The idea of waste-free or low-waste products have always appealed to me. I am a big supporter of recycling/reusing and purchasing low or no-waste items when I shop. I use reusable shopping and produce bags, waxed fabric instead of saran wrap and silicone sheets instead of parchment or tin foil when I cook. I shop at small, sustainable stores and from producers and growers that insist on environmentally friendly practices. I purchase most of my clothes second-hand or alter what I already own and make it into something new. I am proud of these changes and like to do what I can to make the world a cleaner, better place for this and future generations.

The only part of my life where sustainability hasn’t been as straightforward for me has been in the beauty department, and I know I’m not alone. The global beauty industry creates 77 billion units of plastic packaging every year, and almost all of it ends up in landfills, incinerated into the air or dumped into our oceans. Only 1 in 5 people consistently recycle items from the bathroom and more than 552 million shampoo bottles could end up in landfills every year. Luckily I’m not a big makeup consumer or user of multiple beauty products. This summer I have simply been braiding my long hair and pinning it to the top of my head—being a nurse for a living has its definite beauty-routine benefits. We usually want to look neat and presentable but rarely do we have to go out of our way to have the perfect hairstyle or makeup.

The biggest problem I have with sustainability is when it comes to shampoo and conditioner. I mentioned before that I have very long hair and while I don’t have to wash it more than about 2 or 3 times a week, I do need to wash it…and need to condition it to keep it looking and feeling its best. I’ve tried shampoo bars (and use them when I travel, camp or cottage) but they’re just not ideal for regular use, especially when you have long, colour-treated, easily tangled hair. So I’ve been on the hunt for a replacement for them for a while.

And then, one day, in walked Everist.

I was excited to try these innovative products made by a Canadian company. Everist Waterless Shampoo Concentrate is plant-based and gently cleanses my hair—without stripping it—leaving it feeling light and healthy. Everist is 3x concentrated, so one 100ml (travel-friendly!) bottle has the same number of uses as a whole, regular-sized, clunky shampoo bottle. Made with a blend of five essential oils including bergamot, orange, rosemary, clary sage and peppermint to provide scalp and hair benefits and hydration, it smells amazing. I am VERY picky about my hair care. My long, naturally brown hair has been lightened, coloured and processed for most of my life, so I’m cautious to use only high-quality products to keep it as healthy and shiny as possible. Everist met these needs easily.

It is a fun experience to use these products. Both the shampoo and conditioner come with a key to turn the aluminum packaging to get a strip of the waterless paste. You then add a little water to your hands to turn it into a lather. As you add the product to your hair the lather grows into a rich, foamy texture that rinses out super clean.

I loved the shampoo (it is the best smelling shampoo I’ve used in a long time) but was worried the conditioner wouldn’t provide the softness or de-tangling I need. Because the conditioner does not have silicone in it, I didn’t get that usual silky feeling in the shower. It felt completely different; my hair had a rougher texture when I rinsed it out. I thought I would have to re-condition my hair with my usual product, but I decided not to and was glad I didn’t!

I was able to comb through my hair without adding any leave-in conditioner, which for me is usually next to impossible. Then, I decided after airdrying for a while I would blow dry it to see how it felt. When I started blowdrying my hair, it became soft and silky. I was shocked at how it transformed. I got a salon-quality result that I was not expecting and my hair still looks and feels great 3 days later.

Not only are Everist products of fantastic quality, but they’re also natural and eco-friendly. Everist is a zero-waste company that uses only 100% recyclable packaging (aluminum not plastic!) and has an innovative cap back program. Although made from recyclable PET plastic, Everist knows that plastic often ends up in the trash. To ensure they get a second life, the company takes them back to be upcycled into future Everist products.

The ONLY complaint I could make would be to either make the print on the bottles larger or distinguish shampoo from conditioner with a different coloured top. Without my glasses (which I don’t wear in the shower), I couldn’t tell one bottle from the other and had to mark them myself with a large “S” and “C” in sharpie. I 100% recommend you try the shampoo and conditioner.

This company was founded by two awesome Canadian women and while they know there is no perfect zero-waste, that doesn’t stop them from trying. Jessica and Jayme believe that it’s time to rethink everything and create the beauty company of the future. They know that eco can be for everyone, but only with thoughtful design and results that are an upgrade, not a compromise. They’re on a mission to fix the beauty industry’s plastic problem (and make our hair look amazing in the process!). I, for one, am excited to be along for the ride.