that likes that product. For example, I’m sure I’m not the only one who has tried a shampoo or conditioner that just does not work. Instead of tossing it out, use it as a shave cream. Try to think creatively to make the most of products you do have.

I hope that these simple tips have encouraged you to make some changes in your bathroom and hair and beauty routines. This is definitely not an exhaustive list of sustainable tips, if you have more, I’d love to keep learning and know what you do to live a more sustainable lifestyle!

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This post is not sponsored but may contain some gifted items and affiliate links. If you decide to shop through the links above, I may make a small commission that helps support this blog and my Instagram. I only share products and brands I love and support. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting Candice Tay!

How-to: Have a Low Waste Period

So you want to reduce your waste in your period routine but don’t know where to start? Trust me, I’ve been there before and I can’t wait to share with you my current zero waste period routine, how I got there, and my thoughts on some of the swaps I made. It’s not a perfect routine by any means, it’s just what I’m currently doing and my personal first experience with menstrual cups and reusable pads.

Pre Low-waste Routine

Before we get into the current state of my routine, I thought it’d be interesting to show the progression of how I got to where I am now and also share my pre-zero waste routine. Growing up I had always used pads and not tampons unless I absolutely had to. I personally felt the most comfortable with pads and it’s how I had always gone about my routine. Pretty simple — BUT the more I dove into learning more about sustainability and trying to change habits here and there, I was determined to change some of my period products because I started to see how much waste I was creating each month in this one area of my life. For me it made the most sense to take the plunge and go straight to a menstrual cup instead of a low waste tampon or reusable pad. So if you’re thinking if it will be hard to switch to a cup if you’ve never used or rarely used tampons, you can definitely do it!

The Early Stage

Stage one of making my swap to a menstrual cup began with finding a cup. The most accessible one to me and the one that I had heard the most about at the time was the Diva Cup. After some convincing from friends and some more reading online, I went and purchased the Diva Cup from my local drug store. I still had some disposable products that I wanted to finish up before diving into the world of cups so I spent the next few cycles finishing up some of those products, but I also saved a few for “just in case” or if the cup didn’t work out for me. If you are wanting to immediately explore menstrual cups but have a lot of extra disposable products, I would consider using them up first or also finding an appropriate local charity to donate them.

The Trial Stage

The next thing I did was to start using the cup, but I started by only using it at home or on the weekends. When my time of the month came I slowly tried the cup for short periods of time from the the comfort of my home and on weekends where I knew I would have quick and easy access to a private bathroom. Insertion did take a bit of practice and was a bit difficult at first, but I did a bit of googling/youtube-ing and found what works best for me. As my period came each month, I slowly attempted to wear the cup for longer periods of time. I also had a bunch of disposable liners leftover that I was still finishing up at this time, so I used them in addition to the cup as extra protection. After 2 to 3 cycles, I finally got the hang of the cup and also finished up all my disposable products, including the liners. Unfortunately the cup that I have still leaks a little so I now have reusable cloth liners that I use with my cup on heavier days. I’m still troubleshooting this part of using a menstrual cup, but it could also be that this particular cup is not the best fit for my body, so I would highly recommend taking this quiz to narrow down some cups for you before purchasing.

Current Routine

With the help of reusable pads and a menstrual cup, I have now gotten my routine to be completely zero waste. Here is my current routine! On my heavier days, usually day 1 and 2, I use a menstrual cup and a reusable liner as back up protection. On lighter days, I wear just a cup with leakproof underwear or just a pair of leakproof underwear. At night, I prefer to sleep with a reusable pad which I clean in the morning. It took a few cycles to get to where I am now, but it’s such a great feeling to know that my period does not produce any disposable waste! Although it’s not the perfect routine yet, I’m quite pleased with where it’s at and would love any and all tips for cup leakage. I’ll share more about the specific products I use and my experiences with them below.

My Product Line-up

The Diva Cup

I am currently using the Diva Cup - Model 1, which for me was easily accessible at my local drug store. I love that it is chemical free, relatively simple to get the hang of, and it’s made in Canada. Of course as I mentioned above, I’m still figuring out if it’s the best cup for me because I do experience a bit of leakage, but I wanted to get the most out of this cup, so I will continue to use it until I find a solution to my leaks or find a better fitting cup.

Hannah Pads

For reusable pads, I use Hannah Pads! Hannah Pads are unbleached and undyed, made with certified organic cotton. The snaps on the pads are recyclable and the pads also have little silicone feet on the pad to prevent it from slipping around during wear. They are biodegradable and can be thrown in the compost at the end of its life with the snaps removed and thrown in the recycling. I also use probiotic soap to wash the pads and I’ve found that the soap has really helped clean the pads and easily lift stains.

Knixwear

Finally for leakproof underwear, I like the leakproof boyshort from Knixwear. They’re great for light days and are quite comfortable to wear throughout the day. It’s made to absorb up to 3 tsp of liquid and protect against leaks. The only con for me is that I’ve found that the smallest size runs a teeny bit large for me and they don’t offer anything smaller than a size S. However, the sizing does go up to a XXL. If you’re on the petite side, you may want to try a different brand for a better fit. There is also THINX, which I’m sure many of you have heard of, but I actually have not tried any of their products yet. I did notice that their size range is a bit more comprehensive.

That’s a wrap on my journey so far in exploring zero waste periods. I hope it gave you some insight as to how I slowly transitioned to a zero waste period routine. It definitely wasn’t over night and did take a few cycles to get it to a point that I’m happy with. This post was more of a little peek into my own personal story, but I do want to tackle more specific and practical questions as well to help you on your way (perhaps in a video format so it’s easier to explain), so if you have any particular questions for me, please leave them below!

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This post is not sponsored and does not contain affiliate links, but does contain some gifted items.