The bathroom is the most plastic-dense room in the average home.
Think about it: toothbrush, toothpaste tube, shampoo bottle, conditioner bottle, body wash, face wash, moisturiser, SPF, deodorant, razor, cotton bud packaging, dental floss container. Most of it single-use or near-single-use. Almost all of it plastic.
The good news is that the bathroom is also one of the easiest rooms to detox — because the products you use are small, they run out regularly, and each time one runs out you have a natural opportunity to replace it with something better.
You don't have to do it all at once. In fact, we'd actively encourage you not to — throwing out products you've already bought creates waste too. Instead, work through this list as things run out, one swap at a time, starting with the most impactful.
Here are the seven swaps that make the biggest difference.
Swap 1: Your Toothbrush
What you're replacing: A nylon-bristle toothbrush (plastic handle or bamboo handle — either way, nylon bristles)
Why it matters most: This is the highest-priority swap on this list because it's the most direct form of plastic exposure. Nylon bristles shed microplastic particles inside your mouth — not onto your skin, not into your hair, but directly into your body's most absorbent surface. Studies confirm an average of 39 particles released per brushing session.
What to switch to: A natural horsehair bamboo toothbrush. Horsehair bristles are made from natural keratin — no synthetic polymers, no petroleum derivatives. The bamboo handle is fully biodegradable. The whole brush composts at end of life.
The friction: Almost none. You brush your teeth regardless. You just reach for a different brush.
The KYND toothbrush also solves the storage problem most people don't realise they have. It's designed to stand upright on its own — no holder, no cup, no accessory needed. After rinsing, you stand it bristles-up on your shelf and it dries completely. And the packaging it arrives in is 100% kraft cardboard — no plastic anywhere, home compostable from day one.
Swap 2: Your Shampoo Bottle
What you're replacing: A plastic shampoo bottle (used and thrown away every 4–6 weeks for most people)
Why it matters: The average person uses around 11 plastic shampoo bottles per year. Multiply that across a household and across a lifetime, and you have a significant stream of single-use plastic — most of which is not effectively recycled despite what the recycling symbol on the bottom suggests.
What to switch to: A shampoo bar. Concentrated solid shampoo that lasts 2–3x as long as a liquid bottle, comes in minimal cardboard packaging, and works for most hair types when you find the right formula. Brands like Ethique, Friendly Soap, and Hibar make excellent ones. There's a 1–2 week adjustment period as your scalp recalibrates — stick with it.
The friction: Low once you find your bar. Higher if you have very specific hair needs (colour-treated, very fine, very curly). Worth experimenting.
Swap 3: Your Body Wash
What you're replacing: A plastic body wash or shower gel bottle
Why it matters: Same single-use plastic argument as shampoo — but body wash bottles are typically larger and used faster. A family of four can go through 50+ body wash bottles a year.
What to switch to: A bar of natural soap. This is the easiest swap on the list. Natural soap bars have been around literally forever, require zero plastic packaging, last longer per wash than liquid body wash, and — when made with natural ingredients — are gentler on your skin's microbiome than detergent-based shower gels.
Look for bars made with natural oils (olive, coconut, shea) and without synthetic fragrance or SLS (sodium lauryl sulphate).
The friction: Essentially zero. A good natural soap bar is indistinguishable from a liquid in terms of the clean it gives you.
Swap 4: Your Toothpaste
What you're replacing: A plastic toothpaste tube (almost universally non-recyclable due to the mixed materials used)
Why it matters: The UK alone disposes of around 300 million toothpaste tubes per year — virtually none of which are recycled. The tubes are made from a laminated mix of plastics and aluminium that makes separation impossible at standard recycling facilities.
What to switch to: Toothpaste tablets or a toothpaste in a glass jar. Tablets are small, concentrated, come in a recyclable tin or compostable pouch, and work effectively — you chew one before brushing, it foams as you brush.
Brands like Bite, Denttabs, and Georganics make well-reviewed options. Glass jar toothpaste (like from Georganics or David's) is another solid option — same paste format, zero plastic packaging.
The friction: Medium — takes a week or two to adjust to the tablet format. But most people find they genuinely prefer it once they do.
Swap 5: Your Razor
What you're replacing: Disposable plastic razors or plastic-handled cartridge razors
Why it matters: Disposable razors are among the most wasteful personal care products on the market. Billions are thrown away every year globally. They can't be recycled — the combination of plastic, rubber, and metal makes separation impractical. They sit in landfill essentially forever.
What to switch to: A safety razor with a metal handle. A quality metal safety razor costs €20–40 upfront but lasts decades. The replacement blades are a single piece of recyclable steel and cost pennies each.
The economics flip completely: within six months, a safety razor is cheaper than cartridge razors, and it produces a tiny fraction of the waste.
There's a learning curve of a week or two. After that, most people say they never want to go back.
The friction: Medium-high initially. Low after the learning period. High upfront cost that pays back within months.
Swap 6: Your Dental Floss
What you're replacing: Conventional nylon dental floss in a plastic dispenser
Why it matters: Standard dental floss is made from nylon — yes, the same material as toothbrush bristles — coated in PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), a family of synthetic chemicals associated with a range of health concerns and known as "forever chemicals" because they don't break down in the environment. The plastic dispenser is almost never recycled.
What to switch to: Silk floss in a refillable glass dispenser. Natural silk floss is biodegradable, PFAS-free, and typically coated in natural wax (beeswax or candelilla wax for vegan options).
Brands like Georganics, Lucky Teeth, and The Humble Co. (silk version) make good options. The glass dispenser is refillable — you buy replacement spools, not a whole new container each time.
The friction: Low. It looks and works like regular floss. The switch is almost invisible in practice.
Swap 7: Your Cotton Buds
What you're replacing: Plastic-stem cotton buds
Why it matters: Plastic cotton bud stems are among the most commonly found items in coastal clean-ups worldwide. They're small enough to pass through water treatment screens, lightweight enough to travel far, and take hundreds of years to break down.
The plastic stem is completely unnecessary — the function is in the cotton.
What to switch to: Bamboo or paper-stem cotton buds. Identical in function, biodegradable from tip to stem. Available in most supermarkets and online — often at the same price as the plastic versions. This is one of the most straightforward swaps on the planet.
The friction: Zero. Genuinely zero. Same product, different stem material.
The Right Order to Do This
If you're going to tackle all seven, here's the order we'd recommend based on impact and ease:
- Toothbrush — highest direct health impact, almost zero friction
- Cotton buds — zero friction, can swap today
- Bar soap — zero friction, often cheaper
- Dental floss — low friction, meaningful health and environmental upgrade
- Shampoo bar — low-medium friction, big plastic reduction
- Toothpaste tablets — medium friction, worth the adjustment
- Safety razor — medium-high learning curve but the longest-term payoff
You don't have to do all seven this week. Start with one. The toothbrush is the obvious first move — it's the swap with the most direct impact on your body and the least disruption to your routine.
Everything else follows naturally.
Start with the toothbrush. KYND's natural horsehair bamboo toothbrush 4-pack is available at trykynd.co — and it's the swap that matters most.
References
- Environmental Working Group (2025). Skin Deep Cosmetics Database. ewg.org
- ECHA (2021). Microplastics in intentionally added products. echa.europa.eu
- Azoulay, D. et al. (2024). Microplastic release from toothbrushes. Microchemical Journal.
- Schaider, L.A. et al. (2017). Fluorinated compounds in US fast food packaging. Environmental Science & Technology Letters.