I know what you're probably thinking from the title "Isn't this plastic free July? Shouldn't we be trying to ditch the plastic?" And you are completely right! We should be working to reduce plastic in as many areas of our lives that we can. However, I think that a lot of times the "zero waste" movement falls flat in setting out realistic expectations. We currently don't live in a society where we can go 100% plastic free, and that isn't our fault as consumers. So even though I've spent the last month writing blogs about all the ways I've eliminated plastic from my life, I wanted to round out July by showing you the areas of my life that still have plastic in them, that I'm not perfect, and that a completely "zero waste" lifestyle doesn't truly exist yet. 

So here is my list of things that come packaged in plastic that I am not going to be giving up. 

1. Differin
As someone with very acne prone skin I have found Differin to be a game changer! This helped clear my skin up so much, it's prescription strength but you can get it now at CVS, Walmart etc. which was really helpful for me when I was still in college and not living in the same place all the time. In addition, I only go through one tube of this stuff every 18 months, which really is not a lot. You only need a pea sized amount each night. Because I know that these tubes last me a long time and have helped my skin so much, this is one of those items in plastic that I just can't quite give up yet. ​

4. Vitamins
In the same vein as above we need vitamins for our bodies to be healthy! So don't feel bad about getting vitamins. I know there are some plastic free vitamin companies like Care/of, but I can't compost their packaging through my compost company so in the end I would be throwing it away. Not to mention how insanely expensive their vitamins are, I just couldn't justify it!

5. Floss
I know biodegradable floss exists out there but I just can't get behind it for two main reasons. The first being that it comes in little glass jars, which while cute have no reusability in my opinion so they would need to be recycled with each use. And again, I wouldn't be able to compost the floss with my compost service, not to mention the reviews all say how the floss breaks apart between your teeth. I found a great alternative to that which is floss from Quip. It comes in a metal dispenser that you continue to reuse forever and just load more floss into once every 3 months. This way I am not buying plastic floss containers ever but am also still flossing my teeth!

When it comes to things like these I have to give myself a break, we are all trying our best at the end of the day and it's okay to buy some things in plastic if they are important to you or necessary for your health! What things in plastic are you not giving up? ​

One of the biggest areas I've found that is hard to go plastic-free, especially without breaking the bank, is skincare! While there are a lot of options, many of them are really expensive so I wanted to highlight some of my favorite plastic free skincare swaps. 

1. Face Soap: 
This Cerave Facial Wash Bar is a game changer for me. This is equivalent to a liquid soap I would have used prior to going zero waste but in bar form. Not to mention it's way cheaper than buying the liquid ($5.99 at Target compared to its $10.99 liquid counterpart)! I bought this bar back in February and I still don't think I've used even a third of it to be honest. This was definitely one of the best zero waste swaps I've made for skincare!​

3. Face Masks:
One of my favorite things about being zero waste has been making my own face masks! I love using egg whites as a face mask when I only need egg yolks for a meal, and they really help tighten your pores too. I also love using Aloe Vera as a zero waste face mask or honey and some brown sugar to exfoliate. Check out my blog post on zero waste face masks. 

4. Cotton Pads:
So I know that the product itself isn't plastic to begin with but before going zero waste I was buying cotton pads in plastic bags every few months! Now I use reusable cotton pads from Monsters by Marley and I love them! I pop them in a mesh bag in the wash and then lay on a table to air dry. 

2. After washing my hair I use my scrunch it brush to help form curl clumps - not entirely plastic free but letting you know what I do! Plus while the brush does have some plastic on it, it's the kind of thing you use forever so I don't feel bad about using it. 

3. Leave-In Conditioner
While I use the scrunch it brush on my hair I apply my DIY leave-in conditioner (check out my blog post for the full instructions on how to make) as I go to not dry out my hair! ​​

4. Gel
Here I have a few options, I either use my DIY homemade oatmeal gel or the flaxseed gel from A Simple Planet. Either works great for me!

