You’ve heard it all –

Bring your own cups, water bottles, straws, bags… we’re confident you guys are already doing those things by now. So let’s get a little more creative this time! We challenge you to look more deeply at your lifestyle and see what other changes you can make for the planet.

1. Rethink Your Bathroom

There are lots of sneaky plastics in your bathroom – so look a little closer and try something new, like:

• Compostable bamboo toothbrushes – now stocked in our Naked Foods stores.
• A stainless steel razor with replaceable blades. We love this one from The Clean Collective – get it 10% off in July with the code NAKED10.
• A menstrual cup or reusable pads – give it a go, it’s not nearly as scary as it sounds! 
• Make your own natural shaving butter (get our recipe here).
• Soaps that come in a bar, like the good ol’ days – it turns out that liquid soap has up to 10 times the carbon footprint of bar soap, so you can feel really good about this one. Try our favourite charcoal soap here.
• Shampoo and conditioner bars – find them in stores now, in delicious flavours.
• Homemade hacks, like replacing makeup remover with jojoba oil in your own container.
• DIY products – from body wash to moisturiser, toothpaste, deodorant, lip balm or shaving butter– anything you can buy, can be made!
• Bulk buying Castille soap, coconut shampoo and conditioner in your own jars).

2. Smell Better… In Bulk

Not only is cutting out packaging better for the planet, natural bulk deodorants let you skip the nasty toxins and chemicals found in traditional deoderants. We’re stoked to be launching bulk deoderants in stores for Plastic Free July. Add a few drops of your favourite essential oils to make your own scent.

3. Clean, Cleaner 

Reuse your existing cleaning product bottles at a bulk store, or make your own. Try this:

• Soap berries – learn all about these natural beauties here – they’re kind to the environment and your clothing, and just as effective as regular laundry detergent!
• Lemon myrtle dishwashing powder or liquid in bulk – goodbye, pesky plastic tablets!
• Lemon myrtle disinfectant cleaner – bring in your old spray bottles to refill, and cut the plastic.

4. Beat The Microbead

Watch out for the sneaky little plastics in your personal care products! Check the products you buy for polyethylene, polypropylene and nylon – check out beatthemicrobead.org for more.

5. Make Your Own Milk

Make your own nut milk, or opt for waxed cardboard or glass bottles over plastic! To make your own milk, simply:

1. Soak 1 cup raw, unsalted nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, Brazil nuts, pecans, macadamia, walnuts) – overnight in enough water to cover them.
2. Drain, and blend the nuts with 4 cups of water until smooth. 
3. Strain the milk using a nut milk bag, and keep refrigerated for 3-4 days!

Words by Amy Fraser.