Host Feedback - What type of shampoo/conditioner/body wash do you provide? Single use or big bottles?

[Yiwei3]

Hello hosts!

I would like to get some recommendations from all of you who have been hosting!  What type of shampoo/conditioner/body wash (or bar soap?) do you provide to your guests?  Single use or big bottles?  Where do you buy them?  Any reason for which ones you use?

Thanks in advance!

Yiwei

[Sam397]

@Yiwei3 I started a thread not to long ago that sort of covered this, I believe it was called toiletries. I supply regular sized bottles of shampoo and a guest complained about it saying it wasnt sanitary. I contemplated using single serving shampoo and decided not to because of the environmental impact. If you can still find the thread there was some good responses from host regarding that.

[Yiwei3]

@Sam397 thanks for letting me know!  I'll do a search for it.  

[Kath9]

@Yiwei3there are lots of discussions on the forum about this. The consensus is definitely big bottles. Single use plastics are no longer considered acceptable by most thinking people.

[Sarah977]

@Yiwei3  Single use (which I really object to) and big bottles aren't the only choices. What I have are smallish, attractive pump containers (stainless steel is good cause they don't break if dropped, or you could use plastic ones) and refill them from large bottles I buy at Costco. All the hosts I personally know do the same. Some hosts use those dispensers you hang in the shower and refill those. I just buy what's on sale that doesn't have any strong fragrance. And I use the same liquid soap at the sink as in the shower- no need to fall for all those marketing gimmicks that would have you believe that "body wash" is any different from hand soap-it's all just soap. The only single-use thing I provide is a travel-size bar of soap, because I have a place I can buy those for about 25 cents each and they come in a little cardboard box. I find many guests never touch it- they just use the liquid soap, but if there's partial bars left, I just make use of those in my own bathroom after washing off the outside layer. If guests are fussy about the brands of products they use, they generally bring their own. 

[Yiwei3]

@Sarah977 @Kath9 are single use objected to bc of sustainability or other reasons?  

[Sarah977]

@Yiwei3  Yes, the world is drowning in plastic garbage. We should all do our part to make sure we're not adding to the problem. And it's more economical for the host, too, to buy things like soap and shampoo in large containers and just refill as needed.

I agree with @Dimitar27 that it's important to fully refill the containers for each guest, as well as make sure the containers are well wiped down all over, so they don't look like it's someone else's leftovers. I even have a basket in the guest bathroom where I put products that are at least half full that guests have left behind, so other guests can make use of them if needed, and many of them do. I wipe down all of those containers with antibacterial wipes between guests, making sure to open the lid and wipe down so there's no crud built up there. 

[Yiwei3]

@Sarah977 thank you!  where do you buy it from?  online so it's delivered to your door?

[Sarah977]

@Yiwei3  I live in the boonies of Mexico- I don't get things delivered to my door :-)) There isn't even any mail service or post office in my town. I buy at Costco. But yes, I think a lot of hosts order online. Some people even live places where there are bulk stores for those kinds of things where they can just take their own large bottles in and refill them.

[Dimitar27]

My choice is to use refillable pump containers. Easy to clean, enough long-lasting, cheap and reduce the amount of waste.

And one bonus effect (psychological)- when you keep them always filled to the top, the person, who is using them will always have the feeling, that he is the first user. It will never look unsanitary.

[Audrey455]

Both

[Yiwei3]

@Audrey455 what do you mean both?  you use both single use and big bottles?  where do you buy yours from - online or in store?

[Audrey455]

Yes, both.

We travel a lot, so we bring home small bottles from all the places we stay.

Big bottles - I buy organic and get them from Melaluca.com.

[Mark116]

@Yiwei3  Big bottles, both because of sustainability and to me it gives more of a sense of if not opulence, at least abundance.  We use Trader Joe's tea tree oil shampoo/conditioner, it has a nice tingle effect, and is inexpensive, nice packaging.  For shower gel we usually use The Body Shop, which we get at Marshall's at a significant discount.  We use either Trade Joe's bar soap, also fairly inexpensive or whatever other soaps we find at department stores that are a good value. 

Another reason to use larger bottles beyond the environment is that for guests who stay more than 2/3 days you would need to resupply and for people traveling on airplanes they are very, very unlikely to take a huge jug of liquid w/them so less risk of your product disappearing. 

ETA we top off the bottles when they get about 2/3 to 1/2 full, so guests are always getting something that is almost full, which is good for presentation.  If you use large bottles though  you do have to check on them, wipe them down so they stay clean.

[Yiwei3]

@Mark116 hope you all are doing well in NJ!  how many places do you host?  do you buy from TJ for all your places?