Other than that I let it air dry or diffuse the roots for about 10 minutes just depending on time and then it air dries the rest of the way. 

A few totally optional steps here as well: ​

5. Protein Treatments
So far the favorite protein treatment I tried was the beer rinse but when I do it again I'm going to do it before shampoo! I also tried and liked doing a rice rinse, which can truly be zero waste if you're eating rice in your meals too :) 

So far this is what I've found works great for me and my hair but everyone is different and it definitely takes some experimenting to find what works. 

Let me know in the comments what your plastic free curly girl routine is! 

Now that it's officially Plastic Free July I wanted to kick off the blog with a list of DIY's that you can do to cut plastic out of your life one product at a time! Personally I'm not huge on doing DIY's so I can guarantee you that if I'm doing these they really are simple, easy, and save money too. 

1. Oatmeal Hair Gel
I absolutely love this DIY! It's a homemade hair gel using just two ingredients: oatmeal and water. And it only takes 10 min from start to finish. Not to mention most hair gel runs at least $10 a bottle. I do use another hair gel on top of this one for better hold but this allows me to use a less each time I do my hair and making the life of my A Simple Planet Hair Gel last longer!

Here's how I make my oatmeal gel.

• 2/3 cup of water
• 1 tablespoon of raw oats

Put both the oats and the water in the pot at the same time and bring to a boil. Then lower to medium heat and begin stirring constantly with a wooden spoon for 5-10 minutes. Strain the liquid out from the oats and then let it cool for several minutes before transferring it into a bottle for gel! Keep this in the fridge and it will be good for 1-2 weeks of use!

2. "Clorox" Wipes
These disinfectant wipes are no joke. Honestly I probably could have halved this recipe because I think we will be using this batch forever (which isn't a bad thing)! We love using these to wipe down large surfaces like our counter tops after we clean any food debris off them. We take out a cloth, ring it out into the container and then clean surfaces and put it right back in! Here's the "recipe" that I used to make this. 

Ingredients: 

• 2 cups distilled water
• 1 cup Isopropyl Alcohol (at least 70% concentrate)
• 1 tbsp of dish soap
• 3 drops of tea tree oil (optional)

Mix everything together in a jar with some cloths and you've got yourself a DIY disinfectant. 

3. Leave-in Conditioner
In case it wasn't clear already I love doing DIYs of hair products because it's so hard to find good products plastic free, and when you do find them they're so expensive! Especially when I know I can just make them at home. This might be the fastest DIY I have too. 

Here's what you need: 

• Spray bottle
• Water
• Conditioner 
• Protein Drops (optional)

All you do is fill your spray bottle with water and add a few pumps of conditioner and a few drops of protein drops! Honestly the amounts will really depend on your own hair type so play around with it until you find exactly what works for you. 

4. Spray Cleaner
Another DIY I just love because it's got all ingredients that I keep on hand with me so it's never hard to whip this up when needed. 

All you need to make an easy at home all-surface cleaner is: 

• Spray Bottle 
• 3/4 cup hydrogen peroxide
• 1/2 white vinegar distilled
• 1 tsp of dish soap or castile soap
• 10 drops of tea tree oil
• 20 drops of another scented essential oil (if desired)

Mix this all together in your spray bottle and give it a shake, now you've got an awesome household cleaner, I haven't found anything better at the store at getting rid of the stains in my shower than this! I will say this definitely smells really strongly of vinegar but the smell doesn't linger on your surfaces, but if you are very sensitive to smells then this might not be a DIY for you. 
​
5. DIY's in the Kitchen:
When we think of DIY's I feel like we don't usually think about how there are a ton of things we can do ourselves when it comes to cooking! I wanted to add this in here to highlight a few kitchen DIY's I've tried out since going zero waste. 

Homemade tortillas
Make your own protein bars
My favorite homemade pizza dough recipe
World's best Foccacia Bread

Let me know in the comments below what your favorite plastic free DIY's are! I would love to try them out.