• Lifestyle
    • Faith
    • Minimalism
    • Zero Waste
    • Home
    • Motherhood & Family
    • Health & Wellness
    • Travel
  • Food
    • Raw Food
    • Vegetarian
    • Smoothies
    • Desserts
    • Clean Eating
    • What I Eat In A Day
  • DIY
    • Facial Cleanser
    • Facial Moisturizer
    • Facial Mask
    • Eye Cream/Serum
    • Lip Balm
    • Hair Cleanser
    • Hair Rinse
    • Hair Leave-In/Styler
    • Beauty Oil/Butter
    • Beauty Mist/Toner
    • Natural Fragrance
    • Deodorant
    • Nail Care
  • Beauty
    • Hair
    • Curly Hair Regimen
    • Healthy Hair Tips
    • Chemical-Free Series/Hair
    • Skin
    • Acne
    • Principles
    • Chemical-Free Series/Skin
  • Style
    • Modesty
    • Wardrobe Simplified
    • My Capsule Wardrobe
  • SHOP
  • About
    • Beauty Regimen
    • My Personal Testimony
    • My Minimalist Home
    • Testimonials

Minimalist Beauty

living simply with grace, discretion and faith

Minimalist Beauty

More Plastic Free Finds

November 30, 2012 by Dawn Michelle

Although some plastics are recyclable, one time use plastics are an environmental nightmare.  Plastic recycling is referred to as “down cycling” because the process is toxic and truly not a solution to plastic pollution.  Plastic is broken down into small pieces naturally by light, but never biodegrades or goes “away”.  Plastic has been outrageously polluting our oceans, and even found in the bellies of so many animals who have mistaken plastic pieces for food and died from it.

When you begin to notice everything that is packaged in unnecessary plastic, it is a bit overwhelming.  Slowly but surely I’ve been replacing my consumable items with plastic free packaging, and making new changes to living a more plastic free life.  I am also slowly noticing more and more companies get on board with plastic free and more eco-friendly packaging.  Here are a few new plastic free finds for home and personal care.

Cleaning Supplies

Making your own home cleaners are a great way to minimize plastic.  You can easily make a very effective DIY Multipurpose Household Cleaner or even try one of my newly revisited favorites Bon Ami.  Bon Ami is a fabulous eco-friendly inexpensive polishing cleanser that can be used for cleaning almost anything.  Most of all I love that it is inexpensive and plastic free.

image

More Floss, Less Plastic

Here’s an eco-friendly almost plastic free dental floss that comes in a paper packaging with a tiny plastic bag surrounding the floss inside.  The average dental floss contains 40-55 yards of floss.  Eco-Dent Gentle Floss contains 100 yards of floss without the unnecessary plastic container.  Silk floss is another great compostable option.

image

Solutions For Food

One of the biggest challenges that I’m finding with going plastic free is how to package and store my organic fruits and vegetables.  Currently I have been washing and reusing the plastic produce bags that I already have.  I recently discovered a few new items that will make purchasing and storing produce so much easier.  Plus these are great options for take out after a dinner out, lunches, and leftovers!

Reusable Produce Bags

I found plastic free reusable produce bags by Mothering Mother.  These 100% unbleached cotton bags are very reasonably priced and absolutely perfect!  Because plastic is toxic, we really don’t want to have it suffocating or polluting our food.  I also LOVE these organic cotton reusable produce bags!

minimalistbeauty.com-plastic free products

ChicoBag is one of my favorite reusable bags brands.  They have a Chico Complete Produce Bag Set which contains three different style produce bags in their line called Produce Stand:

“The Hemp-Cotton blend bag is designed for green beans, nuts, grains and bulk food items. The fabric is a 70 percent hemp, 30 percent cotton blend and is designed to absorb excess moisture and restrict airflow.

The rePETe bag is great for squash, broccoli, carrots and celery because it restricts airflow and locks in moisture.

The Mesh rePETe is ideal for apples, oranges, potatoes, onions and allows ethylene gas, nature’s ripening agent, to escape. Like many of our rePETe products, the rePETe and rePETe Mesh bags are made of 99 percent recycled content.” ~buygreen.com

minimalistbeauty.com-plastic free products3

Lunch, Take Out & Leftovers

These stainless steel food containers by ECOlunchbox are ideal for leftovers and of course lunches.  Finally there is something to replace plastic Tupperware.  Here is the ECOlunchbox Oval which is a set of three items including a smaller container for sauces, dressings, or other snack items.

minimalistbeauty.com-eco_ovalbox_01

Here is a super cute option for carrying your lunch with an ancient Japanese tradition of knotting, folding and twisting with the Furoshiki ECOLunchwrap Kit.  This would also make a great gift!

minimalistbeauty.com-0504_lg

I’m loving these plastic free solutions, and look forward to finding even more eco-friendly options.  Any step taken towards consuming less plastic can make a difference!  We truly do have to be the change we want to see.

