Healthy and Sustainable Shopping Substitutes

Both brick-and-mortar and online stores across the globe are oversaturated with products, leaving us shoppers with hundreds of choices to make each go-round. I’d like to present a handful of products that I’ve found to be significantly healthier and more sustainable than their counterparts, along with some eco-friendly shopping tips to enrich your shopping experience no matter what kind of goals you’re making.

Try Meyer’s Hand Soap

Although bar soap is ideal, a lot of folks like to have liquid hand soap in the house. Meyer’s hand soap is a low-ingredient, good smelling alternative to the typical scented hand soap you may be used to purchasing. It may be a couple dollars more, but in my personal experience, it’s worth the cost. Most of their products use natural essential oils and other risk-free additives for scent and texture. They have a variety of mild, clean scents that don’t go over the top, and they have a pretty solid selection at most grocery stores. But is this really better than popular alternatives?

The answer is yes! Other brands that sell seasonally themed foaming soap (think Bath & Body Works) contain needless risky ingredients that would be much better to leave on the shelf. One of these high-risk ingredients is Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT), a chemical compound used for its function as an antioxidant. It has been proven through multiple studies that exposure to this compound has the potential to disrupt the endocrine system, specifically thyroid function, as well as the potential to negatively impact sex hormones and cause problems related to development and fertility. Here’s a link to one of those studies conducted at Yale. There are also claims currently being pursued that it is toxic to ocean life if it makes its way to their ecosystem, which is the same for a few of the hand soap’s other ingredients like phenoxyethanol and disodium laureth sulfosuccinate. When we can make hand soap without these toxic compounds, why take an unnecessary risk that has potential to harm you and The Earth alike?

Opt for Wool Dryer Balls Over Single-Use Sheets and Fabric Softener

Wool dryer balls are an effective and environmentally savvy way to keep your laundry consistently soft and wrinkle free coming out of the dryer. They’re reusable, cost effective, and almost waste-free, so they easily one-up any of the alternatives in my book. Although they do have to be replaced eventually, they will last a good 2-5 years according to most people who have tried them out. You can find them easily and inexpensively online or at almost any store that carries detergent. But why not stick to your reliable dryer sheets and fabric softener?

The chemicals in dryer sheets or fabric softeners can irritate sensitive skin, cause towels to become less absorbent, and even weaken flame retardant treatments in children’s clothes, according to research by MSU and Virginia Tech found here and here. There is also the possibility of reducing the moisture-wicking effects of athletic wear and decreasing the performance of waterproof garments. The waxy substances can coat your dryers vent and sensors, leading to increased dry time and other issues, not to mention the harm that these chemicals cause to the environment.

wool dryer balls sit on a pile of laundry.

Try Bar Shampoo Instead of Bottles

There are dozens of sustainably minded brands innovating the landscape of personal hygiene. One of these innovations is the rise of bar shampoo. It works in the exact same way a bar of soap does and eliminates the need for plastic bottles and other harmful packaging. Because of the following these brands are attempting to attract, they often use healthy and organic ingredients, which only sweetens the deal. A single bar is a smaller commitment than buying a whole bottle of shampoo, which means there’s a perfect opportunity for you to give it a try. What’s the worst that could happen?

lavenders shampoo bar in dish with lavender surrounding.

How to Find New Substitutions

Every household has different wants and needs, which means you may want to search for something specific when it comes to upgrading your shopping trips. The majority of my research for this post was done using the app Yuka. Yuka is a completely free mobile app that allows you to scan the barcode of any item at home or on the go. It then provides a report on the product, summarizing its additives and potential health and environmental implications. It also suggests high-scoring alternatives to any of your low-scoring products. It has made shopping sustainably so much easier for me, and I’d like to pass that convenience on to you!

Link to the Yuka App:

Yuka – The Mobile App That Scans Your Products