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!

 

Razor Price Breakdowns

Whether you're trying to go zero waste, trying to reduce your waste impact, or just a thrifty shopper: it's important to budget what you're spending on going green.

When I started looking into using safety razors, I made this spreadsheet (taking after my Grandpy a bit) to try and figure out if it was actually less expensive per year, as many bloggers were claiming. I was shocked, and stoked, by the discrepancy!  I found that safety razors are much less expensive than anything else on the market per year.  They require a larger initial investment (mid-ranged safety razors are about $20), but in the long term they're definitely worth it!

To clarify, the following table and graph are not set in stone. I used industry examples to get these prices and run a very simple analysis.  Also, the price per year will vary depending on how often you shave, how many times you use your razor, etc. I tried to be relatively conservative and consistent with each type of razor.

Yearly Shaving Cost if You Shave 5x per Week

As you can see, the expensive disposable razor is by far the most expensive, and both the expensive and mid-ranged safety razor are the most cost effective. This graph is based on the chart below.

So part of the reason for the large price gap is I calculated the safety razor handles as lasting 10 years, although they could potentially last up to 50! I had the reusable cartridge handles lasting 2 years. 

Inexpensive cartridges like the Dorco Pace 6 or Dollar Shave club are the best cartridges on the market, as far as price for quality goes, but still can't beat a mid-range safety razor, which I used as the "cheap" option. 

While these inexpensive cartridge razors are comparable to safety razors in price, they don't hold a candle to them in waste production, since essentially all cartridge razors are non-recyclable. I could not fine a single one on the market that was (let me know if you know of any!).

The graph was based on this cost analysis.

Coconut Oil as Lotion

The two places I've lived for most of my life are Southern California and Colorado and if you've ever been to either of these states, you know that your skin needs loads of extra help because it is dry, dry, dry! This means in both summer and winter, some sort of moisturizer is a must. 

You may have noticed that I use coconut oil for almost everything body related.  But the first thing I used it for, other than for cooking, was lotion!  I discovered this in college and have been waffling back and forth between natural lotion and coconut oil since. But now I'm committing to the option that doesn't come in a plastic bottle or take a multitude of ingredients to make: coconut oil.

Using coconut oil

So, if you want, you can just scoop coconut oil out of the jar it comes in and put it directly on your skin, I have done this many times and still do quite frequently.  It smells nice and is super effective.

The following is basically making it into a scented mousse-type lotion and is about as simple as it gets for a homemade body product.

This shouldn't take you longer than 5 min!

Ingredients / Supplies

1. Coconut Oil
2. Essential oil of your choice (optional)
   • I recommend lavender, eucalyptus, rosemary, or whatever floats your boat
3. 1 small jar, clean and dry

Instructions

1. Scoop the appropriate amount of coconut oil for the jar you're going to put it in and place it in a bowl.
2. Mix/whip the coconut oil with a fork until it has more of a mousse-like texture.
3. Add about 3-6 drops of essential oil per 1 oz of coconut oil and whip again until fully mixed.
   • My jar is about 4 oz and I add 15-20 drops to it.
4. Put your awesomely scented and whipped coconut oil in your jar, and that's it!

To use: apply it the same way you would regular lotion! I use coconut oil both on my face and body.

Variations

Some people prefer the coconut oil to be a bit harder/more compact as opposed to the whipped texture like I do. If you are this way, or think you may be this way here is your solution:

Simply put the coconut oil in a small pot over low heat until it melts.  Pour it into your jar (make sure its not too hot!) and then mix in your essential oils.  The coconut oil will mold perfectly to the jar and come out less light and fluffy.  Use the exact same way as above.