#safety razors shave better than disposable ones ever did

[the1312daysofchristmas]

not to discredit going zero waste or whatever because making zero waste swaps rules. its so much cheaper in the long run.

[firstdegreefangirl]

Love Starts With a Toothbrush

Word Count: 3772

Original Pub Date: 5 June 2020

Relationships: Evan Buckley/Eddie Diaz

Author’s Notes: I really should be banned from listening to country radio in the car, but this is completely and utterly inspired by Brad Paisley’s song “Toothbrush.” If you haven’t listened to that yet, check it out here

Read on ao3 here

Tagging: @theycallmebobbob @rebeccaofsbfarm @thisissirius @hearteyesforbuck @dramamineontopofme @twinien @meloingly

Buck looks at himself in the mirror, pondering his own reflection and the way the white foam covers his chin before breaking his own eye contact and tipping his chin back. He focuses his gaze on his jawline as he pulls the razor over his skin, watching the blades slice through the light stubble and push the shaving cream out of the way.  

His touch is light, his strokes are careful, and he can’t think of a time he’s shaved more carefully since he was 17 and half-convinced that he’d slit his own throat with a Bic safety razor identical to the one he’s holding now.  

The stakes tonight are equally high, just as life-or-death, but in an entirely different way. He thinks about it as he rinses the razor, flicks his thumb downward across the blades to clear any stuck hairs from between them. He’s going out for dinner with Eddie, just like they’ve done probably hundreds of times in the time they’ve been friends. This time is different though, in the way Eddie couldn’t look him in the eye when he asked, the way he’d tentatively added “... it could be a date, if you’re OK with that,” when he’d mentioned an Indian restaurant he’d been meaning to try.  

Buck wonders if Eddie is feeling the same amount of pressure he is tonight, if he’d tried on half a dozen shirts before settling on his favorite go-to, then realized that he needed to take the shirt off and shaved before he gets dressed. 

Part of him hopes that Eddie isn’t so uncertain about the night they’re going to share, hopes that he’ll have enough bravado for them both. But he also wants this to mean as much to Eddie as it means to him.  

Because it means everything, he realizes as he drags a wet washcloth across his skin, lets the warm water clean the last dregs of shaving cream from his face and rinses it out. He leans up over the sink, examining his skin closely to make sure he didn’t miss any stray hairs. As blond as he is, it’s not like they’ll show up, but he still wants to make sure everything is perfect tonight.  

Satisfied with the shave, he shakes the razor dry and sets it back in the medicine cabinet, reaching for the tube of toothpaste on the shelf above.

He squirts a blob of the mint-flavored gel onto his toothbrush and sticks it into his mouth. Dental health isn’t usually such a focus for Buck; most of the time he squishes the foam around his mouth and spits as soon as every tooth is mostly brushed.  

Tonight, though, he scrubs every tooth carefully: front, back and top. He angles the brush down to get his gum line, and even gags himself when he brushes his tongue. It might be the first and only time he’s actually brushed for two minutes, and he briefly wonders how weird it would be for him to call his dentist in the morning and brag.  

Very weird, he decides as he plucks a soft blue paper cup from the dispenser on the counter and fills it with water to rinse his mouth out. As the foam swirls down the drain, he rubs his favorite aftershave across his hands and his hands over his face, wincing at the sting against the freshly shaven skin.

It’s the scent he saves for special occasions; he can’t remember the last time he wore it, the last time something felt important enough to warrant the high-quality leather notes that pair perfectly with the fresh citrus scent of his best cologne.

He grabs his shirt from where he’s hung it on the shower door handle and shrugs it on. The buttons are straightforward, but take just enough time that he decides he needs to run a comb lightly through the edges of his hair again.

When that’s done, he looks down at his phone. 7:28, the screen reads, and Eddie is supposed to pick him up at 7:30. He makes it halfway down the steps, though, before he’s turning around and ducking back into the bathroom long enough to swish some mouthwash around and rinse it down the sink.

It’ll probably wear off before they’re even through eating, but hey, who can blame a guy for trying?

Buck doesn’t think about it again until Eddie is walking him up to the front door at the end of the night. But the hope that the mouthwash is lingering on his breath is his last coherent thought as Eddie backs him up against his doorbell and leans in for what has to be the longest single kiss Buck has ever had.

They’re both breathing hard when Eddie breaks away, lingering just long enough to murmur a ‘goodnight’ against his lips before he walks away, leaving Buck standing there in a daze, hoping he’s not imagining the minty taste Eddie left behind in his mouth.  

Two years later, to the day, they’re dropping Chris off at Pepa’s, promising to pick him up on Sunday night and waving from Eddie’s truck as they back down the driveway. Buck looks at Eddie as they turn the corner, sees the way he’s worrying his bottom lip.  

“Hey, you’re sure about this? We can go pick him up, bring him with us. Or ditch the plan altogether, do the big ceremony in a few months.”

“No, I’m sure. I want to marry you tonight. And I like the idea of that being just for us.” Eddie sighs, and Buck wishes he believed him. “I just … feel bad for lying about the double shifts all weekend, telling Bobby we needed the days off for a ‘family thing.’”

“This is a family thing. It’s us, becoming a family. Legally.” Buck rests his hand on Eddie’s hand, wrapped around the gearshift.  

“We’re already family, Buck.”

“I know, but this makes it official. And we’ll talk to Bobby and Athena when we get back, see if we can borrow their backyard for a big reception. Everything else can be for everyone else, but this? This here, our wedding? It’s for us.”  

Eddie nods and releases his lip.

“Yeah. You … you’re right. Pre-wedding jitters, am I right?”

They laugh together, relaxing as Eddie drives them a couple hours up the coast. He’s not sure where they’re going, taking directions from Buck, who’s reading off of a list of turns he’s scribbled on the back of a junk mail credit card application.

He’d taken every other aspect of this to the n-th degree, as soon as Eddie suggested that they stop trying to plan the perfect wedding for their friends and family and just have the perfect wedding for them. Just the two of them, wearing the best suits they already owned and brand new matching ties, standing somewhere beautiful and private to pledge their lives to each other.  

Buck had looked for close to a week before finding the perfect spot: a tiny beachfront town with a little wedding chapel. He’d found the referral on a same-sex wedding forum, with a litany of stories and photos from couples praising the picturesque waters and friendly staff, willing to personalize intimate ceremonies for a reasonable cost.

All he had asked Eddie to do was make sure their bags were packed and pick him a ring. Everything else was a surprise, from Eddie’s brushed steel wedding band with its fine gold stripe pressed into the pocket of Buck’s jeans to the three tiny crystals on the tie clips: each of their birthstones and Christopher’s in the middle.

The ceremony is everything they could have imagined; every last detail Buck planned went off without a hitch. And he couldn’t help but privately noticing that the officiant who pronounced them husband and husband resembled the surviving half of the elderly gay couple he’d met on the car accident scene only a couple of months after Eddie came into his life.  

Mitchell, he’s pretty sure.

It’s coincidence, he’s sure, but it feels fitting nonetheless. Even if it was still over a year before their first date, talking to that man, hearing him tell Buck that a truly lasting love is made, not found, was a pivotal moment in his relationship with Eddie. It was the first time he let himself consider making something more than a friendship with him, so it feels fitting that Mitchell would visit him again today, give him a sign that he’s in the right place, marrying the right person for him.

Not that he needed a sign, not after he saw the way Eddie’s eyes watered when he ran his finger across Buck’s tie, understanding the gems the moment he saw them.  

He knew he was making the right choice.  

Even if he did have to go all the way down to the lobby of their hotel that night, get a couple of flimsy plastic toothbrushes from the desk agent.

“Really, Eddie? The only thing you had to do was pack our bags. You got the suits, you got my shampoo, but you left our toothbrushes on the counter?” He rolled his eyes as Eddie shook the toiletries bag open on the bedspread, no toothbrushes to be found.  

Of course, Eddie was fresh out of the shower, so it fell on Buck to go downstairs, sheepishly explain that he hadn’t packed for their trip (even if he did preen a little bit when he said ‘my husband was in charge of the luggage,’ the new title feeling perfectly at home on his tongue) and ask if they had any for sale.  

The clerk had come back with two barely opaque white-handled brushes that Buck is pretty sure he could have broken in half easier than a pencil. But they’re free, and they’re better than nothing, so he smiles gratefully at her and accepts the brushes and packets of toothpaste.

After their teeth are brushed, when Eddie is tucked in and waiting for Buck to join him in bed for their first night as a married couple, he snaps a quick picture of the cheap toothbrushes.  

It’s the sort of story that will make a good memory years from now, he knows already, and he never wants to forget this moment. He never wants to forget the way he feels two days later, either, packing up to leave and slipping the disposable toothbrushes into the bottom of his bag, tucking them away to be remembered and laughed about later.  

Their love wasn’t found; they made it between toothbrushes and minty fresh kisses along the way.

The first day off Buck and Eddie have together as husbands is spent boxing Buck’s loft and moving his life into Eddie’s home.  

Their home.

They’d talked about it, over breakfast on the beach the day after their wedding, thrown around the idea of buying a new house, a place that they picked together and decorated as a family. But ultimately, they decided that Eddie’s place was almost perfectly located between the station and Christopher’s school, it was already accessible for him, and Buck has long felt at home in Eddie’s living room.

He didn’t need a new house, he just needed Eddie in his bed and Christopher right down the hall, every night for the rest of his life.  