Living plastic-free can seem challenging, but I know there are solutions!

(Images by Dawn Michelle, buygreen.com & ECOlunchbox)

Stay Connected with Minimalist Beauty & Subscribe with bloglovin’. Also Join the Community on Facebook & Twitter. For more about Dawn Michelle go here!

Share

Facebook Google+ Twitter Pinterest Email

You might also like...

Comments Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  1. Beth Terry says

    November 30, 2012 at 3:53 pm

    Hi there. Thanks so much for linking to my book Plastic-Free! Just want to let you know that currently, the book is on backorder because the first printing sold out! We are expecting the second printing to arrive any day now, and BuyGreen will have copies as soon as we can get them from the warehouse. Several orders came through today, and I’m guessing they came via this site, so thanks! Just wanted to let you know about the delay. The books were held up because of Hurricane Sandy and other storms on the East Coast.

    Reply
  2. Dawn Michelle says

    November 30, 2012 at 4:23 pm

    Hi Beth,
    Congratulations on selling out of your amazing book!!! Also thank you so much for your dedication and immense passion for teaching others to become plastic free. Best wishes with everything and happy holidays!
    ~Dawn Michelle

    Reply
  3. sandy says

    December 1, 2012 at 1:35 pm

    After seeing the above post. Thank you Dawn

    It makes me want to share this…

    in the 1950’s and before…

    People didn’t carry paper bags
    Plastic was a rarity
    Everyone had a garden
    Mason Jars ruled the day
    Machine made jewelry was a luxury
    Clothes were handmade for the most part
    and
    Bon Ami was in everyone’s kitchen

    Mule Team Borax was a standard
    Dry Cleaning was for the wealthy

    And so why did things change?

    There was money to be made by industrialists…
    And then there was TV

    Who knew that 4 TV Channels of advertising could do so much damage?

    “The most effective way to destroy people is to deny and obliterate their own understanding of their history.”
    ― George Orwell

    Reply
  4. Doug says

    December 2, 2012 at 12:20 pm

    Hello Dawn,

    Thank you for highlighting some of our products on BuyGreen.com and we are big fans of Beth and here efforts to eliminate plastic!

    Sincerely,
    BuyGreen.com

    Reply
    • Dawn Michelle says

      December 5, 2012 at 4:18 pm

      Hi Doug, So glad to! Beth is amazing!!

      Reply
  5. Carolyn says

    December 9, 2012 at 5:41 am

    HI Dawn. I have been trying to minimize my use of plastic as much as possible for a long time now and am now also extending this to minimizing the use of aluminium foil.

    One thing that I did was to “invest” in glass Pyrex rectangular dishes with lids in a variety of sizes. They have eliminated ALL the plastic and foil containers I had in my cupboards taking up a lot of space. I have also been able to get rid of several cooking dishes as well as I can marinate, cook, freeze, serve and store in the one dish.

    Which brings me to my next project: I think we stock too much food in our cupboards in the first place. I decided to use up everything that was in my cupboards. I went for 2 entire weeks doing this, only needing to buy vegetables. I’m now planning my family meals so that I am only buying the ingredients that I am going to use in a fortnight.

    The amazing thing is how much time, energy and money this is saving me. I am spending approx $100 less, have less clutter, less mess, less stress and less plastic, cardboard and foil packaging.

    Cheers.

    Reply
Previous
Next
  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

living simply with grace, discretion and faith

I met a woman the other day who openly shared some I met a woman the other day who openly shared some of her challenges with motherhood.  Motherhood is intensely challenging, beyond humbling, and at times you just want the day to be over then realizing that you’ll be back at it the next day.  It never ends and there isn’t much reprive.  It’s been on my heart to share some encouragement to any mother who will read this.  I pray this will bless you in some way.  The link is in my profile!
🌻 #motherhood #encouragement #humility #minimalistbeauty
Fenugreek seeds, also called methi seeds, have a m Fenugreek seeds, also called methi seeds, have a multitude of medicinal properties along with being a prominent spice in many cultural dishes.  For starters, fenugreek seeds are packed with protein for strengthening strands, mucilage for moisturizing and soothing the scalp while detangling the hair, and most importantly nicotinic acid which may minimize hair shedding while soothing scalp issues.  Fenugreek seeds are also anti-inflammatory and anti-fungal which is beneficial for soothing a dry irritated scalp as well as high in iron. 🍂

These little seeds are a win win for natural hair care and can be used in various ways.  I’ve used fenugreek seeds in my beauty regimen on and off for years.  Today I wanted to share four easy ways you can incorporate fenugreek in your hair regimen to promote healthy hair growth.  The link is in the profile. 🍂

