Greywater/Plant-safe Shaving Soaps

[hairless wonder]

Does anyone know of any greywater/plant-safe shaving soaps? The reason I ask is because I live in a drought prone area of the US but I have some plants and fruit that need to be watered (I've let my lawn die).

I figure using greywater would be a good way to stretch my water. I don't intend to install a greywater filtration system; I'm just planning to use a wash basin while shaving and dumping the basin's contents in my plants/trees afterward.

 

[FarmerTan]

Excellent idea! But most definitely out of my area of expertise, sadly. Good luck on your quest my friend!

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Great question!

I would imagine that most vegan soaps would be suitable, particularly those whose are "food/flower scented" too. Without introducing any (or negligible trace quantities of) non-plant origin chemicals to the soil, I would imagine the next area of concern would be Ph levels, and how compatible that might be with the plants drinking it. All purely speculative on my part though, and there may well be aspects I have overlooked.

 

[hairless wonder]

Great question!

I would imagine that most vegan soaps would be suitable, particularly those whose are "food/flower scented" too. Without introducing any (or negligible trace quantities of) non-plant origin chemicals to the soil, I would imagine the next area of concern would be Ph levels, and how compatible that might be with the plants drinking it. All purely speculative on my part though, and there may well be aspects I have overlooked.

From what I read on This Old House's website, it looks like the key things to eliminate from soaps for greywater are salts (and sodium compounds), boron, and chlorine: Plant-Friendly Soaps That Are Safe for Greywater Irrigation - https://www.thisoldhouse.com/platform/amp/gardening/21015581/plant-friendly-soaps-that-are-safe-for-greywater-irrigation

Unfortunately, I was an indifferent chemistry student and have no idea what ingredients are/contain sodium compounds, boron, or chlorine. Looking at a list of ingredients would be as useful to me as a television for Helen Keller*.

*My apologies to Ms. Keller for my tasteless joke. Unfortunately, I'm a rather unskilled cook, I can't come up with any tasty jokes!

 

[dmshaver]

I also was an indifferent chemistry student. I’ll be interested to see comments on this topic.

 

[bdehne]

Ths is a great idea. How about this, use the shave water to flush the toilet and tank water for the plants?

 

[hairless wonder]

Ths is a great idea. How about this, use the shave water to flush the toilet and tank water for the plants?

That's not a bad idea. Only, I'm kind of lazy and would rather not have to scoop the water out of the tank.

 

[FarmerTan]

Bump!

 

[Alum Ladd]

The Eco Warrior shaving soap bar seems pretty good and has very good reviews.

I'm sure there must be equivalent products in the States.

Eco Warrior Shaving Bar 100g - Little Soap Company - https://www.littlesoapcompany.co.uk/p/eco-warrior-shaving-bar-100g/

I'm interested in trying it out myself but I'm on July's GRUME

Here's the ingredients list:

Potassium Stearate (derived from Rapeseed Oil), Sodium Stearate (derived from Rapeseed Oil), Potassium Palm Kernelate* (derived from sustainable Palm Kernel Oil), Sodium Palm Kernelate* (derived from sustainable Palm Kernel Oil), Aqua (water), Glycerin (derive from Rapeseed Oil, sustainable Palm Oil* and Palm Kernel Oil*), Parfum (a blend made from pure essential oils including bergamot, lime, patchouli and gum rock rose), Butyrospermum parkii (Shea) Butter, Cocos nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Coconut Acid, Limonene**, Potassium Cocoate (derived from Coconut Oil), Sodium Cocoate (derived from Coconut Oil), Potassium Palmate* (derived from sustainable Palm Oil), Sodium Palmate* (derived from sustainable Palm Oil), Tetrasodium Etidronate (prevents changes in texture and fragrance), Pentasodium Pentetate (prevents changes in texture and fragrance), Linalool**

*made from 100% RSPO certified sustainable Palm Oil and Palm Kernel Oil

**allergen – naturally occurring within the essential oils

 

[LJBraaten]

I’ll ask my wife later, she is a biologist. She had experience with common soaps, she’d have to look at some regular additives to shaving soaps. One of her class assignments was dumping soapy water on plants. It acts as a natural fertilizer. That said, you want to avoid getting it into waterways. It also promotes the growth of water plants, which can rob fish and other marine life of oxygen. (In other words, outdoors people, biodegradable “camp soap” is harmful to water life, taking a bath in or shaving close to a stream or river ist verboten!)
Also another tip, mulch plants with wood chips, it preserves moisture in the ground and acts as a strainer for solids.

 

[luvmysuper]

I'm on a septic system and the plants and trees downflow from my leach field are fine.
Dish and laundry water go there.
No chlorine as chlorine is a major no no for septic.
Maybe grab a few sacrificial plant samples and give it a try.
Ornamentals are obviously a preferred selection over edibles.

 

[thombrogan]

The linked article said most glycerin-based soaps are safe. You can get 2-5 pounds of glycerin shaving soap base for $20-40 and add scents as desired.