So he’s the only one moving, a whopping 17 minutes from where he had lived. And he wouldn’t have it any other way.

Especially when Eddie suggests redecorating after Buck gets settled, giving the house a new feel for their new lives together. It’s just turning to summer, the days growing warmer and longer enough that they can start with the backyard. Eddie puts out grass seed, plants a couple of twigs that will hopefully grow into lemon and orange trees.  

Buck takes it upon himself to watch a dozen YouTube videos and visit the hardware store, borrowing Eddie’s truck to haul cords of lumber home with the promise of a picket fence around the back of the house.  

He’s never built a fence before, but Bobby lends him a small table saw, spends an afternoon standing in the yard and teaching him how to use it before leaving him to finish building his fence. As with everything, Buck throws himself completely into the project; every spare moment he’s got is enough time to cut a couple of boards, drill a few holes.  

It’s one of the most fun projects he’s ever embarked on, especially when Christopher starts joining him in the backyard, plopping down on the fresh grass with a book and reading out loud to him, or telling him stories from his latest sleepover. Sometimes, when he’s got a brand new board, all 10-feet of it to control against the vibration of the saw blade, he’ll ask Chris for a hand. He’s got a tiny pair of safety goggles, bulky enough to go over his regular glasses, and kid-sized work gloves, and he’s always excited to help hold the long end of the board, tiptoeing forward as Buck pushes his end across the saw blade.  

Digging the post holes is its own kind of challenge, especially when driving his foot against the top of the shovel makes the pain in his leg flare up. But for those moments, Eddie is there. He’s always watching Buck out the kitchen window or from the back deck; Buck can feel his gaze following him around the yard, especially when the high heat of the summer gets the best of him and he pulls his T-shirt off.  

But when his leg start to hurt, almost like Eddie can feel the pain too, he appears beside Buck, pulls the shovel gently from his hands.  

“Here, I got it,” he says, squeezing Buck’s arm gently. “I’ll dig for a bit.” When Buck starts to protest, tries to tell Eddie that he’s fine, he can keep working, Eddie raises an eyebrow. “I know you can, but it’s almost lunchtime, and if you don’t cook, I’ll have to.”  

They both know it’s a cop-out. Eddie can handle sandwiches and pouring lemonade from the gallon jug in the fridge. But it means that Buck can take a break, sneak back to the bathroom and swallow a couple Advil when no one is looking, without having to admit that his physical limitations stop him sooner than they did before his myriad of near-death experiences.  

It takes a few months, but then their fence is up, pine boards marking the edges of a backyard that Christopher keeps mentioning is probably big enough that they could get a dog now, since he’d have somewhere to run.

“Maybe for your birthday, Superman.” Eddie ruffles his hair, shares a knowing glance with Buck. The three of them admire the handiwork for a few minutes longer, then Buck jumps and pulls Eddie’s truck keys out of his pocket.

“Ooh, hang on, I forgot the last part. Chris, you up for a trip to the hardware store? Think you can keep me on track?”  

“Sure! Dad, I gotta go make sure Bucky doesn’t get lost.” With that, they’re gone, chasing each other out the new gate and around the house. Buck hears Eddie’s confused shout, and feels his phone vibrate in his pocket. He doesn't have to look at the message to know that Eddie has sent him a long string of question marks, but he and Chris have a mission.

They’re back 45 minutes later, Buck hauling a five-gallon bucket in each hand as he follows Christopher around the back gate. He hears the back door open as he’s taking the plastic sack from Chris and pulling out paint trays and rollers.  

“Alright, what’d we talk about, kiddo?”

“Dad! Buck says I can help paint, but only if you wrap me up in a trash bag first so I don’t get messy!”  

Eddie laughs but leads Chris into the house. They emerge a few minutes later, Chris covered in a trash bag with sloppy holes cut into the bottom for his head and arms. The three of them spend the afternoon painting, and most of the next day too, but when they’re finished, the picket fence is a crisp white, contrasting starkly with the grass around it.

Except the parts of the lawn that got their own coat of white paint, but Buck can’t bring himself to care. The grass will grow, he or Eddie will cut it short and no one will be the wiser. And they’ll still have their backyard, with the white picket fence that he built, for his family.  

He’s pretty sure this sort of thing is the best that his life is ever going to get, that nothing could ever top the feeling of standing here, Eddie’s arm around his waist and Chris leaning against their legs, admiring something they made together.  

Buck grunts as he lifts their toddler out of the bathtub and wraps him in a towel.

“Jeez, you’re getting big, Trey.” He rubs the 4-year-old's hair dry and helps him tie the belt on a tiny camouflage-print bathrobe. “Alright, what’s next?”  

“Brush teeth!” He shrieks with delight and grins at his papa.  

“That’s right, let’s go brush your teeth with Daddy and Chris!” Buck scoops him up, without grunting this time since he can get a better angle to lift from, and carries him down the hallway to the master bathroom. Eddie and Christopher are already standing in front of the mirror, trying to untangle Chris’s curly hair enough that it’s not totally insufferable in the morning.  

He’s 11 now, old enough that he can get most of it on his own, but there’s a patch at the back of his head that’s hard to reach, so Eddie helped him with that while Buck and Trey had a rubber duck war in the bathtub.  

“Daddy! Time to brush teeth!” Trey grabs for the side of Eddie’s pants leg as Buck situates him on the step stool beside the counter. “You can help me?”  

They’ve had Trey for almost two years now, and he’s always been very diplomatic about dividing his attention between Buck and Eddie. If Buck helps make his lunch, Eddie can sit with him while he eats. On the days that Eddie drops him off at preschool, he likes it best when Buck picks him up.

When Buck gives him a bath, Eddie helps brush his teeth.

“I sure can, kiddo. Chris, you’re all good. Get those pearly whites, bud.” He passes a tube of bubblegum-flavored toothpaste to his older son, watches him carefully squeeze a blob of it onto a blue toothbrush with a distinctive red ‘S’ logo on the handle. Christopher hands the tube back and jams the brush into his mouth while Eddie reaches for the smallest toothbrush in the cup.

Buck isn’t sure when it started, but somewhere along the way, all four of them started sharing a bedtime routine. Sure, that’s parenting, but this is a little bit more. The boys have their own bathroom, full of plastic boats and low-hanging towel bars, but still all four of them gather in Buck and Eddie’s bathroom at night to brush their teeth together.

He’s scrubbing across his own teeth as he thinks about it, white minty foam gathering at the corners of his mouth. When he catches Christopher looking at him, he turns his head and growls playfully, baring his teeth.

“No, Bucky! Don’t get me!” Chris’ toothbrush is still in his mouth, so the words are distorted and he sprays pinkish flecks all over the mirror when he cries out.  

Buck laughs, splattering his own toothpaste foam to create some sort of abstract bathroom art that he knows Eddie will wipe away while he sees the boys down to their shared bedroom.  

Trey leans back against Eddie’s hip, tipping his chin and opening his mouth.

“-Eddie, -addy!” He tries to say, without moving his jaw. ‘Ready, daddy!’ they both know it means, and Buck leans forward to spit as Eddie starts brushing carefully through their son’s mouth. He counts the teeth out loud, just like every night, even though the number hasn’t changed since six months after they welcomed him into their home.  

Buck leans back upright, looking at his family in the mirror as he reaches around Chris to take a paper cup from the dispenser he brought with him when he moved in. He fills it with water, freezing when he sees the design on the side.

The water flows over the top of the cup, down his hand, and it’s enough to shake him from his stupor. It shouldn’t have surprised him; he’s the one who’d purchased the box of planet-themed bath cups, remembering how excited Christopher had been to be able to recite all nine planets in order. He's staring down at a smiling planet, Mars, according to the reddish label beside it.  

Even if it were a surprise, there’s no reason that a Mars cup should stop him in his tracks like this. But he’s suddenly thinking of a different day, a different paper cup in a different bathroom. That cup was blue, plain blue, and he’d stood alone in the bathroom.  

He remembers every detail, the sting of the aftershave and the way the mouthwash tingled against his gums. And he remembers everything that came after, too, right up to Eddie kissing him against his front door. He’d gone inside that night and imagined a future with Eddie and Christopher. But never, not even in his most elaborate fantasies had he dreamed of having all of this.  

This is the most in love Buck has ever been, standing here in the bathroom with his family, watching Eddie hold a light-up toothbrush in one hand and a Jupiter cup in the other. He’s helping Trey spit into the sink – not onto the counter – and Buck feels his heart swell at the simple routine of it all. He puts his own toothbrush back into the cup and thanks his lucky stars for every moment like this, every night he gets to be a part of this. Every time life has caught him by surprise, every day that was better than the one before it, even when he hadn’t thought that would be possible.  

There are four toothbrushes on his counter, three people at the center of his world, and he thinks it again, this is the best moment I’ve had in my life.  

Because love, he’s come to learn, isn’t found in any of the obvious places to look.

Love starts with a toothbrush.

[dontcallmecarrie]

A Close Shave

Tony hunched over the bathroom sink, stared into the mirror, and scowled. 

The face that reflected back at him was the spitting image of his father, and he hated it. 

Hated how, whenever he stopped smiling, his face started to fall into familiar lines. Despised the way his scowl looked so much like Howard Stark’s sneers on the newspapers [and in his memories]. 

Why did he have to take so much after his father? Words could not quantify just how unfair it was that he naturally looked so much like the man who’d first made him feel bone-deep fear and helpless anger, instead of...well.

