This is a diary for women only. Men, you have been warned--do not read below the Fleur du Kos. This is a diary for reducing bathroom trash. Up here in the intro are universal zero waste bathroom ideas.
Consider switching to bar soap rather than liquid soap. Yes, you have to wash the soap dish every so often but much better than recycling all those plastic bottles, not to mention the extra shipping costs for a product that is mostly water. Bar soap is much cheaper too, in these frugal times.
Also consider some of the bar shampoos, which are green for the same reason. I believe the brand Lush carries some, although I have never tried that product. I've been pretty happy simply using Dove bar soap to wash my hair, as long as I follow up with an acid rinse to balance the pH. Diluted vinegar or lemon juice will work but it's harsh on the hair. Dr. Bronner's has a lemon juice rinse that works well--it's rather pricey but extremely concentrated, so you dilute with water and a little goes a long way. For the more adventurous, there is the no poo method.
Both men and women can save money and trash by switching to a safety razor and badger brush for shaving. Then the same bar soap can be used for lather, no need to buy shaving cream, and traditional razor blades are much cheaper and greener than cartridge blades.
Using handkerchiefs has turned out to be much easier than I was expecting, just throw them in the wash. They are hard to find, nowadays; I found some very economical ones at a craft store. I also bought some very expensive reusable cotton pads for makeup removal. I use them with olive oil for eye makeup removal. I know I could have made some myself out of old clothes, but I knew I wouldn't use them. These came with a mesh bag for washing and a nice box for dispensing. For nail polish removal I use the cotton wadding that comes in pill bottles.
That said, the main source of my bathroom trash, of course, used to be...
menstruation. Years ago I made the switch to what at the time was known as The Keeper, which is a terrible name nowadays if you want to google it. Also sold as the Mooncup and the Diva Cup, it is amazing how well this product works and how long lasting it is. With proper care, a Keeper will last up to a decade.
It does require getting over a certain squeamishness, since the cup will fill up with menstrual blood that you then empty out into the toilet. But once you get the hang of it, it's like not having a period. Even on my heaviest days the most I've ever had to empty it out was three times in a 24-hour period. I feel perfectly comfortable swimming with it in and being very physically active.
I used to occasionally wear a thin Light Days-type pantyliner on my first day when my flow is heaviest. Since I have gone zero waste I've been skipping that and simply have five pairs of black cotton panties to wear during my period--it's rare that there is even spotting, and that is usually because I have forgotten to empty it out.
I know there are washable cotton sanitary pads out there. The most popular brand is Glad Rags. I've never used them but now that I'm checking out the site I'm thinking about their pantyliners--I didn't know they offered a thin pad.
I did have to use disposable sanitary pads recently, on the advice of my doctor. I had a copper IUD, a Paragard, inserted, and she recommended that the first period I avoid inserting anything like a tampon. A copper IUD isn't exactly a zero waste topic--how much waste does birth control generate? But wow is it economical and hassle-free! I think I would be reluctant to get a copper IUD if I hadn't already been done with having children, but for a woman in my situation it is a dream--I basically never even have to think about birth control again (just need to remember to have it removed once I've gone through menopause). Of course if STD's are a concern, latex condoms must still be used.
I am adamantly opposed to any sort of hormonal birth control. I wrote a book on female libido called The Orgasmic Diet, so I admit my bias. I think the Pill and other sorts of hormonal birth control like the hormonal IUD, the Mirena, do a disservice to women by interfering with their free testosterone by raising SHBG. This has the effect in many women of lowering libido, not to mention all the other nasty side effects.
The copper IUD also has side effects, primarily at the start: very heavy bleeding for a week after insertion (it was like post-pregnancy bleeding) and very heavy periods for several months after that. The first month of having it in, I noticed I was feeling weak and kind of draggy, and I realized it was because I had lost so much iron from bleeding, so I added to my iron supplementation (of course every woman is different, do not do something like this without checking with your doctor or nutritionist). But all in all it has been a wonderful thing for me and I highly recommend it to women with normal-to-light periods who are in monogamous relationships and are done having children.
My health insurance only had a thirty dollar copay for the device, along with the copay for three office visits--one for assessment, one for insertion, and one for follow up. For someone watching their cash, a very economical investment, especially since I also had a long overdue Pap smear at the time.
On a lighter note, I very rarely use a vibrator, just on special occasions, but when my old one died and it was time to find a new one, I came across this solar bullet vibe. Okay, it's not a Hitachi Magic Wand or an Eroscillator, for those of us who prefer power tools, but in my case I just like a little extra every once in a blue moon and this fits the bill. It was a lot more powerful than I was expecting. On the other hand, you have to keep the charger on a windowsill--it won't hold the charge in the dark for more than a couple days. Still, it's ready when I need it and I never have to buy (and throw away) AA batteries again (still buy D's for my flashlights). It comes in a fully recyclable cardboard box with minimal packaging.
My zero waste vice is pantyhose. I love wearing business suits. In the summer my legs are bare and in the winter I wear tights under my winter boots, but spring and fall I wear pantyhose. One of the nice things about dating crossdressers is they have the best tips for fashion--I found out about open-bottomed girdles. You just hook the stockings on the attached garter straps and voila. I usually got runs at the top of my pantyhose rather than the leg, and even when I do get runs now in my stockings I only have to throw away one stocking. I strongly recommend Rago from American Shapewear, an American-made brand. It is a little strange getting used to it, especially the peeing, but it's nice not having to wrestle with pantyhose every time you go to the bathroom. Instead of wearing panties I just wear a slip under my suit, so I'm in and out of the restroom almost as fast as a man.
Finally, I know I'm a sucker for this, and it's not like I can afford it being partially unemployed, but if I ever do find my dream job, I'm buying my makeup exclusively from Origins from now on. Not only do they use green manufacturing practices like buying carbon offsets, using post-consumer cardboard packaging and reusing shipping packaging, they will recycle all makeup containers brought to their store, not just their own brand, all brands. Of course some of the plastic is non-recyclable but they use it for energy generation. So no more makeup trash for me.
And my standard disclaimer: Zero waste is not the most important thing a person can do to reduce their carbon footprint. Taking public transportation over driving, particularly for a daily commute, weatherproofing one's home and turning down the thermostat, cutting down on air travel, switching to renewable energy sources, avoiding factory-farmed meat and most importantly political action to get the Republican climate deniers out of Congress are all bigger priorities in fighting climate change. Don't use zero waste as an excuse to rest on your green laurels.
Any ladies have comments or tips? I'd be especially interested to hear more about Glad Rags or other women's experiences with the Mooncup or copper IUDs.