 

[LJBraaten]

My wife is back from her hike. She looked at two of my soaps, one was a Mike’s Natural. She said her best educated guess is that the soaps would not be harmful, but they would leave some fats behind on the soil, which would eventually be digested by bacteria. She suggests experimenting with a plant.
Another factor, I am guessing you are talking about all of your gray water, and not just your shaving water. We have a gray water system, all bath, dish & laundry water, and sink water dump on the ground, and the plants (aka weeds) there are prolific! If all your gray water is in the mix, the shaving soap would be greatly diluted.

 

[hairless wonder]

My wife is back from her hike. She looked at two of my soaps, one was a Mike’s Natural. She said her best educated guess is that the soaps would not be harmful, but they would leave some fats behind on the soil, which would eventually be digested by bacteria. She suggests experimenting with a plant.
Another factor, I am guessing you are talking about all of your gray water, and not just your shaving water. We have a gray water system, all bath, dish & laundry water, and sink water dump on the ground, and the plants (aka weeds) there are prolific! If all your gray water is in the mix, the shaving soap would be greatly diluted.

I don't have a grey water system, so I was thinking about just collecting my shave water in a basin and dumping it out on some plants afterward.

Would your wife be willing to point out some ingredients we should avoid in our shave soap (for grey water usage)?

 

[LJBraaten]

I don't have a grey water system, so I was thinking about just collecting my shave water in a basin and dumping it out on some plants afterward.

Would your wife be willing to point out some ingredients we should avoid in our shave soap (for grey water usage)?

She just commented on the ingredients in my two soaps, a Mike’s Natural and a Barristers & Mann Adagio. She noted they would leave behind fats, but she said they are not harmful. The reason she would not give an unqualified approval is that there are so many ingredients, and like a good scientist she would not give an unqualified yes. Also there are so many other soaps that have different ingredients. ( If she were to want to check out the effects of each one she would probably do what the rest of us would, Google.) That’s why she thinks the best way to find out is experiment with a plant that you don’t mind losing.

FWIW: Your shaving water could be thinned by adding other gray water. Before we had a gray water system we used to save collect any gray water we could for other tasks. (Bathtub, dishwashing, laundry). We don’t have a dishwasher and she still dumps the dishwater on the roses. I still sometimes collect the laundry water (when I run our front loader through the clean cycle) to flush out the kitchen drain, which tends to clog. We used to keep a five gallon bucket in the shower, and also collected the waste water from the laundry and to flush the toilet. (This was when we lived in Massachusetts when the water supplies were short and rates quadrupled.)

 

[hairless wonder]

How

She just commented on the ingredients in my two soaps, a Mike’s Natural and a Barristers & Mann Adagio. She noted they would leave behind fats, but she said they are not harmful. The reason she would not give an unqualified approval is that there are so many ingredients, and like a good scientist she would not give an unqualified yes. Also there are so many other soaps that have different ingredients. ( If she were to want to check out the effects of each one she would probably do what the rest of us would, Google.) That’s why she thinks the best way to find out is experiment with a plant that you don’t mind losing.

FWIW: Your shaving water could be thinned by adding other gray water. Before we had a gray water system we used to save collect any gray water we could for other tasks. (Bathtub, dishwashing, laundry). We don’t have a dishwasher and she still dumps the dishwater on the roses. I still sometimes collect the laundry water (when I run our front loader through the clean cycle) to flush out the kitchen drain, which tends to clog. We used to keep a five gallon bucket in the shower, and also collected the waste water from the laundry and to flush the toilet. (This was when we lived in Massachusetts when the water supplies were short and rates quadrupled.)

How did you collect shower water in the 5 gallon buckets? I've been trying to think up a way to do something similar...

 

[LJBraaten]

How

How did you collect shower water in the 5 gallon buckets? I've been trying to think up a way to do something similar...

I just put it on the shower floor in front of me where I thought the most water would splash off me onto it or go directly from the shower head. It is very imprecise, we’d guess about 50% of the water made it. More could be collected if showering in a bath tub with the drain plugged. (A boat bailer would help get it all. It’s a scoop made out of a plastic gallon bleach bottle, bottom cut off, some of sides cut off so it’s easy to flatten on the bottom of the tub.)

 

[hairless wonder]

I just put it on the shower floor in front of me where I thought the most water would splash off me onto it or go directly from the shower head. It is very imprecise, we’d guess about 50% of the water made it. More could be collected if showering in a bath tub with the drain plugged. (A boat bailer would help get it all. It’s a scoop made out of a plastic gallon bleach bottle, bottom cut off, some of sides cut off so it’s easy to flatten on the bottom of the tub.)

Thanks!

 

[LJBraaten]

You’re welcome, glad to help. We are fortunate because it was easy to retrofit our drainage system to complete gray water diversion. This also puts less stress on our septic system since it is only being supplied by the toilet.
This book was very helpful. Not everyone can retrofit their entire plumbing system, but this book has suggestions for partial water salvaging according to one’s system, some as simple as the “dish water dump.”