He sighed, and reached for the bottle of hair dye that made his hair look more like his mom’s, which sat right by the brand-new shaving kit he was now going to need if he wanted to continue avoiding scrutiny.

[But really— he knew puberty wasn’t going to be fun, but it could’ve at least come without the heart attack that he was going to become his old man. 

He wasn’t. He refused.]

.

Other boys in his year sometimes talked about stuff in the locker room. About how they’d learned to shave with their fathers, about how they were learning to drive, and random crap like car maintenance.

Tony kept his mouth shut, whenever it came up.

It was a good thing his father’s��‘death’ was common knowledge, by now; if it wasn’t, if he’d been asked, he wasn’t sure if something would slip out if he were to ever open his mouth. 

Wasn’t sure he’d be able to bite back, ‘everything you’re talking about I learned from my mom’, or ‘I could reverse-engineer any car I can get my hands on, and put it back even better than before’.

Even if...sometimes, he could almost see himself envying them. 

Could imagine how some moments must’ve been like, for his classmates: could, if he squinted really hard and tilted his head, almost see the appeal of having a strong adult he could look up to and be proud to call ‘dad’.

Only problem was, that ship had long since sailed. 

He didn’t have a father he could point to with pride and respect; his mom said Howard was a good man, once, but...try as he might, Tony still can’t see it. Especially he distinctly remembers evidence pointing to the contrary, behind the closed doors of the Stark Mansion. 

Eh, whatever. He didn’t need a father, anyway. 

. 

“Geez, Tony, what happened?” Uncle James said with wide eyes as Tony continued gritting his teeth and tearing up bits of toilet paper for the nicks he hadn’t gotten to yet. 

“What do you think? Cut myself shaving.” He ground out, more focused on avoiding getting blood on his shirt than anything else. 

As such, he completely missed the conflicted look that James had for a second as the man paused, then sighed and moved to help staunch the bleeding.

“Next time, let me know. I’ll teach you. That way you won’t look like you lost a fight with a lawn mower.”

.

“Who taught you how to drive?” The driver’s ed instructor asked breathlessly, one hand hovering over the brake and the other squeezing the armrest with a white-knuckled grip.

“My uncle.” Tony lied easily, as if his mom hadn’t taught him how to lose a tail since his feet could reach the pedals.

“The man who dropped you off?”

“Yeah, that’s him. Mom thought, ‘hey he drove in war zones, he’s got the experience to teach me how to drive’ and here we are!” He replied cheerfully, and pretended to miss the way the poor man paled.

Normally, he didn’t mess with people this way. But after having overheard the instructor badmouth his mom one too many times, well...the opportunity had been too much to resist.

.

“Okay, so first things first: we’re doing it right this time.  That means tossing this piece of—”

“Hey! I spent good money on that.”

“Kid, it’s literally disposable. Now, as much as I’d like to just jump in the deep end, straight razors are a bit much right now so here’s how you use a safety razor. Okay, so first you need to prep...”

“You do know everyone at school uses disposables.” Tony raised an eyebrow.

“Eh. Anyone asks, call me old-fashioned.” Uncle James dismissed with a shrug.

In the mirror, they shared a knowing look, and Tony couldn’t help the smile that tugged at his corners of his mouth.

[daemonmatthias]

So I just shaved my legs with a safety razor for the very first time and holy shit y'all there is NO reason to be intimidated by them.

I'm serious! I was very nervous about switching; I read like 5-6 different guides/how-to's and watched 3 different videos in addition to my general research about safety razors. Honestly, I expected to use like half a box of Band-Aids this morning.

Instead...

I did not nick myself one single time. NOT ONCE. And I am very clumsy.

It did not take me any longer than usual to shave

It actually really is a better, closer shave than my previous 4-blade disposable razor

It was a more comfortable shaving experience (no pulling, etc.)

The weight did not feel awkward like I feared; actually the weight made me feel more in control of the blade than lightweight plastic handles ever did

Despite my nerves, I switched for two reasons:

Reduce plastic waste

Supposedly safety razors reduce ingrown hairs

(#2 is a major problem for me and I have high hopes, but, obviously, I can't speak on that yet since I literally just shaved like a hour ago.)

There are a LOT of safety razors out there! Some are as cheap as like $20, some are EXTREMELY expensive. Most of the ones I looked at were in the $30-50 range and ended up going with this shave kit because you get the razor, 15 total blades, and a shave soap for $50.

[nakediconoclast]

Lists of things to have.

1. Shoe and boot laces – yes, you could use leather laces but why not stock some?

2. Fence posts – entirely too handy not just for fencing but for gardening

3. Barbed wire and chicken wire fencing

4. Cloth diapers – handy for so many things other than the obvious

5. Manual egg/batter beaters – whisks work, but the old-fashioned egg beater is hard to beat

6. Hoyle’s rule book for card games – lots and lots of entertainment in one simple book

7. Dice and dice games rulebooks – as above

8. Goggles – safety ones

9. A way to figure calendars into the future

10. Solar powered fencing – even if you don’t have livestock now, you may have it later. And it can be used as a “first line of defense” or used for parts for other uses

11. Canes – there will come a time when they are needed. Adjustable ones are better

12. Plant pots for starting seedlings. You’ll want various sizes

13. Metal rulers – because they last much longer. Different sizes

14. Rain gauge – for keeping track of rainfall

15. Barometer and something that tells you how to use it to get an idea of the weather

16. Candle molds and a double boiler for melting wax

17. Diaper pins – handy not only for the obvious but for securing lots of things

18. Kits to fix garden hoses – because you can stock 10 hoses but what happens when they break?

19. Cheesecloth – useful not just for cheese for all sorts of canning needs

20. Pea shellers, corn huskers, apple peelers and corers, etc. – all those “yankee tools” that our grandparents had but we no longer use.

21. Mimeograph machine and supplies – IF you can find one.

22. Chalk and blackboards. Blackboard paint isn’t a bad idea either

23. Goo remover aka Goo Gone

24. Eyeglass repair kits – they make handy little ones

25. Canoe – if you live near water or an inflatable raft if you’re not that close. If you get a canoe/raft, consider getting the big Duluth packs that outfitters use – they are waterproof (sorta) and good for packing

26. Oars/paddles – even if you don’t have one of the above, they can be handy for improvised rafts

27. Tire chains – if you live where it snows…

28. Swim goggles – not so much for recreational swimming, but for any time you might need to go into the water for whatever reason

29. Life preservers – if you need them, you need them

30. Reflectors and reflective tape

31. Pregnancy kits – I never see this on prepping lists, but it seems so basic… you want to know if you are so you can make sure to eat right, etc.

32. Neck and ankle braces

33. Canning funnel and jar lifter – often listed, but cannot have enough of these, in metal

34. Pack saddle for horses/mules

35. Liquid Smoke flavoring – my spouse swears by this stuff for nice flavoring

36. Powdered lemon and lime juice – an excellent way to store Vitamin C

37. Songbooks and simple instruments – for entertainment

38. Powdered buttermilk – useful for cooking

39. ClearJel canning starch – for canning pie fillings

40. Pet veterinary supplies – basic wound care is a must

41. Bottle corks of various sizes – for when you lose that bottle lid

42. Room thermometers

43. Bags/cloth to use to bag flowers for seed pollination

44. Clothesline and wooden clothespins

45. Clothes baskets that are actual baskets – they last longer and can be repaired

46. An inflatable kiddie pool – thousands of uses (okay, maybe I exaggerate, but useful nevertheless)

47. Lighter flints for refillable lighters

48. Fountain pens, inkwells and powdered ink – those Bic pens you stockpiled will run out eventually

49. UV window film – to help keep houses cool

50. Mailboxes – metal for all sorts of caches and other storage uses

51. Small paintbrushes – handy for many many things besides just painting

52. Pet carriers – one for each pet

53. Canvas shopping bags – handy for so many things

54. Posthole digger, manual – but try to get all your fencing done before … these things SUCK to use

55. Stovetop waffle makers

56. Wind vane

57. Spare glass bottles of various sizes

58. Mop wringer

59. Manual juicers – glass or metal will hold up better than the cheap plastic ones

60. Measuring cups – metal with engraved markings. Painted on markings will disappear with time

61. Measuring spoons – metal with engraved markings. The commonly used plastic ones with painted on markings will break and fade

62. Jar openers – the type that lets you get leverage on the lid

63. Stovetop popcorn popper – ‘cuz if the SHTF and the grid goes down, so does the microwave popcorn you have in the pantry

64. Leather punch and knife

65. Disposable ear plugs

66. Mechanical pencils and spare pencil lead – see above about pens. Pencil lead takes up a lot less space than traditional pencils

67. Folding cloth camping chairs – entirely too useful and easy to store

68. Microscope and slides

69. Old time photographic equipment – could be a new business!

70. Manual typewriter

71. Paper cutter

72. Manual hair clippers – human and animal

73. Steam juicers – stovetop variety

74. Slingshot and ammo

75. Hard hats

76. Sewing measuring tapes

77. Velcro

78. Sewing patterns – better to have them now … especially easy to sew shirts/pants/coats/outerwear

79. Window insulation foam – for keeping warm

80. Disguised safes – the “fake book” kinds

81. Nicorette gum and quit smoking supplies

82. Tomato powder – another good way to store Vitamin C

83. Citric acid, pectin, alum and Pickle Crisp for canning

84. Straight or safety razor for male shaving

85. Rennet tablets for cheese-making

86. Veterinary wrap – useful for not just animals, but people too

87. Autoclave or something that functions like one

88. Dental mirror

89. Walkers and toilet risers for the elderly and don’t forget bedpans

90. Carry yokes – the old fashioned water carrying yokes

91. CLR cleaner – or other lime/deposit/etc remover

92. Locks – combination, keyed, and other types as needed

93. Moth balls, cedar balls, and smelling salts

94. China markers/grease pencils – these are great for marking containers with what is in them

95. Safety vests

96. Fly paper – stores decently and is really handy. Researching a way to make this stuff is also probably a good idea

97. Foam camping pads for under sleeping bags

98. Winter scarves, gloves, mittens – its easy to forget these when it’s not winter

99. Wind up clocks – how else are you going to keep time if the grid goes down?

100. Tow strap for vehicles

101. Black and brown paint – useful for camouflage, hiding things, and making makeshift showers plus a myriad of other uses.