#diyhaircare #naturalhair #minimalistbeauty #sponsored @mountainroseherbs
God is so good! We move on FRIDAY. This picture God is so good!  We move on FRIDAY.  This picture was taken before they removed the bricking which was VERY NOISY to say the least.  We haven’t been completely able to avoid the beginning of the construction process, but I honestly think it’s a good thing.  This way we can remain GRATEFUL throughout the entire process.  GRATITUDE during LIFE’S IMPERFECTION develops CONTENTMENT.  That is one thing I work on daily.  If you missed our “We’re Moving Again” testimony it’s on the blog. 🌿🍁🍃

 #testimony #sharewhatisgood #godisgood #godisfaithful #godmakesaway #minimalistbeauty #simpleliving
Friday mornings are my busiest mornings of the wee Friday mornings are my busiest mornings of the week.  I make muffins for Saturday’s breakfast (either corn bread, pumpkin, or banana bread muffins) to have with fruit, a big crockpot dinner for the weekend (beans & rice bowls, lentils and sweet potato stews, or a big veggie and red potato stew) to serve with bread, tortillas, grains, and/or salad depending on the dish, and I’m usually putting orders together to go out for @iamazuha today too.  All the while I’m also making other food for the day. 🍂🥧🍁

Friday’s are crazy because of the usual responsibilities, but mainly because I really want to relax a bit over the weekend.  Over this past year I’ve worked really hard to create systems to make working from home and being a homemaker easier.  Homemaking really is like running a small boutique bed and breakfast hotel.  It takes planning ahead, having a solid system, financial planning, commitment, and a lot of love.  I’ve been learning to really enjoy this process.  Just like everybody else I’ve been baking more this year than ever.  Very rewarding. 🍂🥧🍁

Wishing all of you a beautiful and blessed weekend! 
💞Dawn Michelle
We’re MOVING again! With everything going on wi We’re MOVING again!  With everything going on with the world wide pandemic, I’m seeing the importance of sharing anything good that the Lord is doing in your life with others.  We need HOPE.  We need to share the JOY of walking with God.  The testimonies of glorifying God would just add encouragement that I know I need.  I LOVE hearing of God making ways out of no way, giving us more hope and FAITH. 🌿🍂🍃

I was initially praying to God for ways to endure what we were about to go through while somehow someway making it nice for my family during the process.  But God was already orchestrating a new way for us to not even have to endure it at all.  Read my testimony on Minimalist Beauty... (link in profile) 🌿🍂🍃

If God has done ANYTHING in your life no matter how small PLEASE share it in the comments below.  We all need to hear what’s good!  The news shares otherwise, but we can create a space here of good testimonies.  Please share below and I pray you are having a blessed day. 🌿🍂🍃

Much love!
#testimony #sharewhatsgood #godisgood #godisfaithful #godmakesaway #minimalistbeauty #simpleliving
We could all use an IMMUNE BOOST right now.  Here’s a simple juice recipe that I make for just that.  I call it SPICY APPLE JUICE and my three (almost four) year old drinks it up no problem! 🍎 

I simply juice 2 WHOLE medium/large APPLES (3 small apples pictured) + 3 CLOVES of GARLIC in a slow masticating juicer for one immune boosting serving.  Yes I do include the core as it has many health benefits. 🍎 

After having my 1st official winter back on the east coast last year, RAW GARLIC was how I made it through without getting sick at all while caring for sick family members. 🍎 

Since then I juice garlic in many of my juice recipes or mince up multiple cloves as dinner toppings for chickpea pasta, beans and rice bowls, and stews.  What I LOVE most of all is hearing my son say, “More Juice?” Proud Mama!!!! 🍎

#immuneboost #juicing #juicerecipe #simplenutrition #healthyliving #minimalistbeauty #minimalistbeautyeats
I started wearing linen clothing because it’s ex I started wearing linen clothing because it’s extremely practical.  Linen is one of the most environmentally friendly fabrics on the market.  Linen is also considered the world’s strongest natural fabric.  After tiring of purchasing new clothing every season for my heavily worn small capsule wardrobe, it just made sense to look for mid and heavy weight linen garments that could be worn year round and layered that actually lasted. 
🍃

Linen clothing can last up to 2-3 decades if properly cared for.  I’ve made some mistakes along the way, but have finally found a simple method for caring for my linen garments. (Link in profile.)
🍃
#linenlover #minimalistbeauty #sponsored @mountainroseherbs
I stopped using henna, I tossed my comb and brush, I stopped using henna, I tossed my comb and brush, I wear hair buns 95% of the time, and my hair care routine only got simpler with only two “products”. All the details plus why I really cut my hair last spring on the blog.  Much love!  #minimalistbeauty #curlyhairroutine #naturalhaircare

Copyright 2021 Minimalist Beauty | Site design handcrafted by Station Seven