How many bottles are in your shower right now? You know the ones, thick plastic, big push tops or caps. If you are like me, you go through a bottle of conditioner like nobody’s business when it’s hair washing night. These bottles spend about three months, a minute fraction of their lives, on that shelf before they are tossed in our bins and carried off to their landfill graveyard. After it is out of sight, it spends the next 450 years decomposing. It is reported by Statista that 305.64 million Americans used shampoo in 2019. If each of us uses a new bottle every 3 months, that is a rough estimate of 1 and a quarter million bottles annually. And that is just for shampoo! 

I urge that instead of this ridiculous system we switch to using bar soap. I know many people are attached to their body washes, their Axe and Bath & Body Works, I get it. However, there are other options. Right now, there are a few brands on the market that sell not just body soap, but shampoo and conditioner bars as well. You can find shampoo bars at your local Walmart from brands like J.R. Liggett’s, Love Beauty And Planet, and Maple Hill Naturals for a reasonable price of $5-10. One container of Dove Body Wash Pump Deep Moisture (34 oz) costs $9, $0.26 per oz. A 10 pack of Dove White Beauty Bar soap costs $10.88. The prices are equal to or less than traditional liquid soaps, the only reason for preference is habit. Can you imagine the impact if just 15% of the population put down the bottles and picked up the soap bars? 

Bar soap is much more environmentally friendly as it can be sold unpackaged, packaged in cloth or in recycled paper. It also lasts longer than its liquid alternatives. If we started a movement making the shift to bar soap, mainstream brands will shift too. Think about it, 10 years ago vegan cuisine options were reserved for progressive and niche brands and restaurants. Now, the local ale house has an entire section dedicated to a plant-based diet, and the grocery stores stock alternative meat and protein options. In the light of the reusable straw Save the Turtles movement, going no-waste is more trendy than ever. And not a moment too soon. The market adapts to the consumer trends, so let’s get bar soap trending.