in the bathroom

I am pretty minimalist when it comes to toiletries. I make most of my own body products, have one kind of soap, and skip the deodorant. My morning routine takes about five minutes. I don't even use shampoo on my hair.

So I was particularly horrified to discover how much stuff I have collected in the bathroom. We just renovated these rooms, so much of it was in boxes and bags, sitting in the linen closet while the still empty medicine cabinet awaits a new coat of paint.

Here's what I lost:


3 bottles perfume
I don't wear conventional perfumes anymore. They seem overpowering and synthetic, and with small children and infants, you want as little as possible between you and how your kids experience you. If I want some scent, I'll use natural oils like rose or cedarwood, or a bit of solid perfume. I still have three bottles left, from Ron, sentimental, but I hope I can let those go soon as well.


3 containers natural toothpaste
Since I like DIY beauty stuff, I decided to try my hand at toothpaste. Made of baking soda, vegetable glycerine, peppermint oil, and stevia, it has a slight brininess and is the perfect texture to get teeth clean and bright. Unfortunately, I decided to stop using toothpaste shortly after (I use a drop of Dr. Bronner's soap, plain baking soda, or diluted peroxide instead), and am left with enough to last for months. Would anyone like this?



12 old makeup items
I just don't use these anymore, and it feels terribly wasteful. What do you do with a used eyelash curler? Or an almost-full compact of powder that doesn't suit your skintone? They can't be donated, and can't be recycled. I once decided to use them for art projects for my daughter, but she used them so gingerly that it would take ages for them to actually be used. Any ideas?

4 polishes, 1 remover
I love getting my nails done, but I hate the jumble of products required to make it happen. Every time I get a manicure, a bottle of polish is included, and I just don't need all that stuff. So I've decided to keep my nails bare, buffed, and moisturized with coconut oil instead. I'm going to miss painting my daughter's nails, but I think a three-year-old can go au naturel, too.

The positive bit is that, now that I know exactly what I like, I won't be buying any more wasted products.



9 health/medicine products
Among them: neosporin without a cap. Miscellaneous vitamins. Cough drops with honey (I don't eat honey, or need cough drops). What do you do wih things like this? Toss them?

I had swine flu two years ago and took antibiotics to prevent a lung infection. I don't know why I bothered to pick up the accompanying inhaler and cough syrup, since they didn't get used. It feels so wasteful. Pharmacies can take leftover perscription meds, but it's tempting to just dump them down the drain (not a good idea; meds get into the water table and do crazy stuff).

A few months ago, I bought my daughter oscillococcinum. I am not great with sick kids (who, thankfully, I've only dealt with on two occasions), and in my haste didn't think to check what it was made of. It turns out oscillococcinum contains duck livers. We're vegan, so I won't be using it. Any takers? mmmmm, duck liver.

I also purchased shepherd's purse, an herb which prevents hemorrhage, for the homebirth of my son. It arrived after he did, so I have the unopened bottle. Any pregnant homebirthing mamas who would like this?



22 travel size toiletries
We travel a lot. I rarely use the travel-sized toiletries offered by hotels, but I do take them to offer guests who stay in our home. But I've found that people generally bring their own, or simply use the large sizes of units we have, and I usually find them unopened in our guests' rooms.

I also live in a city with a large homeless population. People stand on corners, holding a sign, which you can ignore by positioning the windshield of your car just so, or you can smile, or feebly offer a few dollars. Any of those choices leaves me feeling disempowered and helpless. Our family does a fair amount of giving and is no stranger to the homeless, and that makes my helplessness even more frustrating.

Then someone at our church mentioned keeping oranges, socks, and toothbrushes in his car to offer to those in need. It seemed so easy, and so necessary.


So I bought a 10-pack of socks (not counted toward our total), and toothbrushes, and packaged them in zippered plastic bags with hotel toiletries and disposable razors. They'll go in the car, along with oranges. Simple.



18 miscellaneous items (to be discarded)

4 full-size conditioners/soaps
With parabens or anti-bacterial chemicals, which I try to avoid. Homeless shelters and some thrift stores usually accept these.

1 curling iron

What I'm keeping: bulk products for making body products (bath salts, clays, oils). Mineral makeup. A few makeup brushes, one hair brush, a dry skin brush. Small containers for carrying coconut oil and baking soda, my all-purpose travel cosmetics. Lady products. Fake eyelashes and adhesive. One powdered eyeliner. One mascara. A few lip balms and lipsticks. Homemade bars of soap. Several pairs of scissors (I usually cut my own hair), and razors, because I don't think I'll ever be so simple as to stop shaving my legs. A blow dryer and flat iron, which I seldom use and will probably give up soon. My neti pot.

Listing all this makes me responsible for it, and with the accountability I realize I can probably do without many of those things.

But that's it. Everyhing fits neatly in a shoebox-sized container or on the vanity tray on my bedroom dresser, and can be tossed into a travel bag with little deliberation. And that is a very, very good feeling.

Total: 77
Total to date: 193