I remember the hand soap in my elementary school bathroom when I was in first grade: that gritty, dry powdered soap that came out of a metal dispenser with the little arm that descended out of it and you had to knock it around to release the powder. It scraped your skin if you didn't moisten it enough with water. Now, everywhere you go there are plastic dispensers that hold plastic baggies full of brightly colored liquid soap that often foams. Where did our fascination and obsession with liquid soap come from?
The most sustainable and zero waste answer to any soap question is just simple bars of soap that just about anyone can find without any sort of packaging. I see them available in many supermarkets, health food stores, farmers markets, beauty stores, boutiques, swap meets, flea markets, etc. as well as online (which, of course, will be shipped to you in packaging but if the online store is a zero waste focused store, the packaging will only be cardboard at most so definitely shop at one of those).
If you can't give up your liquid soap habit for whatever reason, then this post is for you. My solution for an almost zero waste liquid soap dispenser is upcycling bottles (usually from store-bought Kombucha) and then using a used plastic pump dispenser from something else to use as the pump (when I was transitioning to being as plastic free as possible, I started hoarding these pumps as I was really into converting mason jars into soap dispensers so I had a small stash).
If you're like me and you no longer buy products with plastic pumps, don't worry! Just remember that your family members, friends, and neighbors probably still have lots of products that have a plastic pump dispenser that you can nab when they're done with it. Put it out there that you would like what they have when they're finished. They'll feel good about helping you out and you'll feel good for making sure one more piece of perfectly good plastic doesn't end up in a landfill somewhere.
P.S. I've seen these listed online anywhere from $7-$30. Think of all of the money you'll be saving! And you get the added benefit of drinking the Kombucha!
Fill your gorgeous new soap dispenser with diluted Castile soap. Dr. Bronner's is my go-to but it does come in plastic. If you're avoiding plastic entirely, there might be a bulk shop near you that has it (more and more of these liquid bulk stores are popping up in L.A.! It's very exciting). If there isn't a liquid bulk store near you that stocks it, then get the biggest bottle of Dr. Bronner's you can to cut down on plastic and recycle the bottle when done. As we all know now, the majority of our plastics are never recycled but at least Dr. Bronner's is so highly concentrated that the largest bottle can last 6-12 months. Plus, the product can be used for just about all of your cleaning needs (please see my earlier post about my deep appreciation for Dr. Bronner's Castile soap).
And viola, a (practically) zero waste, upcycled solution to liquid soap. I also think it's super stylish.
As always, thanks for reading and for everything that you do!