We all visit the smallest room in the house every day, and hemp toilet paper is a great way to reduce your environmental impact.
Traditional toilet paper consumption is having a serious effect on the environment. For a start, it's made from trees, which can take up to 30 years to grow back.
Not only that, but traditional toilet paper production also requires a lot of water and energy, and also uses harsh chemicals which end up in our waterways.
One increasingly popular solution to this problem is to switch to environmentally friendly toilet paper, and the new kid on the block is hemp toilet paper.
There are many advantages to using it, but the problem is actually managing to get hold of any...
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Hemp Toilet Paper is a reusable, environmentally friendly alternative to toilet paper.
As the name suggests, Hemp Toilet Paper is made from the hemp plant, which can be grown in just a few months and doesn't require any pesticides or fertilizers. Hemp also grows well in most climates, so it's an environmentally friendly option no matter where you live.
Hemp is a sustainable resource that can be grown without pesticides or herbicides. It also requires less water than trees, making it a more environmentally-friendly choice.
Hemp fibers are strong and durable, so you use less. This means your roll doesn’t need to be replaced as often as conventional toilet paper, which saves even more resources. And because hemp production doesn’t require the use of chlorine bleach, it produces less harmful waste products.
The hemp used in these products comes from the inside of the stalk of the hemp plant, and contains very little if any THC.
Hemp toilet paper is naturally softer than any other type of paper. This makes it more comfortable to use on your more delicate and sensitive areas.
This is especially good when you have sensitive skin, suffer from hemorrhoids, or are struggling with constipation.
Even though hemp toilet paper is soft, it's also stronger. This means you use less, and yet still won't run the risk of the dreaded tears sometimes associated with regular soft toilet tissue.
The tough fibers in hemp toilet paper mean they'll hold up a lot longer than other types of paper, even if you use it frequently.
Many antibacterial agents come from nature and they work by attacking germs on the surface of the skin, as well as within the body.
Hemp is one such plant that contains antibacterial agents. Hemp toilet paper can prevent bacterial growth and infection where you need it most!
The core of hemp toilet paper makes it so much more biodegradable than any other kind of tissue paper.
Because of this, it's a lot better for the environment and you won't have to worry about being wasteful with your paper usage.
On average, hemp toilet paper is less chemically treated than regular toilet paper.
This means that there are fewer chemicals that can harm your body and the environment where you dispose of them.
Hemp plants grow much faster than other types of trees!
Therefore, every acre of land cultivated with hemp can produce four times as many rolls as regular tree farms.
This also means there's less need to cut down trees and less overall deforestation.
The cultivation of hemp for toilet paper is one of the most sustainable crops available on Earth.
Sustainable forests result in animal habitat loss when the trees come down, but with hemp, there's no such habitat loss as it grows so fast.
I've talked about the benefits of hemp toilet paper, but now we come to the major drawback, which is actually getting hold of some.
Unfortunately, when it comes to where to buy hemp toilet paper, there are very few options.
The only source I've found online is Alibaba. But the catch here of course is that they come from Chinese suppliers, and you can only buy in bulk.
It seems pointless to buy hemp toilet paper for its environmental benefits, only to then have it shipped from China with a massive carbon footprint.
That's why at this point, hemp toilet paper is not a viable option for US residents.
At this stage, I can't recommend any specific hemp toilet paper brands, because I can't justify having all the products shipped from China to test them.
Instead, for the time being, I would recommend looking at our best eco-friendly toilet paper guide in which we discuss the leading bamboo toilet paper and other sustainable options.
If (and I hope when) hemp toilet paper becomes more readily available to buy in the US, then I will of course test out the leading brands, and update this guide.
Hemp plants are a natural source of cellulose, which means that hemp cellulose fibers can easily replace the pulp in paper production. For centuries, hemp pulp has been used to make paper and fabric because of this material similarity with wood.
One of the most common manufacturing processes involves depositing wood pulp on a moving mesh conveyor belt. The water is pressed out, and the fibers are separated by screens.
However, because of its natural properties hemp has fewer scrap fragments than wood fibers. With sufficient de-inking, these would not even need to be separated. This results in a more homogeneous paper quality, and also reduces water usage.
Toilet paper made from hemp has a softer touch than wood-based products, and it is less abrasive: Softer fibers lead to fewer skin irritations and rashes.
There are many alternatives to hemp toilet paper, including conventional toilet paper, bamboo toilet paper, and recycled toilet paper.
If you came here looking to buy hemp toilet paper, and are disappointed about its lack of availability, I strongly recommend that you consider bamboo toilet paper as an alternative.
Hemp toilet paper has a cleaner production process than bamboo toilet paper, and it also has the added bonus of having antibacterial properties.
However, bamboo toilet paper is much more readily available to buy, and is also cheaper.
Both hemp and bamboo toilet paper have significant environmental benefits when compared to regular toilet paper, so whichever you choose it can be considered a sustainable alternative.
Hemp has been used for thousands of years because it is extremely sustainable and can be grown in most climates. It requires far less reliance on pesticides and herbicides, which become pollutants that are absorbed into waterways or soak into groundwater.
Cellulose fibers from hemp plants have been used to make paper for centuries, but the process is different from making paper out of trees because hemp pulp requires no chemical treatment. The reduction in energy and reduction in pollution makes using hemp a far more sustainable option than some traditional methods of making paper.
Using hemp as toilet paper further reduces stress on non-renewable resources. Hemp fiber is very absorbent, making it thinner and even more sustainable than ordinary toilet paper.
Hemp toilet paper is better for the environment than traditional wood pulp paper or recycled paper. It is sustainable, uses fewer chemicals, produces less chemical waste, and also makes an excellent quality product that is kind to your behind!
Unfortunately, the major drawback is its lack of availability. So for now, I would recommend you switch to bamboo toilet paper which is readily available in the US right now.
Yes. Hemp-based products such as hemp bathroom tissues and bed linens come from plants that are naturally strong, soft and absorbent.
Hemp's strength and durability make it far superior to common wood pulp bathroom tissues, which can also contain harmful chemicals. Hemp can absorb up to 5 times its weight in water, but the fibers still provide excellent softness and durability.
Essentially, there are not (yet) ant large-scale hemp paper manufacturing operations in the West. Hemp crops are only harvested once a year and need to be stored the rest of the time.
However, bear in mind that hemp paper is stronger than regular toilet paper and paper towels, so you use less and every roll lasts longer.
The paper industry is optimized for wood pulp. Paper made from hemp fibers has a very different chemical make-up and process than paper made from wood pulp.
Making the switch would be an expensive investment for paper producers, so you won't see big companies investing in such capital improvements without concrete evidence of consumer demand.
The hemp plant is becoming a significant part of our drive towards sustainable living these days. If you don't use hemp products yet, then chances are you soon will.
I'd love to make Hemp toilet paper a part of my move towards a zero-waste lifestyle, but unfortunately for now I can't get any, or at least not from a source I feel comfortable with buying from.
There are certainly many advantages, both to your health and the environment. When Hemp TP does make it to these shores, you can bet I'll be one of the first on the uptake. But for now, bamboo toilet paper is the way to go.