101 things that you probably already own but will not want to overlook in a SHTF situation. Some of these things you may own, but may not be “longlasting” varieties – perhaps you want to invest in ones that will last when you next purchase them?

1. Hot pads – Replace any worn out or not very thick ones. Mitts are probably best

2. Matches -

3. Playing cards

4. Scissors – heavy duty ones that can be re-sharpened would be best

5. Sewing needles, thread, thimbles, and pins – never ever have too many of these

6. Pet leashes – get good quality leather leashes and collars – easier to repair

7. Pet bowls – metal ones will last longer

8. Shoe laces

9. Garden hoses – good quality ones are best

10. Garden trowels and hand shovels – again – high quality metal ones are best

11. Hand axe

12. Ratchet set

13. Allen wrench

14. Spools of twine

15. Cargo straps

16. Duct tape – obviously you can’t have too much of this!

17. Hammer – is yours in good shape?

18. Screwdrivers – did you buy a cheap set or good quality drop forged steel ones?

19. Flyswatters

20. Bottle openers – thick metal is best

21. Manual can openers – don’t go cheap with this

22. Dish clothes – heavy cloth that will last is best

23. Corkscrew

24. Brooms – are yours good quality straw or cheap plastic? Are they in good shape?

25. Straws – they make glass reusable straws, these would not be bad to have on hand

26. Ice chests

27. Kitchen timers

28. Rubber bands

29. Safety pins

30. Magnifying glasses

31. Mortar and pestle

32. Staples and stapler

33. Life preservers

34. Garden hose nozzles – brass will last longest

35. Fingernail brushes – sanitation will be important

36. Key chains

37. Hair rubber bands and barrettes

38. Erasers

39. Garden sprayer

40. Outdoor thermometers

41. Folding chairs

42. Hangers – wire will last a lot longer than plastic. Wood is also good

43. Ice scrapers

44. Wall hooks

45. Windshield wiper blades

46. Aluminum foil

47. Safety pins – heavy duty

48. Eyedroppers of various sizes

49. Bobby pins

50. Rulers – metal will last longest

51. Three-in-one oil

52. Cargo straps

53. Nails, screws, bolts – making these by hand is a royal pain in the posterior.

54. Wheelbarrow – get a good quality metal or heavy duty plastic one

55. Twist ties – those bread/package ties will be useful – store them, don’t throw them away

56. Plastic bags – bread, ziplock, etc.

57. Maps – road atlases, road maps, etc.

58. Cotton balls – make excellent tinder as well as a thousand and one uses around the house

59. Note pads

60. Indelible markers (i.e. Sharpies)

61. Mechanical pencils

62. Dental floss

63. Pitchers – metal preferred

64. Goo remover (Goo-be-gone)

65. Scouring pads

66. Flower pots – various sizes

67. Vegetable peeler

68. Newspaper, old – keeping at least a couple of weeks old ones won’t ever hurt

69. Insect repellant

70. Sunscreen and aloe gel for when the sunscreen doesn’t work

71. Spare buttons

72. Nail clippers – both human and pet

73. Candle holders – metal or glass ones will last longer than plastic

74. Baby supplies – bottles, blankets, clothes, etc. If you’re like me, you still have baby stuff tucked away in your storerooms – even if you don’t have a baby after SHTF, you can always trade the stuff…..

75. Bicycles – are yours all set for hard use?

76. Metal garbage cans

77. Binoculars

78. Cloth napkins

79. Paper clips – not only useful for their normal function, but handy for other uses

80. Cold and hot packs – those lovely rubber bags

81. Lip balm

82. Utility knives – the kind that take the disposable blades or razor blades

83. Extension cords – indoor and outdoor

84. Air mattresses or cots – chances are good you’re going to have guests – where are they going to sleep?

85. Bay leaves – not just a spice, but useful to repel insects

86. Cellophane tape dispenser and tape – get a heavy duty one

87. Paper bags and manila envelopes – handy for storing things

88. Rubber boots

89. Knitting needles – learn to knit! It’s a great survival skill

90. Toothpicks

91. Kitchen utensils – you want metal ones or wooden, not plastic.

92. Barometer

93. Duffle bags – waterproof and with shoulder straps are best

94. Spare pill bottles – keep old prescription bottles

95. Tabasco sauce – along with other such condiments

96. All those takeout condiment packets – make great barter items as well as being generally handy

97. Bag clips -

98. Solar calculators

99. Board games

100. Dust pans – metal will last longer

101. Carmex (or other medicated lip balm)

[autumn-new-moon]

Also, don't buy products designed to be used only once. This is especially prevalent in women's hygiene products. Razors, tampons, pads, and make up remover wipes, are some of the major disposable/wasteful products that can easily be eliminated or minimized. Buy a diva cup (or something similar) or applicator-less tampons. Buy reusable pads. Buy a safety razor (and get the best shave of your life with it!). Make makeup remover pads with old dish/face cloths and use a bottled make up remover or make one! Look for alternatives to the disposable option where ever you can.

More ideas:

- Cloth napkins (they sometimes come with a tablecloth as a set, so it's even better bang for your buck!)

- Beeswax wraps (you can also make them, my cousin did!) instead of plastic wrap

- Glass containers with snap lids rather than plastic (last longer and you're less likely to lose/wreck them since they tend to cost a little more)

- Make your own cleaning supplies and reuse old spray bottles from windex or other sprays

- use shampoo and conditioner bars or find a store where you can refill your used shampoo/conditioner bottles instead of buying a new one

- meal prep if you can: you're less likely to waste food and you'll spend less money eating out

- Compost and never have to buy fertilizer again while keeping food out of the landfill, which is actually a really good thing to do

- Learn how to crochet or knit: not only will you learn a useful skill and maybe find a hobby you love, but you can also stop buying scarves, hats, mits, etc and make gifts for family (note: don't be worried about buying fancy wool or alpaca yarn, acrylic is just as good and WAY cheaper, plus the dye almost always matches from batch to batch)

- Learn to sew: you'll save money fixing clothes and making them last longer and you might be able to make or tailor something to fit you perfectly (which goes hand in hand with thrift shopping)

- Pick up furniture from the side of the road: you never know what you'll find and even if it needs a good cleaning and a paint job, you might have just gotten a dining room table for pretty much free (try to avoid upholstered furniture unless you plan to recover it, which you could also do yourself, just make sure you find a good tutorial and take your time)

I think that's all I have off the top of my head, but please add more if you have any!!

Just because you live in a capitalist society doesn’t mean you have to accept it

Grow food out of your grocery-bought vege scraps.

Steal cuttings from big nursery chains.

Buy second hand clothes - the industry THRIVES on clothes being thrown out, so that people buy more. Defy that!!

Use the SHIT out of the things you buy. Milk every last drop of usefulness from them. Reuse, repair, repurpose.

Learn to cook as best you can. Its cheaper and will mean you arent as dependent on industries that mistreat people, animals and the environment (fast food, processed/prepackaged food, animal agriculture).

Be friendly and present in your community. Share your produce. Encourage caring and interdependence. Support local businesses; this is better than buying from chains. Capitalism profits on people feeling that they need to buy things for themselves - that they need to FEND for themselves. Communities can use way less resources if we share and connect!

