“She’s going zero waste!”
– The awesome sales associate at the Ridgedale Lush location
This weekend was one for the books. One after another, the little things throughout the weekend added up to make one of the best weekends I’ve had in awhile.
It started off right by checking another movie off my list of IMDB’s top 100 movies to watch, as part of my 25 Things list. Kate and I watched Catch Me If You Can, which was awesome.
The next morning, we enjoyed cups of spicy chai at Botany Coffee, a cute, clean coffee shop that definitely qualifies as a “Kate Place” in it’s minimalism.
Kate headed out for the Gopher’s game, and I headed out for…another cup of coffee. It’s an addiction, ok?
Seated at Spyhouse Coffee, I worked on this blog and organized some of my short stories and poems in an attempt to get my creative juices flowing. Overdosed on caffeine, I was just losing my ability to focus when my Aunt Denise texted me, and we made plans to visit the Minneapolis Sculpture Gardens just a short while later.
When I’d been walking in to Spyhouse, I’d noticed a cute vintage shop next door, so with my few moments to spare, I decided to stop in while I waited for my aunt to arrive in Minneapolis. And am I glad I did.
If you know me, or are beginning to read through some of my blogs here, you might notice a recurring thread that is constantly weaving itself through my life: my obsession with the roaring twenties.
And I just so happened to find the most beautiful flapper dress at Via’s Vintage in Minneapolis.
I have never seen a flapper dress that is designed like this one, with the two long panels at the top, delicate beadwork, and long strip of silver strands lining the bottom of the dress. It creates a beautiful movement while worn, which is one of my favorite thing about flapper dresses. Underneath a sheer layer of black is a soft pink. It’s perfect.
Surprise surprise, I will likely be a flapper for Halloween this year, but this dress is too beautiful to risk for Halloween. But don’t worry, I always have a Speakeasy up my sleeve, so stay tuned for this dress’s first outing.
After my glorious find at Via’s Vintage, I met my aunt and we drove to the Sculpture Gardens.
We stopped to take a picture of the infamous spoon sculpture, along with the plethora of other tourists, and strolled throughout the park. My favorite piece was a tree that was filled with wind-chimes. The chimes rang throughout the park, and were too beautiful too accurately capture on film.
After I convinced my aunt not to climb on the sculptures, we realized we were starving, and enjoyed one of the best burgers we’ve ever had at the restaurant inside the Walker Art Center. It might have been so delicious because we were mildly hangry, but it also might be because they make their own malt vinegar potato chips.
Ok, it’s probably because of the malt vinegar potato chips — let’s be honest with ourselves. And no, they don’t sell them in bags. I checked.
We parted ways after lunch, and I embarked on one of the most successful missions of my weekend — to continue my zero waste journey.
To date, I’ve begun cutting out plastic as much as I can and started recycling more. I’ve stopped using plastic bags, and have been using reusable bags, or no bags at all. I’ve asked store owners not to give me paper receipts, and sign up for e-receipts if possible. I’ve always had my own glass water bottle, but I’ve been more strict on not using plastic water bottles, whereas I’ve been more lenient in the past. The garbage can in my room is for recyclables only; I do not throw trash that will be going to landfills in it, and have overall significantly cut down on my trash.
But this weekend, I took it one step further with my visit to Lush. And what a visit it was!
I knew I wanted to start using shampoo and conditioner bars so I could cut down on my plastic waste. I’ve used some of the shampoo bars from Lush in the past, and loved them, but wanted to try something new, so I hightailed it right toward their shelf in the store. One of my favorite scents is honey, which can be found in a plethora of Lush products. Their shampoo bars are no exception; I was immediately drawn to their “Honey I Washed My Hair” shampoo bar, which has the same scent as their “Honey I Washed the Kids” soap, a long-time favorite of mine.
Lush’s shampoo bars can be stored in any airtight container, but Lush has tin containers that are the perfect size for their products, and don’t rust in the shower. I couldn’t seem to find any, which must have been obvious to one of their employees, who asked if she could help me. And of course, the tins were right in front of me.
She began telling me about the benefits of their shampoo bars, and storing them in their tins, and I told her that I was beginning to use the shampoo bars because I was going zero waste.
“Oh my gosh!” she exclaimed. “I love that. You are so awesome!”
She helped me pick out a conditioner bar, and told me that Lush is revamping its efforts to go zero waste as well, though they are already almost there.
When I was checking out, the employee who had been helping me told the other staff member checking me out to stamp my bag instead of giving me one of Lush’s newsletters.
“She’s going zero waste!” She exclaimed.
The stamp listed their contact information, so I could look them up on Facebook or contact them if I had any problems.
