Zero Waste Hair Ties and Alternatives

Having just updated my review of Kooshoo Hair Ties, I felt it was time I wrote up a short post just about zero waste hair tie options. 

Standard hair ties are nothing to write home about, they are incredibly disposable, they break all the time, and are almost always made with some mix of synthetic materials, which won't really ever break down and almost none are fair-trade. 

I keep it pretty simple when it comes to doing my hair, a sock bun is about as advanced as I get. But when you keep it simple with your hair, hair ties tend to be your most trusted ally to keep your hair back in a bun, ponytail, or braid. So they weren't something I felt like I could really give up.

But there's hope! There are still several options for keeping your hair well-wrangled AND staying zero waste.

1. reduce and reuse

Ok, so before we go into what you can buy to be zero waste with your hair ties, we should talk about what you can do with the hair ties you already have. 

Do your best not to loose them, and use them as much and as long as possible! 

Since hair ties are cheap, those of us with long hair grew up thinking of them as a relatively disposable item. But they aren't! They last freaking forever, why do you think you see them all over the place on a city street? So treat them with more care and concern.

Also, once your hair tie reaches that inevitable point where it's so stretched out it's no longer actually useful as a hair tie, keep using it for other things. use it to keep wax wrap on jars, or to wrap electronic chords together, whatever you can think of! 

2. Upcycle your clothes

I actually got this tip from my fellow biologists down here in St. Croix. They use pantyhose for another experiment having to do with corals (science is weird, yall), but they don't use the upper portion of the stockings, just the thiner material that would cover the legs. So they cut up the top portion, where the material is a bit thicker, and use the rounds as hair ties and to keep our data sheets from blowing off our clip boards in the wind. Us science people have our creative moments too!

I would imagine you could do this with any old pair of pantyhose, tights, leggings, or socks that have outlived their use and are ready to meet their maker!

After having used this method, I don't know if I'll go back to buying hair ties again. You can get so many out of just one piece of clothing, and if you treat them with care, they should last you!

Hair ties made from pantyhose!

3. Plastic Free Hair Ties

As I mentioned, I just updated my post on Kooshoo's hair ties, and in short - I'd call them a good buy! One package of 5 lasted my boyfriend (a proud purveyor of the man-bun) a year. And they never broke or snapped, we just lost them because:

1. My boyfriend set a few down somewhere and they were lost to time and space

2. They became stretched out enough that they fell off of my wrists without my notice, until it was too late

They are the only plastic-free, biodegradable, ethically made hair tie on the market (as far as I know at least!) 

Here are the details:

• Made of organic cotton (75% Organic Cotton, 25% Natural Rubber)

• Ethically dyed, cut and sewn by family businesses in California.

• Shipped in 100% Recycled and/or Biodegradable packaging

They are significantly more expensive than regular hair ties, but they are also last way longer, so the price difference isn't as drastic as it seems. However, since its under $20, I'd say it's fair to stretch the wallet for this one, given the plastic-free payoff.

4. HAIR PINS, HAIR STICKS, HAIR COMBS, PONYTAIL BARRETTE

One of my wonderful cousins who happens to be a carpenter actually made me a hair pin! And you bet that came package free! I'm still working on using it more regularly, but it was such a wonderful addition to my zero-waste hair collection!

However, I am not a regular user of any of these items. But if you are interested in trying some out I would recommend checking out Etsy for them - there are so many pretty options!

While I haven't tried any of these some of my favorites just from browsing are: these recycled copper hair pins, these wood hair sticks, and this hair cuff.

5. used hair ties, yes, used

I'm not going to lie, I've hesitate here. I saw Waste Rebel's post on this subject in 2017 and have been trying to work up the courage to pickup and use a hair tie off the street since. 

I think I would need to have some sort of standard cleaning protocol for these, something that kills lice, perhaps. But I've yet to jump on it. When I do, I will 100% let you know. 

But don't let my sometimes germaphobic tendencies dissuade you from giving it a go!

 

Non-Toxic Ways to Unclog Your Drain

I wrote in another post how to cleanup a tub using only baking soda and vinegar. This was after we had a plumber come to our house to handle a very clogged drain.

We live in an old building, and the plumber said the clog he found was about 24 feet into the pipe, something that existed long before we stumbled into that bathroom.