[sabreean]

Plastic free personal care:

Hair: This is a major category for me because I have a horse’s mane - 2 1/2 feet long, baby-fine but as thick as any 2 or 3 other people combined. — As soon as the current bottle is empty I will switch to bar shampoo. Many companies make bar shampoo and conditioner so there are a lot of naked products to choose from, and I mean a LOT, so making a decision took a long time and a lot of reading. myHumankind makes some, so does Sheets, but I have decided to try Ethique. They offer mini bars for sale so you can give them a try first and are the perfect size for traveling, they sell plastic-free compostable shower storage boxes for the full size bars (the boxes last about 5 years before they start to break down) and they have unscented. I received my Bar Minimum mini today and may hair feels very clean. It didn’t lather up as much as bottle liquid shampoos but maybe it isn’t supposed to. The Ethique web site says that it will “foam” but that wasn’t my experience. Eh, whatevs, it worked. They also have a purple bar set, for us blondes and silvers, and I don’t think *any* other brand makes that in bar/naked form. —I can’t use bar conditioner, I just have too much hair. But Ethique makes concentrates of many of their products - large bars that can be melted with boiling water into a cream/liquid and stored in whatever bottle is already sitting around. So I am going to try their conditioner concentrate when the current stuff is used up and just reuse the bottle that’s in the shower now. —I keep a small container of dry shampoo handy because the crown of my head needs washing a lot more often than is good for the length of my hair. I’m light blonde so the dry shampoos that lighten your hair don’t look weird but that’s a consideration for people with darker hair, and some brands make dry shampoos specifically for darker hair or claim that their all-for-one won’t make you the Bride of Frankenstein. I have Billie right now (two shades available, for light or dark hair, unscented) which comes in a plastic bottle, but only because I got a sweet discount on it with my first Billie razor set and I hadn’t yet gotten on the zero waste wagon. In a pinch, if you have light hair or don’t care about the lightening, you can just use cornstarch. It’s cheap, it’s in every store, it comes in a cardboard box and it’s the main ingredient of some dry shampoos anyway. But looking for an alternative to the Billie has shown that all-natural dry shampoos are more prevalent than I would have suspected. I even found a zero waste, unscented one that’s made here in Hawaii! — Two reasons to hope I love Ethique’s products: they have pet products. And they are a certified B Corp whose business practices and ethics kick the ass of pretty much any other company out there, maybe even Lush. They tick hippie boxes I didn’t know existed. — If I need to set my hair, I use aloe vera juice. If I need to slick it down I use conditioner. If I need to deep condition it, I use whatever oil is within reach. Heat never touches it. The only hair products in my home are shampoo and conditioner. It’s 2 1/2 feet long, “styling” ain’t something that happens here. It braids, it barrettes, it buns, it tails. So while there may be all natural, zero waste styling products out there, I don't use them. Maybe I'll do a whole separate article some day just to point the way but I won't have dick to say about them.

Deodorant: I don’t sweat much and BO has never been a problem - until now. I am going through it at three times the rate I did before. I have a mini unscented deodorant bar in my Ethique sample pack but the full size is a block that requires an airtight container they don’t sell, and a good number of reviewers reported it leaving white streaks on their clothes that don’t wash out. I just used it for the first and I’m wearing a sleeveless dress so I can’t speak to streaks, but it has a pasty consistency that means you have to wash your hands after using. So…probably not going to go with the full size, as much as I want to love Ethique. I ordered the full size Native unscented deodorant, which is a stick in a paper tube that you push up from the bottom, just like that orange treat you got from the ice cream truck when you were a kid). Sheets has the same but not unscented. myHumankind makes unscented but are currently sold out except to current subscribers who just need refills whereas I’d be a first time buyer, and anyway their dispenser contains a little bit of plastic which ain’t no thang if your community has recycling. Ours doesn’t, so I think I’ll stick with the paper tubes. -- Some brands make powders which I’ve tried and while they can be messy, they work. Other brands make pastes that come in glass jars and you apply with some spatula-like thing, but I can’t get excited about schmearing myself like a bagel. As with hair you have a lot of options to work through if you want to go plastic-free or plastic-minimal. -- The obvious question is whether all natural deodorants work for people who sweat heavily and I really don’t know since I’m not one of those. I’ve read the reviews on all the brands I considered and the answer to that question appears to be much “Your mileage may vary”. Everybody's body chemistry is different so ever product performs differently. Some sites talk about "detoxifying" your pits but bitch, please.

Teeth: — When my current tube of Dr. Bronner’s runs out I will try myHumankinds tooth tabs. I used Lush’s tooth tabs for a long time and I think tabs are fantastic - you can put them in carryon luggage without doing TSA’s stupid human tricks and they take up much less space. Other brands make powders which like deodorant powders above can be messy. But read the ingredients if you go the powder route - some store brands are just flavored baking soda which still works well, but at 10x the cost of a box of Arm & Hammer and they can just fuck right off with that scam. Other brands make pastes that come in glass jars and I think I saw one brand that uses a tube made of sugarcane. Or maybe that was face moisturizer. I don’t remember now. — I’ve been using bamboo toothbrushes for over a year and the subscription option means it’s easy to ensure that you are changing out your toothbrush as often as your dentist lectures you about (I also have reminders on my calendar every three months to nudge). I use Brush With Bamboo brushes because the bristles are USDA certified as 100% biobased and am very happy with them. The bristles aren’t falling out and they are soft enough for tender gums. — There are also plenty of zero waste dental flosses and mouthwashes out there. I don’t use floss so can’t comment (flossing makes my gums bleed, has done so my entire life, even dental hygienists have a bitch of a time flossing me and give up quickly). I have used Lush mouthwash tabs and they work very well, I’m sure all the other do too. But I don’t feel a need to keep any on hand. I’ll update if I change my mind.

Skincare: — My current supply of face moisturizer will last me a good while but when it runs out, again, plenty of bar options and oh so many glass jar options, and a few brands use tubes made out of a sugarcane material. Finding a face cream your face loves is a trial-and-error pain in the ass, I may just default back to Lush even with the plastic pot. My skin loves Magical Moringa so much and it’s created to be matte, so I don’t have to worry about the island humidity leaving a shiny oil slick on my face. Plus it’s thick enough and ‘dry’ enough that it stands a far better chance of surviving shipping conditions than Lush’s other products. — I want to try Ethique’s body lotion concentrate when my jar of Queen Helene cocoa butter runs out but it will be hard to convince me that anything is better than the Queen. — My current shower soap is Lush and when they discontinued my favorite I loaded the hell up, so I won’t have to make a decision on that for months. I may just share my partner’s, it’s in a plastic bottle but I love its orangey scent. I use my shower gel to wash my face because it’s Lush so I don’t need a separate gentler face cleanser. But I did use the mini Bliss Bar that came today in my Ethique sample pack and my face likes it quite well so maybe I’ll stick with it. Finding a new face cleanser can also be a trial-and-error pain in the ass…um, cheeks… — I exfoliate my face and body by mixing sugar into my shower gel, on the rare occasions I feel the need for a face mask I use straight honey (creamed/whipped/spun if I can find it), and for toner I mix tea tree oil into witch hazel liquid. Sorry I don’t have any opinions on specialty products out there but for these three things I’ve always been DIY. The toner and honey mask are good options for people with acne because honey and tea tree oil are natural antimicrobials, if that helps ease your sense of loss.

Shaving: I’ve been using Harry’s safety razors for a few years because I did the math - the subscription safety razors live up to their press, you really do save a shit-ton of money over disposables and they work much better. I switched to Billie just before I moved to the island because of the magnetic razor holder that it comes with, and really that was the only reason for the switch, the razors are just as good (although I admit the differently shaped handle of the Billie is easier for me to handle without dropping). -- I use hair conditioner or shower gel to shave with so I can’t comment on shave-specific products that are plastic-free, although there are a lot out there to choose from. The only shave-specific product I’ve used is Cremo and I liked it very much but it comes in a plastic tube.

Lip balm: It’s in a plastic jar because that’s the only way I can get it but I use straight up 100% anhydrous lanolin (the thick stuff, not liquid). It works incredibly well, is unscented/unflavored, and doesn’t wash off too easily. I order it from bulk supply houses like LotionCrafter or Bulk Apothecary because much cheaper than buying it off the shelf at a store. To exfoliate my lips I mix sugar and just enough oil or honey to make a paste. I don’t know that any one oil is better than any other for this, I just use whatever I have around - almond, avocado, coconut, and there’s always olive in the kitchen.

Tools: I use myHumankind bamboo swabs and I love them! The stems are bamboo and the cotton organic. The stems are rigid and strong, the cotton is tightly wound, and both are very important now that I'm regularly gunking up my ears with salt and sand and water. They are going to be great for makeup if I ever get around to wearing any. Maybe in September when we take our long weekend on Maui. -- If I get to the point that I need cotton balls, which I haven't since I moved here, I would probably try the washable bamboo pads that so many places sell. I used cotton balls before because I just...always had them. It's one of those things you always kept in the bathroom because doesn't everybody and your mom always bought them so I did too. Weird how that works, ain't it?

Feminine hygiene: I'll be blunt, don’t ask me. I haven't had a period in well over a decade because I practice menstrual suppression. And I’m of croning age now so it will be a moot point before long. I can’t contribute to this conversation. Sorry.

[rmdrunkenrat]

First time using the infamous safety razor

I think that even though I suspect my job was mediocre at best, it’s still better than the best shave I ever did with a disposable one. More terrifying as well, but frankly I’d prefer to remain slightly leery of it and do a careful job every time than get sloppy and cause myself a mischief one time

The whole experience has given me a new reverence for Rawne being able to shave with pretty much a straight razor. You go, you extra piece of shit

[daniellehelenamusic]

30 Ways To Reduce Plastic Waste

There is a good chance that every item made of plastic that has ever been in your possession probably still exists. Some of that plastic may have been recycled once, and some of it may have been incinerated, but the majority of plastic ever created is still around. Want to know the industry that contributes to plastic waste the most? Packaging. Humans have been brainwashed in recent decades to be consumers, and with consumption comes packaging for those consumed goods. And now even the goods themselves are cheaper and more disposable…which is quite literally destroying the planet. 

I spent much of the last two years trying to figure out how to reduce my carbon footprint, and while a zero-waste lifestyle is ideal, I’ve learned it’s not always possible for the average person. However, I believe in baby steps, and a low waste lifestyle is absolutely achievable. Reducing waste involves making a few adjustments here and there, but it’s not entirely on consumers to do better. After all, we aren’t the ones creating the waste (we are just consuming it to eventually dispose of), but we can influence the culture by choosing to only support businesses and brands that are also committed to reducing their environmental impact.

