Secondhand September · September 2026
What Secondhand September Doesn't Cover
You can thrift your wardrobe. You cannot thrift your shampoo. Here is what to do instead.
Secondhand September is one of the better habits the internet has produced. Buy used clothes. Source furniture from resale apps. Borrow before you buy. The logic is sound and the impact is real. But there is a gap nobody talks about. And it is sitting in your shower right now.
The Problem
The Part of Secondhand September That Does Not Apply
Walk through any thrift store and you will find jeans, jackets, lamps, books, and kitchen gadgets. But what about all the products you use everyday that you wouldn't or cannot find secondhand? Like your shampoo, your toothpaste, dish soap, body wash, laundry detergent, or a bar of soap.
Consumables do not have a secondhand market. By definition, they get used up and replaced. Over and over again. For the rest of your life.
This is where Secondhand September runs out of road for a significant chunk of your household waste. The average bathroom alone contains dozens of plastic bottles cycling through every few weeks. Shampoo. Conditioner. Body wash. Face wash. Liquid soap at every sink. Each one a single-use plastic container that gets rinsed and tossed, no matter how thoughtfully you sourced your wardrobe.
The Consumables Secondhand September Cannot Touch
- Shampoo and conditioner in plastic bottles, replaced every few weeks.
- Body wash, face wash, and liquid hand soap cycling through every household sink.
- Toothpaste, mouthwash, and dental floss.
- Dish soap, laundry detergent, and cleaning sprays in single-use plastic jugs.
- Cotton rounds, disposable razor cartridges, and sponges.
"You cannot thrift your way out of this one. But you can apply the same logic differently."
The Reframe
The Secondhand Mindset Applied to Consumables
Secondhand September was never really about thrifting. It is about buying less new stuff, generating less waste, and choosing what already exists over what had to be made from scratch. Those values do not stop applying just because a product cannot be resold.
For consumables, the equivalent of buying secondhand is choosing formats that do not create waste in the first place.
The Plastic-Free Alternative
A shampoo bar wrapped in paper instead of a plastic bottle. A concentrated cleaning tablet that dissolves in a reusable spray bottle instead of a new jug every month. A bamboo toothbrush instead of a plastic one. Reusable rounds instead of a bag of cotton pads thrown away after a single use. None of these are secondhand. But the logic is identical: refuse the throwaway version, choose something that lasts longer or leaves less behind, and buy less overall as a result.
The same impulse that drives you to the thrift store in September can drive you to a plastic-free store all year. It is the same decision: refuse the default, choose something better.
Where to Start
The Practical Swap List
You do not have to overhaul everything at once. Start with the products you replace most often. The highest-impact swaps are the ones you make for things you buy constantly.
In the Bathroom
Shampoo and conditioner bars. Bamboo toothbrush. Reusable cotton rounds. Bar soap on a draining soap dish instead of liquid in a pump bottle.
In the Kitchen
Sisal dish scrubber instead of a plastic sponge. Bar dish soap instead of a plastic bottle. Reusable cloths instead of paper towels.
In the Laundry Room
Laundry sheets instead of liquid or powder in single-use tubs. Ships flat, stores without a plastic jug, dissolves completely in the wash.
The pattern is the same. Find the thing you buy in a single-use plastic format and replace it with something package-free, refillable, or reusable. It is not secondhand. But it is the secondhand mindset.
The Easy First Swaps
Where Our Products Fit In
We built our line specifically around this gap. Not the things you can thrift. The things you cannot. Every product below replaces a single-use plastic product with something that has the planet in mind, ships plastic free, and leaves little to nothing behind.
The Consumables Swap Starter Kit
Six swaps. The highest-frequency plastic in your home. Gone.
Shampoo and Conditioner Bars
Lasts longer than a bottle. Ships without plastic. Works the same way your hair expects.
Bar Soap and Dish Soap Bar
Replaces the pump bottle at every sink and the dish soap jug on the kitchen counter.
Sisal Dish Scrubber
No microplastic shedding. Made from bamboo and agave plant. Tackles cast iron and everyday dishes alike.
Bamboo Toothbrush
Same clean. Sustainable handle with castor oil bristles. For something you use everyday for your entire life, its a swap that matters.
Laundry Sheets
Ships flat in a cardboard sleeve. Dissolves completely. Replaces a single-use plastic jug every month.
Reusable Cotton Rounds
Washable + reusable. Replaces hundreds of disposable pads per year per person.
Secondhand September is worth doing. Thrift the clothes. Buy the used bookshelf. All of it matters. But do not let the month end without looking at the other half of your waste. The stuff under your sink and in your shower caddy does not have a secondhand solution. It has a plastic-free one.
