Shampoo Swap

the goal of Shampoo Swap was to swap Torontonian's half used pharmaceutical/salon shampoo for a bar of coconut oil shampoo. other than the traumatic separation of your beloved herbal essences, the shampoo bar was free. the collected half used shampoo products were then mailed to the head offices of the shampoo companies along with a letter asking them to consider what they put into their products and consider how their products are packaged.

the real creator of the idea behind this project is Adria Vasil.

in her work Ecoholic Body, Adria suggests that after realizing how many chemicals there are in shelf-able cosmetics, you can use your shampoo one last time by mailing what is left in your bottle to the original manufacturers. by letting manufacturers know why you have chosen to switch to an all natural product may have a positive ripple effect on other consumers or the manufacturers of the future. i was given Ecoholic Body by a past employer and friend, and have reread different chapters since 2014. after not really knowing what kind of shampoo my hair "needs" and standing in pharmacy aisle contemplating ingredient lists and prices, i said, "F*CK IT!" ...probably out loud. i researched a shampoo i could make at home. i made a batch and gave bars away to friends and family. i received a lot of positive feedback and realized how doable making your own soap and shampoo is. if i kept the whole batch (one bread pan worth) to myself, i would easily have enough shampoo for the year and spent a max of $40. and there’s always the nice feeling in being able to do something for yourself.

recipe used for this project: coconut oil soap shampoo

April 2016