So how can you do your part? Here’s my list of 30 tips for greening up your lifestyle:

The first place I tried to address in my life was the plastic in my shower. Let’s trade those plastic bottles for solid bars of soap, shampoo, and conditioner. There are plenty on the market these days, and if you don’t feel like searching, I got you covered—I make all three (link to my store). That drugstore plastic loofah can also be replaced by a Konjac sponge, a sea sponge, or a natural loofah for exfoliating.

Speaking of soap…my current apartment doesn’t have a dishwasher, so it inspired me to create a solid bar for washing my dishes that had more cleansing power than Castile soap. There are others on the market, but if you want to spread love my way, you can cop one here.

Let’s pop back in the bathroom for a sec…are you still using disposable plastic razors? You got better options, fam. I switched to a safety razor that will last a lifetime and my shaves have never been closer. I also love that the one I found came in plastic-free packaging with a pretty bamboo handle. You can find it here.

If you haven’t already, switch to a bamboo toothbrush! Dentists recommend that you toss them out after 3 months, so after saving a few for deep cleaning the nooks and crannies of sneakers and homes, these bad boys can be composted and returned to nature. And if you still have plastic ones at home, save those for cleaning—the goal is to reduce plastic waste, and not throw things out if they can still be useful in another capacity.

Whenever possible, avoid ordering delivery and food to go, and if you have time, pack your own lunch. I know take-out is convenient when you are starving and have to get back to your desk, but I am the queen of bringing my laptop to a restaurant. Dining in creates less plastic waste than ordering your meal to go, and your tip will support starving artists like me trying to pursue their passions outside of their restaurant gigs…shameless plug. You can also bring your own reusable take out container to pack your leftovers in. Many families with young children opt for take-out to save from embarrassment in the restaurant, but I shun this too. Getting small children accustomed to the dining experience is super important. Dining with my family at various restaurants across the globe is the experience I treasure most from my childhood. Food is love and should be shared at a table on real plates and not plastic containers. Opt for restaurants that source local ingredients and aim to be as carbon neutral as possible.

This one has been hard for me, but stop buying paper towels! Switch to cloth rags in the kitchen, and use old towels and stained t-shirts for cleaning. If you are like me and make soap, it’s hard to stop buying them completely for sanitary manufacturing reasons, but opt for recycled versions or towels made of bamboo. I’m only allowed to use my roll of paper towels when making products, and I have purchased 2 individual roles in the last 6 months—I’m proud of myself for this. Need a few cloth towels to make the transition easier? Try these…or these…or these…

I grew up seeing Scotch-Brite sponges in the kitchen, so when I went off on my own, that’s the brand of sponge I bought. Was it ideal for the environment? No. Now that I know better, I recommend bamboo scrubbers and biodegradable sponges sold in paper boxes (like these)

This overhaul of products has made me notice how few liquids are in my life, including liquid detergents. Liquid products require either plastic or glass packaging, while powdered laundry detergent is often sold in a box or tin can. Opt for the box or reusable tin can whenever possible. There are box and tin options for dishwashing detergents as well (for those of you with dishwashers).

Landfills are probably flooded with deodorant tubes…is it worth it? Not hardly. Stop wasting money on a product that is quietly toxic, and do what your ancestors did: rub a fucking lemon wedge on your pits when you sweat and continue with your day. If you insist on wasting your money on a natural deodorant (that will probably make you smell worse or cause a rash) make sure it comes in a biodegradable tube or metal tin. (I wrote about that once)

Toothpaste tubes are also ruining the world. Switch to toothpaste in a fully recyclable metal tube, or try a tooth powder or tabs sold in a reusable glass jar. You can also make your own with coconut oil, baking soda, and xylitol (but the xylitol I found came in a resealable plastic bag which possibly defeats the purpose unless you reuse it to store something else).

Death to lotion bottles with those pumps that will live forever, as small plastics don’t usually get recycled, and lotion bottles contain mostly water. I gave up water-based lotions when I started making my own products, and my skin thanks me. My lotion bar is my facial moisturizer and my body butter keeps me ash-free and glowing, and even with my obvious gray hairs, I still get carded. Opt for solid lotion bars in biodegradable containers and oil-based moisturizers sold in glass jars (and don’t worry, I got you covered)

We all get lazy at the grocery store and try to grab the fruits and vegetables that are pre-chopped and wrapped in plastic wrap or a plastic container, but DON’T DO THIS. Take the extra 5 minutes and chop your own shit. Buy your produce loose and wash it well. 

Bread. The best bread is homemade, but ain’t nobody got time for that…lol. Instead, I recommend buying bread from a bakery or the bakery section of your grocery store and choose the bread that comes in paper bags over the plastic-wrapped ones, and if you can cop a loaf package free, that’s even better (just bring your own bag or container for it).

I’m young and broke so Ikea, Target, and Wayfair are my go-to spots for inexpensive furniture but that shit does not last. If you are in a position to invest in long-lasting furniture, it is totally worth it in the long run. The goal is to buy high-quality things once to reduce your waste, and if you must buy things more than once, the original item is still in good enough condition to bring joy to someone else’s home rather than a landfill. The same goes for kitchen appliances—one with glass and metal parts will last you longer than an appliance made of mostly plastic. You might spend more upfront, but you will definitely save in the long run.

I know fast fashion is all the rage, but some of my favorite articles of clothing came from either a friend’s giveaway pile or a thrift store. If you must buy clothing or shoes brand new, I recommend investing in high-quality items designed to last a lifetime over an item that will fall apart after a few washes. And buying secondhand is a great way to reduce your waste. High-quality furniture is another great thing to cop secondhand or trade with friends. Facebook marketplace, Craigslist, and bulky pickup days in your neighborhood are great places to find used items. And don’t sleep on local thrift stores and antique shops.

One place I have struggled with getting rid of plastic is the refrigerator, but I recommend opting for condiments, spices, and sauces in glass jars whenever possible. Glass jars (unless they are broken) are almost always recycled, but if you don’t want to throw them out, they are great for storing leftovers or using as glassware. Some of my glasses once contained kimchi or Kalamata olives…and the water I drink from them is just as refreshing as the water I drink from store-bought glassware.

Freezer bags are great and all, but I found there are many reusable freezer bags on the market…cop these instead.

Waxed cloth wraps are an awesome alternative to plastic wrap for storing food. You can buy them or make your own using thin fabric you no longer care about and beeswax or soy wax. But I get it if you don’t feel like making them. I have the materials to make them, and I still bought a pack on Amazon. They are great and rinse clean with cold water. Try these…or these…

To my people with periods: 100% cotton pads and tampons are cute, but step it up a notch and switch to a menstrual cup or Thinx panties. I thought I was doing well by buying applicator free tampons back in the day, but they were all still individually wrapped in plastic…throw the whole tampon industry away. Also, the Diva cup changed my life and made vaginal orgasms magical (maybe I’ll write a post on that next). 

Disposable cotton pads for cleaning your face can also be replaced by reusable ones (found here). You can even store them in an upcycled glass jar from your fridge or pantry…mason jars are another good option.

My whole life I’ve been buying the floss in the little plastic containers but I recently came across this glass one and I’m never turning back (link it here)

This one is minor, but once your Q-tips run out, try switching to bamboo and cotton as opposed just cotton, or those garbage plastic and cotton ones. The brands using bamboo usually come in plastic-free packaging, and bamboo is more sustainable than cotton alone. Try these…

If you own your home or plan to live in your apartment for a while, I highly recommend installing a bidet to use less toilet paper, or opt for a toilet paper made of bamboo - my living status isn’t permanent, so I haven’t done this yet, but toilet paper brands that care about the environment are always better than ones that don’t. I also miss being able to thoroughly wash my ass after using the bathroom in India and I’m convinced all Americans have dirty assholes. Yea, I said it.

I don’t encourage Veganism because lamb, pig, and goat are my favorite meats, but moderation is better than overconsumption. Try not to consume large amounts of meat every day, and buy meat from your closest butcher before buying it in the meat fridge of the grocery store where it is usually wrapped in plastic. Normally when I go to meat markets, the meat is wrapped in butcher paper instead. Local butchers might even be okay with you bringing your own air-tight container…just ask.

Once you use up all of your Band-Aids that probably contain plastic, cop these…

Some commercial tea bags apparently contain micro-plastics that leach into your mug when combined with hot water according to this article from the Washington Post, so I recommend switching to loose leaf tea sold in either a metal tin or biodegradable bag (like mine) and brew it using a reusable tea strainer or eco friendly teapot…like these…

Busy schedules require caffeine, and sometimes we need to refuel on the go…I get it. I’m not a coffee snob and don’t mind room temp coffee so I gladly make it at home and toss mine in a mason jar on the way out the door, but for those of you grabbing deli coffee on your way to point B or C, I highly recommend you bring your own cup and lid. Many of the cheap, plastic disposable lids might leach carcinogens when they come in contact with hot liquids. For my fancier friends who frequent the nicer coffee establishments (which I sometimes do too), I’m sure the baristas don’t mind when you bring your own cup—and I hope it one day becomes the standard. Many of those same coffee shops sell reusable mugs, and if you don’t already have one, cop one! (Death to those NYC coffee cups that end up everywhere except the garbage can). AND CONFESSION: I have yet to try this at my favorite bubble tea spots, but I’m hoping they would be down to fill a mason jar for me…

And on the subject of bringing your own shit, cheers to everyone bringing their own bags to the grocery store…this is the standard in California, but NYC is a little behind the times. Have you also copped your own reusable produce bags? They are pretty dope and easy to wash. I copped some a year ago and they are still going strong. Just don’t forget to remind your cashier of the different tare weight.