However, since I have pretty long hair, I've been dealing with clogged drains for a while now, and I've never been a fan of the nasty chemical options. I was actually really pleased when my landlord explicitly asked us to not use harsh chemicals, as they can damage the older piping in the unit!

1. Tweezers

Sometimes clogs are just some hair and other gunk lying right below the surface of the drain. You can use a screw driver to remove your drain cover (depending on the type of cover) and sometimes you can snag the hair caught in the drain and pull it out from the top.

Sometimes there's just a little bit of hair, sometimes you will pull out a whole mess of it. It really depends on how protected your drain has been.

2. Boiling/hot Water

Fill a teakettle, or large saucepan, with at least 3 cups of water and bring to a boil. Pour the boiling water directly into the drain. If you need to just do a little bit at a time to allow the liquid to work its way though the clog, do so. The temperature of the water will help breakup the blockage.

It can take multiple tries with this one, so don't be afraid to use more water, or do it a couple times.

NOTE: If you live in a place where PVC pipes may be a part of your plumbing, definitely let the water cool to about 158ºF/ 79ºC before dumping it down the drain. PVC pipes are generally considered unfit for plumbing, but depending on where you live, or if anyone may have maybe made some not-so-to-code alterations to your home, you may have some w/o realizing it. If you're unsure, play it safe and let the water cool a bit!

3. Baking Soda and Vinegar

Mix equal parts baking soda and vinegar in a measuring up, about 1/3 cup of each should be good. As soon as it starts to fiz, pour it down the drain.

Sometimes I actually put the baking soda directly into the drain and pour the vinegar in on top of it.

Either way, cover the drain and let it sit for 15-30 minutes.

3. drain auger/snake

A drain auger (or drain snake) is a long metal rope with a spiral on the end. Manual ones usually have a handle to twist with at the end. You place the spiral end of the rope into the drain and twist until you reach the blockage (where you should feel resistance) then you twist to hook the clog and pull it out.

Manual drain augers are relatively inexpensive, can found at your local hardware store, and can be a good solution for a stubborn clog.

However, if your clog is very deep and potentially due to rusty pipes, you will want to call a plumber who will most likely use an automatic auger, which has much more power and length behind it.

Clog Prevention

Though it's very satisfying to finally watch water move down your drain after potentially fighting a clog for weeks, the best way to handle clogs is to prevent them in the first place. The best way to do this, confirmed by our very kind plumber, is to get a hair trap. Even if you have a drain that includes one, I'd get another to go on top of it.

You can also use the above methods (hot water, vinegar & baking soda) as general drain maintenance. Every few months you can dump some hot water down and do a baking soda/vinegar fizz to keep the drain in good working order.

How to Clean Your Tub Naturally - Even When It's Really Gross

Bathrooms are a places that are easy to get dirty, and sometimes feel hard to get clean. I've found the zero waste bathroom cleaning routine to actually feel more effective than traditional, harsh chemical methods! 

I've been cleaning our tub with a vinegar spray, but recently we had an incident when we had to go through a lot of headache to unclog the drain in our bathtub/shower. Unfortunately this process brought up a lot of not so savory stuff from the drain and really dirtied our tub.  I was questioning if my all natural methods were actually going to cut it. 

Luckily for me, they totally did! The simple combo of baking soda and vinegar did way better than I ever could have hoped! So whether you're just looking to give your tub a quick scrub, or you're needing to take care of some real nasty stuff, I've got you covered! 

BEFORE

AFTER

Ingredients:

1. Water-Vinegar Solution - 1:3 Vinegar:Water
   • you can add a few drops of castile soap if you want!
2. 1 Box Baking Soda

Instructions 

1. Spray your vinegar solution all over the tub so that it is thoroughly covered
2. Dust the tub with baking soda, go a little heavy in dirtier areas
3. Let sit for 20-30 minutes
4. Spray again with vinegar solution
5. Let sit for another 10-30 minutes
6. Scrub with a rag until all the grime has been wiped from the tub.  This sometimes takes a little elbow grease!
7. Throw out leftover baking soda if there's a lot, otherwise rinse it down the drain and let the tub run for a few minutes to clear it.
8.  Repeat if needed, though one round is usually enough.

Super Gross Tub

Spray Vinegar Solution

Sprinkle Baking Soda

Let Sit

Scrub, Scrub, Scrub!

Rinse, and Relief!