5 Zero Waste Swaps I Didn't Know I Needed

This post first appeared in our weekly Make Waves Mondays email series on February 21, 2022.

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My friend, A Drop in the Ocean is about to turn three years old.

*sniff* My baby’s growing up…

Three years ago, on February 25, 2019, A Drop in the Ocean Shop went live on the interwebs, and it’s been a whirlwind of a life ever since.

One of my favorite things about this little shop is how much it’s grown and shifted over time.

When I launched A Drop in the Ocean, my goal was (and still is) to be the resource I wish I had when I started my journey to zero waste. But at the time, the zero waste world looked wildly different.

Everywhere you looked there were blogs and videos and news articles about young white straight women keeping all of their trash in a mason jar. 

E v e r y t h i n g  was a DIY. 

(Were you part of the DIY toothpaste era?? Yikes.)

So A Drop in the Ocean was a reflection of that. Our product lineup was the things I already used on a daily basis, including lots of DIY ingredients, and that was about it.

But over time, as I’ve been able to get to know you and this community more and more, I’ve been able to shift and learn what you want and what’s working and what’s not and expand our little shop to be more inclusive, less perfect, and, if you ask me, way more fun.

So today, looking at our little zero waste shop, I’m reminded of this journey, and how you have helped shape A Drop in the Ocean into what it is…and what it’s becoming.

And I thought I’d take some time to share five products in the shop that I didn’t add to our lineup for a long time, even though our EcoWarriors were asking for them, because I didn’t understand them and didn’t think we needed them. 

And now, I can’t live without them 💙

First up…

Shave Soap Bars

Our shave soap bars were added to the shop at the request of EcoWarrior Ali.

For the longest time, I was using our salt scrub bar as both a body wash bar and a shave bar, and it was working great for me! When Ali asked for a shave bar, I recommended the salt scrub bar to her as well, which also worked for her.

Then one day, after talking to a friend about it, I decided to give an actual shave bar a shot. And HOLY MOLY MY LEGS WERE SMOOTH.

Needless to say, shave bars were an immediate addition and I’ve never looked back since.

Thank you, Ali!

Daily Facial Moisturizer

This one’s a good story lol 

I don’t remember who requested a moisturizer first, but I do know it was requested by several EcoWarriors, and I was resistant to adding it because coconut oil worked just fine for me! Why didn’t everyone else just use coconut oil?? 🙈🙈

Then one day I was scrolling Insta and I saw a video of Hilary Duff doing her makeup (I just lol’d to myself remembering this moment). In her video, she mentioned that at night she uses an oil on her face, but in the morning she uses an actual moisturizer because it helps her makeup stay on better.

And I was like, “What? Really? I guess that makes sense. Maybe I should add a moisturizer to the shop…”

Aaaaaaaand I did. And sure enough, my makeup looked WAY better when I started using the moisturizer instead of the coconut oil.

And now it’s one of our most-reviewed products in the shop 😂

You’d think I’d have learned my lesson after these two additions….but, alas…

Toothpaste Tablets

Back in May of last year, I posed a question to the EcoWarrior Pod. Out of three different product options, which would you like to see us add to A Drop in the Ocean?

Out of all the options given, I did NOT expect toothpaste tablets to come out as the clear winner. But more than half of the EcoWarriors who voted, voted for toothpaste tablets.

I had been using our charcoal mint tooth powder for two years at that point, and loved it! I knew it wasn’t for everyone, but since we already had a toothpaste option in the shop, I wasn’t personally rushing to add more.

But after this poll showed me just how wrong I was, we added the toothpaste tablets and I have been a convert ever since. They’re just so easy to use and especially super convenient for traveling!

Big win for toothpaste tablets. So thank you to all the EcoWarriors who helped with that decision!

Clarifying Conditioner

When EcoWarrior Christina asked for a clarifying shampoo to be added to the shop, I didn’t know much about hair care besides shampoo and conditioner.

So I was intrigued. What exactly is a clarifying shampoo? What does it do? Does everyone need it?

I knew our refillables vendor had a clarifying conditioner in her lineup, so I decided to give it a shot.

I bought a sample bottle from her, and tried it out the next day. And WOW did my hair feel INCREDIBLE! Seriously, I couldn’t shut up about it. I have witnesses lol

My hair had never felt softer, lighter, or healthier than it did after using that clarifying conditioner. I had NO IDEA what my hair was missing until I tried it.

Now, I use it every single week, and I look forward to that day each week. It’s a game changer. For real.

Thank you, Christina, for the suggestion!

Revitalizing Facial Serum

One of our newest additions to the shop and my absolute  o b s e s s i o n  right now.

Over the summer, EcoWarrior Sarah requested a facial serum be added to the shop, but I knew literally nothing about facial serums. Like, absolutely nothing.

So I took to Google! I started learning more about what serums are and what the benefits of them are. I asked some EcoWarriors during an Instagram Live one night what their thoughts were on serums and their benefits. And I had a long conversation with our refillables vendor about their serum options, which ones were best, and what the heck they really are.

After that convo, I picked up a small sample of the revitalizing skin serum to test out. I didn’t have a clue what to expect.

GAME. CHANGER.

My skin after literally two uses was shockingly healthier. I couldn’t believe it.

My skin was ~noticeably~ softer, brighter, clearer, smoother, and more hydrated. 

I couldn’t WAIT to add this stuff to the shop so you could try it too.

Thank you to Sarah for getting me hooked on this!

Now it’s your turn, friend. Are there any products in our shop that have been game changers for you?? Comment below and share them with us!

Here’s to Year 4 of A Drop in the Ocean! 🥂