This one is hard for those addicted to sugar, but STOP BUYING JUICE (and candy…and packaged snacks…but duh). It’s healthier to eat the fruit instead, and most juice comes in a plastic bottle. If you must buy liquids on the go, opt for substances in glass bottles and reuse them later to propagate plants — Tea Tonic bottles are actually perfect for this. You can also use the bottles for homemade salad dressings, infused bottles of vinegar or olive oil, or decoration.

Reusing and upcycling are great ways to reduce waste, but I also recommend buying things and substances that serve multiple purposes. Instead of buying a shower cleaner, a toilet cleaner, a floor cleaner, and a wood cleaner, just buy baking soda (paper box), vinegar (glass bottle), olive oil (glass bottle), coconut oil (glass bottle), and lemon (package free). These ingredients can be used to cook with, clean with, bathe with, and moisturize with, and in the end, you’ve saved a ton of money while reducing your consumption of plastic.

I could go on and name many other things to help promote a zero-waste lifestyle, but the truth is, even I struggle to practice what I preach. Living a low waste lifestyle requires a lot of planning ahead. Living in a big city without a car is hard, and you may not always have your reusable items on hand when you spontaneously stop by a grocery store or coffee shop.

Plastic has become a convenience for us, and it’s hard for many businesses to kick the convenient habit of packaging your goods to go in something cheap. Let’s try to make it easier for them by bringing our own packaging that won’t destroy the environment whenever possible. And this is not an overnight shift, I’ve literally been trying to do better for the last 2 years, and I still use disposable gloves when making soap and other natural products—I’m no saint.

I also can’t give up buying cheese or plastic bags of flash-frozen fish. But there are so many ways we can all reduce the problem, and the first step is acknowledging where we have gone wrong. When you know better, you do better…or at least you try. Cheers to trying…even if most of the low waste products on the market I’ve found are made in China and not locally…(like I said…lol…baby steps). 

I hope this list finds you well. It is shared with love, and may it inspire your low waste journey into the future. Many of the products I mentioned can be found on Amazon (and if you use the links provided, I may receive a small commission to help keep this site running). Click here to checkout all of my recommendations (and a few I didn’t mention).

[zarragossa-romero]

Ra-zor Slide Pro

How To Prevent Razor Burn

There’s nothing like a good clean shave to start your day off right. A well-shaved face leaves a good impression with potential clients and lady friends. Unfortunately, legions of men are walking around right now with a nasty side effect of improper shaving: razor burn. We’ve all had it at one time or another- that horrible itchy feeling that pops up a few hours after you shave. Razor burn not only ruins a good shave, it just looks bad. But with the proper attack plan, razor burn and razor bumps can be prevented. Here’s yours:

Here is How to Prevent razor burn.

Razor burn is an irritating rash that sometimes appears after shaving. In its most mild form, razor burn will be slightly itchy and create a noticeable red rash on your face and neck. In severe cases, razor burn can also produce “razor bumps.” Razor bumps are created by ingrown hairs. They look like pimples and they can itch like a mother. Ingrown hairs, and consequently razor bumps, are particularly problematic for African-American men because of their curlier beards.

Soften the beard. A nice soft beard can be removed far more easily than one that feels like a brillo pad. Thus, the best time to shave is after you take a shower. The hot steam will soften up your beard, leaving it in primo condition for shaving. If you want to get your beard really soft, take some hair conditioner and rub it on your beard while you’re  in the shower. Leave it on for the duration of the shower and rinse when you’ve finished bathing. Your beard will be as soft as a baby’s bottom.

Exfoliate. Exfoliating isn’t just for your girlfriend. Use a facial scrub or your wife’s poofy loofa thingy to remove dead skin cells and bring potential ingrown hairs out of hiding. I don’t know if it’s manly, but I’m a fan of St. Ive’s Apricot Scrub. It’s inexpensive and really makes your skin feel nice.

Use a badger brush. When you lather up your beard, use an old school badger brush. Using a brush to lather up helps get the shaving cream up under each whisker which results in better, smoother shaves.

Use a safety razor. Some people swear by the five blade razors that are out on the market today. If you can get a good clean shave with those, then keep using them. But if you feel like every shave leaves you with irritation and razor burn, consider shaving with a safety razor. For many men, the multiple blades of today’s modern razors irritate the skin more than needed. It’s overkill. Shaving with a safety razor will eliminate skin irritation and give your face a clean, healthy look because you’re just using one blade instead of several that chew up your face while cutting your whiskers.

Shave with the grain. In an attempt to get that smooth as a baby’s behind touch, many men shave against the grain. While shaving against the grain can get you that smooth feel in one deft swoop, you risk slicing up your face and causing razor burn. Also, shaving too close increases the chances for ingrown hairs and razor bumps. Shave with the grain instead. This will reduce the chances of irritation and razor burn.  You won’t be able to remove your beard in one pass when shaving with the grain. That’s okay. Just lather up and make another pass with the razor. Making several passes with the grain is much better than making one pass against the grain.

Use light, short strokes.

Applying too much pressure with the razor increases your chances for razor burn. The weight of the razor is sufficient to cut your beard. To keep yourself from applying too much pressure, use short strokes. With longer strokes, we tend to apply more pressure on the razor.

Use a sharp razor. Have you ever tried cutting a tomato with a dull knife blade (or watched an infomercial where they did)? Notice how instead of cutting, you end up tearing the tomato? Well, imagine the tomato being your face. Instead of cutting your whiskers cleanly, a dull blade creates a lot of drag and tears at your whiskers. This increases your chances of creating ingrown hairs and skin irritation. One of the benefits of using a safety razor is that you can change blades frequently and it won’t cost you an arm and a leg. Each blade is about $4.25.

Clean the blade with alcohol. One of the main causes of razor burn and skin irritation from shaving is bacteria on your blade. Kill the bastards by wiping down your razor blade with some rubbing alcohol before you start shaving. Some companies sell fancy blade antiseptic for big bucks, but it’s just run of the mill alcohol plus some fragrance. Drugstore rubbing alcohol is all you need.

Clean the blade after every stroke. Every time you make a pass on your face, your blade is collecting whiskers and shaving cream. This goop gets in the way of the blade making a clean cut. Rinse your blade after each pass.

Rinse your face with cold water when done. The cold water helps close up your pores and reduces the probability of pesky whiskers forming ingrown hairs.

Apply a balm or moisturizer. You’ve just finished scraping a piece of sharp metal across your skin, so no matter how carefully you shave, your face is going to be a little unhappy. Aftershaves can feel refreshing, but for some men, they actually add to the irritation. If this is you, try applying a soothing balm or an aloe vera-based cortisone cream in order to reduce redness. You can find shaving balms or cortisone cream at your local drugstore.

Apply a razor bump cream. If you’re an African-American man or susceptible to ingrown hairs, there are a few products you can apply to prevent razor bumps. Bump Stopper and Tend Skin are two products you can find at your local drugstore. Both of these products help prevent ingrown hairs from forming.

Dry your blades and brush. After you’re done shaving, dry off your blade with a towel. This will help prevent the blade from dulling quickly, keeping it nice and sharp for your next shave. Also, be sure to use a holder to hang up your badger hair brush so it gets some air to dry out. A wet brush can grow bacteria that you’ll be slathering on your face the next time you shave.

Source. Shaving, Style & Grooming, July 16, 2009

This post was brought to you by ZOR Enterprises Inc., manufacturer of the Ra-zor Slide Pro.

Are you a disposable razor blade user who would like to save money, protect the environment & receive a smooth non irritating shave every time? If the answer is yes, then the Ra-zor Slide Pro is for you!

To order this unique product or for more product information please visit

[firstdepressedmonkey-blog]

And now for a win

Since it I was not able to end my toothbrush article on a positive note I thought I should post a win. Razors.

The article on Henderson Island as cited in my last post about toothbrushes not only mentioned our disposable oral care products as being a major contributor to the plastic rubbish found in the Pacific, but also razors. Razors unlike toothbrushes currently have no supporting company to cover the cost of recycling through the Terracycle program and so we really have no choice but to ditch them at the end of a shave.

To reduce our plastic waste from these there are a few options:

1)   Chose a product with a replaceable head cartridge. OK this is not eliminating all plastic waste but it will reduce it slightly.

2)   Use an electric razor. Plenty of men I know do use these but I have been advised from my hairier male counterparts that this is not a great option as they do tend to get clogged and they aren’t close enough to get away with a full 24 hours in between shaves. As a woman I have never really found a good electric shaver for legs as it always tends to feel a bit stubbly.

3)   Non- disposable razors.

The non-disposable options for razors really come down to a straight razor – which will require nerves of steel and specialised equipment (including a professional sharpening of your blade. For legs I’m gonna pass on trying this option out. So I trialled a safety razor.

The review:

Look I won’t lie. I was utterly terrified of this product, after all it is a razor with a super sharp blade with no florally print or lubricating strip and I was going to scrape this across my skin, willingly?? I will admit I even made my husband put the razor together because of my overt clumsiness but in the end I am totally converted! 

This is the first razor I have ever used (and that includes those hideously expensive fancy multi-blade, multi lubricating strip lady razors) that I have only had to go over my legs once with. Once! I had to look (and feel) twice to believe it.  This is a product with one blade and that’s it??!! The lovely staff at the Shaver Shop did walk me through my selection of blades and I chose a “starter” blade and even then I was super gentle (unlike my usual slap job with a disposable) and it worked brilliantly. It was so fast. I honestly can’t understand why we ever changed from these bloody awesome razors to the cruddy ones we have now? Was it expense? Maybe.

