Glass Containers
In addition to preserving my own health, changing my lifestyle to a more natural one also has Mother Earth in mind. I don't think I need to go into an entire entry citing the awful impact that PLASTIC has had on our planet. I will, however, insert this photo and video. Please take a quick moment to review:
Click to view larger, clearer photo (in a new tab):
^ These two media items moreso focus on our oceans, which obviously affects our life on land. When it comes to natural beauty products and food/beverage, it is logical to avoid plastic. Not only will you be helping the earth, but you do not have to worry about anything from the plastic seeping into the ingredients that are put in or on the body.
With all the said, if you are going to take the route of living a more natural lifestyle, start saving glass containers. If you take a look in your fridge right now, you will more than likely have a couple condiments that are in glass packaging. Trust me. Grab a box, or make some cabinet space, and start hoarding all and any glass containers-- you WILL find a use for them!
A portion from my cabinet: old coconut oil jar for baking soda, old sandwich spread (chimichurri) jar for toothpaste, old jar from saukraut (yuck! from my mom's house) for my bulk of shea butter, and an amber dropper for some castor oil.
--> From the above photo, I am reminded of an important sidenote regarding essential oils:
Oils will eat away at plastic, so it is necessary to make sure they are in glass. But in addition, they also need to be stored in amber or cobalt-colored glass, to prevent light exposure. In the photo, I have castor oil with a dropper because I use it as an eye lubricant. I remember reading to avoid the rubber dropper because the oil can "melt" it, but I don't ever fill the dropper all the way for the oil to actually touch it. So far, so good.
Once you have gotten into a groove, and have enough containers for all of your products, you will have an idea what to keep and what to recycle. If your fridge or cabinet are void of glass packaging, you can find a set of mason jars at an inexpensive price. It's a trendy item right now, and they are just about anywhere, even at a Dollar Store.
Speaking from personal experience, it was a short period of time before I extended "natural" living to different facets of my life. It began with eating, then went to beauty, and made its way to household cleaning. If this happens with you, don't overlook your glass bottles that have olive oil, or salad dressing, or whatever. Save those as well. For example, when your old, plastic, chemical-countertop spray runs out, take the spray nozzle and transfer it to a glass bottle that now contains the natural vinegar spray.
All the different shapes and sizes will come into play for different items and methods, whether it be storing or even "cooking." I have a big glass container that is dedicated to heating together my deodorant ingredients. No pots ruined and I don't even need to worry about cleaning it since I'm going to make the same thing in it again. I screw on the cap and am done with it, until next time.
Overall, the point of this entry is to prepare you and also save you some time and money. Hopefully, you will already have some glass containers that you can start conserving, and do not need to go out and buy some.