The sales associates were extremely conscious of my desire to go zero waste, packaging everything up as minimalistically as possible, and offering me suggestions on other ways to go zero waste. One of the sales associates saw that I was purchasing a facial cleanser in bar form, and gave me a sample of her favorite cleanser, which Lush sells in plastic containers.
“I know you’re going zero waste,” she said. “But if you like this cleanser, you can bring in your own container, and we will fill it for you. You won’t have to use a plastic container for it.”
Score.
Ok, so what did I end up getting, and how will it help me in my zero waste efforts?
Honey I Washed My Hair Shampoo Bar
This shampoo bar has been wildly successful for me. There is absolutely no plastic packaging, so it is in line with my zero waste goal, and it has worked like a charm. Honey and toffee scents blend together in the bar, which is supposed to last for up to 80 washes. Lush claims this is 3 times longer than the average shampoo product.
I have to say, the shampoo bars do last a crazy amount of time, and it’s ridiculous how little product you need. Three small swipes of this bar, and my hair is entirely lathered up. It’s amazing.
I was initially a skeptic of shampoo bars, but after giving them a try, I’m totally sold. They work just as well as regular shampoo, seem to last longer, make my hair feel better, and are more travel-friendly than normal shampoo. That’s right. No worries about 3 ounce liquid limits, here.
Plumps Conditioner Bar
Transitioning to a conditioner bar has not been as smooth as my transition to shampoo bars. In the past, I’ve used Pantene products religiously, despite every hairdresser I’ve ever had urging me not to, due to the brand’s affinity for overloading their products with wax. The excess wax makes your hair softer, but in the end, does not do great things for your hair.
As such, conditioners from brands like Pantene are typically more slick, where as this conditioner bar is not. When I first used it, it was difficult for me to tell whether or not the product was actually being applied to my hair, as the texture of the bar is extremely different than the conditioners I’m used to. It’s still taking some getting used to, but I do like the results I’ve seen in my hair, and it helps to know that it is contributing to my zero waste lifestyle. The conditioner is intended to give your hair more volume; I’ve definitely noticed this, as well as a lot of natural curl I’ve never seen in my hair before. Historically, my hair has been stick straight, but after using this conditioner, I’ve noticed that it’s brought out some slight curl at the end of my hair, which may be due to the sea salt in the bar.
Overall, I would purchase this bar again, but I will be trying out another conditioner, Lush’s Big Conditioner Bar, before I commit to using Plumps.
Scrubee Body Butter Scrub
I am now a die-hard Scrubee fan. This product is amazing. The woman from Lush who assisted me told me that this bar could replace both an exfoliator and a body lotion, as the bar is so hydrating — and she was not wrong. Honey, cocoa butter, and shea butter combine with ground almonds and coconut shells to leave your skin clean and smooth. This is the kind of product that I want to buy 10 of just to stash away in case Lush would ever discontinue it. It’s also shaped like a bee (Get it?) which is adorable. This product comes sold in a paper bag, which is recyclable, and fits into a tin after one use.
Honey I Washed the Kids Soap
A classic. This is one of the first products I ever purchased from Lush back in the day, and will likely continue buying for the rest of my life. The soap has the same buttery toffee and honey scent as the shampoo bar I purchased, and is gentle and moisturizing. It’s also sold wrapped in recyclable paper. No plastic here!
Ro’s Argan Soap
This is a new soap for Lush, which features the same scent as their popular Rose Jam perfume. The soap has a different formula than their other soaps, with Argan oil and rose oil, creating a soft, rose-scented soap that glides across the skin. Similar to the Scrubee bar, this soap eliminates the need for body lotion — another zero waste win. Like their other soaps, this is packaged in recyclable paper.
Fresh Farmacy Facial Cleanser Bar
This chamomile-scented facial cleanser bar is formulated for sensitive skin. If I’m being totally honest, I chose this bar simply because it came wrapped in paper, and had no plastic packaging. Knowing now that I can bring in my own containers to be filled, I will be switching to Aqua Marina Facial Cleanser, which was the sample product I was given.
Aqua Marina Facial Cleanser
Here’s where my zero waste success fell a little flat. In the future, I can bring in my own container to be filled, but in the meantime, I was given the sample in a small, black plastic container. I plan to wash the container out and bring it back in the next time I visit the store, as they may be able to recycle/reuse it.
Plastic container aside, this cleanser is great. It’s not the most beautiful product, but as it isn’t in bar form like Fresh Farmacy, making it much easier to use. It also leaves my skin much smoother and hydrated, which will be great for the Minnesota winter months that are fast approaching.
All in all, my Lush trip was a success! The one piece of plastic was from the tiny sample jar, which I will be bringing back for them to hopefully use. As Lush is one of the most green, eco-friendly and zero-waste-friendly brands I know of, I’m excited to see the new plans they’ll be rolling out in the next year to up their green game!
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