From Woolworths online I have found the cheapest razor available for purchase is a multipack where the individual razor is around $0.20 each; a basic one blade razor with a non-replaceable head. The most expensive is $22.50 for an individual razor (no replacement cartridges included) with multiple blades and lubrication strips. Replacement cartridges/ heads are $8.13 each.

The cheapest safety razor I could find was at the Shaver Shop (their own brand) for $29.95, add in a pack of blades (Wiltshire) for  $9.99 a pack of 10 double sided and some shaving cream $6.99 for a total of $46.93. Sure this seems like a lot compared to the $0.20 each for a cheap disposable and yes if you were going through around 3 razors a week it would still take you around a year a half to come out even with my blade, but it did work a lot faster and better than the cheapest disposable and once you start going for the super fancy disposables it will only take a couple of purchases before you are even.

In the end I would totally recommend a safety razor, although I dare say it will be a long time before I graduate to the super, super, super sharp razor blades (if ever).

[civilizedskincare]

The Best Razor for Men – Smooth Shaving in 2017

How many times do you wake up, shave and shower, put on your clothes, go to work, and then you’re suddenly aware of how it feels like your face is on fire. Let’s face it guys, shaving sucks! About 15% of men won’t shave their faces due to the day-long pain they experience from shaving. The rashes, the break-outs, your collar scraping against your raw neck all day…

It doesn’t have to be this way!

The 4 best razors for men

A.P. Donovan - Professional 7/8" straight Razor with Strop and Wax

Merkur Heavy Duty Long Handled Barber Pole Safety Razor

Gillette Fusion Proshield Chill Bundle

The Art of Shaving Lexington Power Razor

The shaving razor you choose makes all the difference

Nearly all shaving pains and problems are caused by using a crappy razor. Not only that, we tend to use razors way beyond their useful life expectancy. How long do you think a razor is good for? The advice on the internet varies wildly from 3 shaves to 5 weeks. The reality is—and your experience will back this up—a razor loses its fine edge after about 10 shaves. After that, it starts to drag across your skin creating the typical razor burn, shaving induced acne and those ever-present cuts and nicks.

So in order to be good to your face, you might consider switching out razors after a little more than a week. On top of that, if your razors only come with two blades made out of cheap white plastic, you are pretty much destroying your skin. Think of it this way: these are the exact same shaving razors they hand out in prison… to convicted criminals! You are not a prisoner. You are better than that. Start taking care of your face and you will stay handsome well into your old age.

The types of razors for men

There are 4 typical types of razors for men. There are straight razors, safety razors, razors with disposable heads and razors that are completely disposable. There are others, but none you can easily find. Let’s look at the benefits of each type:

The straight razor. Bar none, this is the coolest way to shave your face. Seriously guys, if you ever want someone to fall in love with you, let them watch you shave with one of these sexy bad boys. The problem with these razors is that you have to go slow and be precise with your shaving technique. There is a learning curve and you will cut yourself especially right under the nose when you first start out. However, as you gain proficiency with these men’s razors, you will experience the best shave of your life. And if you take good care of it, it will pretty much last you forever.

The safety razor. Another old-timey shaving device that creates a phenomenal shave, makes you look cool, but takes a little skill to get used to. For those of you who don’t know what the safety razor is, it’s the one with the replaceable flat double-sided blades. The ones made with today’s technology are a lot less likely to cut you if you get careless.

Disposable head razors. You might actually have one of these in your home right now. Many of the razor companies send the nice handle with your first head to you as a promotion. You get hooked and now you buy the disposable heads to refill. These are excellent razor heads and some have so many blades that it’s kind of like shaving with a car radiator. The first dozen shaves you get with each head is world class. The shave quality drops off significantly after that.

Disposable razors. I don’t know. It seems like you are creating a ton of garbage when you buy these. These mass produced razors are probably why you face feels so raw right now. They’re great for when you’re traveling or for doing other forms of “manscaping” in areas that would be very painful to cut, but I probably wouldn’t get them anywhere near my face.

The 4 best razors for men

This could easily be the 20 best razors for men, but in the interest of creating an easy to understand list, we’ve picked our top favorites (plus we allow in a couple disposable razors just because we know sometimes it’s hard to start a new hobby).

A.P. Donovan - Professional 7/8" straight Razor with Strop and Wax

Did you ever want to look like the biggest badass in the world when shaving? This exquisite beauty is exactly what you need. Now you can buy a straight razor that costs upwards of $300 so this one is a good place to start. Not only is it built to last forever with a Japanese carbon steel wedge, this is a professional piece of shaving equipment. It has an amazing feel in your hand and just the right weight to do the job right.

Keep in mind, there are no straight razors that come “shave ready” they all should be properly stropped every time you use them. Sure there are better straight razors on the market, but for the price and the quality (and the gorgeous box it comes in), this one is the best razor for men.

Merkur Heavy Duty Long Handled Barber Pole Safety Razor

If this is your first trip in using a safety razor, this one is an excellent choice. Safety razors are measured on how “aggressive” they are. Some leave a very small space between the blade and the head (less aggressive). This one is right in the middle. It has a big handle so you feel like you’re in complete control and has a two piece assembly so changing out razor blades is much easier than with some other devices.

Keep in mind, if you feel that this razor is a little too aggressive (meaning it shaves too much leaving your skin sore), you can put in feather light blades to get an easier shave. Our favorites are the Wilkinson Sword razor blades to go easy on your sensitive skin.

Gillette Fusion Proshield Chill Bundle

So you’re a disposable razor guy? I don’t blame you. It’s super easy and the chances of you slicing your face with one of these is pretty slim. But if you gotta go with disposable, go with the ones with disposable heads and not the “throw the whole thing away” kind. Why? Because having a big heavy handle actually helps you have more control over the razor and this helps you get a better shave.

I think you’ll agree that Gillette makes all of the best disposable razors for men, but the Proshield Chill really is the one you should get excited about. This disposable cartridge razor as pretty much all the bells and whistles they could pack into a shaving device. As with all of the best razors for men, this one takes a little getting used to especially if what you’re using now is really lousy. Your first shave with this razor might feel a little aggressive to you, but you won’t be able to imagine how you lived without this razor after the second shave (and just about everyone after).

The Art of Shaving Lexington Power Razor

Now you’re talking! If you really must shave with disposable razors, you might as well get a seriously civilized handle to shave with. This beautiful razor works with the Gillette Fusion POWER disposable shave cartridges. Essentially, it vibrates. Now you might be sitting there wondering how a vibrating razor could do a better job than the non-vibratey kind and I really can’t even begin to tell you, but this really works!

I love my straight razor on those days where I have time and patience to do the job right, but when I’m in a hurry (or late for a date), this really is one of the best manual razors for men. The gentle vibrations seem to make for a much closer shave. I’m not sitting there swiping at my face over and over again just to get smooth. I’ve never cut myself or razor burned myself with this razor either. This handle is pretty expensive, but in my opinion and given how much I shave, it’s worth every penny to have something as cool as this in my daily routine. Those guys at the Art of Shaving really know what they’re doing.

How to make a razor last longer

Let’s face it, if you want to do it right, shaving is a very expensive daily chore. And given that razors really don’t last as long as you would hope for given how much you just paid for one, there just has to be a better way to make them stay sharper longer.

Well my friends, there is! Up above, when I listed the best straight razor for men, there was a word in there called STROP. A strop is that usually leather strap that you run your straight razor back and forth over to put an amazingly sharp edge on your blade. This is why investing in a straight razor is so awesome. You are sharpening it before every shave so it lasts forever. So how does this help you if you are using disposable razors? The same science works no matter what kind of a blade you are using.

Safety blades and disposable razors can be stropped too.

Check out the ShaveFace Strop Deluxe Leather and Denim Razor Blade Sharpener for Disposable Razors. It’s not the leather kind you’ve seen on old movies because disposable razors don’t require such an abrasive surface. What you do is hang this cool looking device on a towel rack and push your razor against it in an upwards motion. This would be the opposite direction that you shave with. Do this a bout 5 or 10 times before every shave and this puts a fine edge on your best razor for men, realigns all of the blades and cleans any debris from between the razors. The result is that you have a disposable razor that lasts three times long than what you are used to. This strop is worth every penny and will be one of those things in your life that will constantly impress you with how much money it saves you.

Thoughts on the best razor for men

Excluding those who don’t shave for religious reasons, about 90% of men shave weekly. Most do it every day and they shave for the rest of their lives. The remaining 10% either don’t shave because they hate the discomfort of shaving or they’re in a cool biker gang.

Do you really want to go through the rest of your life feeling like your face is burning off every time you use that lousy manual razor? Sure, each of the products listed cost as much as a whole box of 200 prisoner razors, but they give you control over something you just assumed you’d have to live with the rest of your life. A wise person said that you should always spend a lot of money on your shoes and your mattress because if you’re not in one, then you’re in the other. I would add a really high quality shaving razor for men to that list because none of us deserve to go through life with a never-ending pain on our faces and necks.

Spend a little money now on one of our best razors for men and you will not only feel like a badass every time you shave, you face will feel amazing after every shave. It’s the civilized thing to do…

The post The Best Razor for Men – Smooth Shaving in 2017 appeared first on Civilized Skin Care.