A few months ago, I took the plunge (so to speak), and decided to try using a shampoo bar instead of the liquid stuff sold in plastic bottles. I was mostly inspired by Michelle at Boomer Eco Crusader, who argued that shampoo bars were better for the environment and less expensive, too.
I started using my first bar about 3 and 1/2 months ago, and I see it’s about time to replace it, so I thought it might be time to reflect on my experience.
The more I think about it, the more I realize that I have contradictory thoughts about the impacts of small changes.
Let’s start with the shampoos.
I had been using Aussie Shampoo for the past several years, though I am not a totally loyal user. A large bottle from Target, which lasts me about half a year, costs $7.99. Over a year, that means I dispose of 2 large plastic bottles–not always in the recycling bin, as it’s a pain to clean out all the shampoo thoroughly.
For my shampoo bar, I picked a fancier brand: L’Occitane en Provence and their Gentle & Balance Solid Shampoo. Mr. PiN had to bite his tongue when I told him how much it cost ($18 a bar). It may last me around 4 months.
I can’t really tell if the bar is significantly better or worse for my hair, as my hair was changing even before I switched shampoos (lots of stress these past few years). I do feel like my hair is less frizzy and tangled with shampoo bar.
Financially, the shampoo bar is a clear loser: $54 a year for 3 bars versus $16 for 2 large bottles of liquid. That’s an increase of spending of 325%, if you want to be dramatic. On the other hand, I am spending less than 75 cents a week for this luxury. Given my current income, this is absolutely affordable.
As far as environmental impact, I am just going to talk about packaging. I am just not up to calculating the difference in effect of shipping solid bars from France compared to shipping plastic bottles of liquid from a factory in the USA.
The bottles are big purple plastic containers (with pumps). These are supposedly recyclable, but local regulations and hyperlocal conditions (the actions of the people in our house) mean that we do not recycle them 100% of the time.
The bars, on the other hand, come in a small cardboard box. That’s it. The cardboard may or may not get recycled, but there is considerably less mass. Three small cardboard boxes, with a better chance of being recycled, seem a lot better for the environment.
Where I find myself bemused is my interpretation of these effects.
Financially speaking, it’s all in how you look at the money.
At the beginning of my journey to financial independence, I might have thought:
- You are paying more than 3 times as much to wash your hair. Are you stupid?
- You might think it isn’t that much, just $38 a year. But those little things add up (see: Latte Factor). $38 here, $47 here–at some point this turns into real money. Spending an extra $100 per month means you have to save $300,000 more for retirement–you are starting down the slippery slope of lifestyle inflation and never being able to retire!
As I [think I] am approaching retirement, the financial pressures are a little lighter. 75 cents a week seems very reasonable for a small splurge that makes my life more pleasant. After all, I won’t be here forever. To misuse a famous quote: if not now, when?
So, what is the financial impact? Apparently small but actually a sign of decadent rot that will torpedo my finances? Or a financially insignificant pecadillo?
Similarly, on the environmental side, how much better for the environment is it for me to avoid plastic bottles in this way?
On the one hand, it’s 2 bottles a year. Maybe 1 oz of plastic, or a volume 1/3 of our bathroom garbage can. It’s not that much, in the grand scheme of things.
On the other hand, think about 100 families making the switch. Now we are talking about maybe 100 oz of plastic taking up the space of 33 small garbage cans. That’s starting to sound significant.
So, is switching to shampoo bars a big deal, or a little deal? A waste of money with little impact on the environment? Or a small indulgence with a small but significant change in the waste stream?
Assuming you liked each product equally for your hair, which side of the argument would you fall on?
Thanks for linking to my post. You already know which side of the argument I fall on. 😂 Honestly though, while shampoo bars work brilliantly for me—and they do save me money—I know they aren’t for everyone. I especially love travelling with my shampoo bars. No more leaks!
Ultimately, I think anything that makes us more aware of the waste we’re generating and our impact on the planet is a good thing. We can’t all do everything but we CAN all do something.
For me, now, the shampoo bar is a little luxury I can afford. But I just can’t feel all that excited about the waste reduction (maybe because I see our household generating more waste from other things).
Mostly, I just felt my mental disconnect was interesting (change in spending = no big deal [now], while the small changes in waste generation = significant).