If you're over the age of 35, at least one of your grandparents most likely had one and if you are like me, watching them use it when you were younger made you absolutely cringe. Who in their right mind would want to stick their own snot in their pocket? We don't have to do it exactly the same manner, but we can take inspiration from the past and make it new and modern.
The handkerchief; the original facial tissue. It has been nearly 100 years since Kleenex introduced its disposable facial tissue and although the the general design hasn't really changed much, the additives certainly have. When the Kleenex was first launched in 1924, it was actually marketed as a makeup removing facial tissue, it was the public that began to widely use them as a nose tissue so Kleenex redirected their marketing.
Since that time, many chemicals have been added to most mainstream facial tissues to help make them softer or to add a scent. Chemicals, right at your nose, are always a bad idea.
And then there's the waste. Yes, disposable tissues can be composted, boogers and all. If you use them, please make an effort to drop them in your compost bin. But there's still the tragedy of all of the trees needed to make up the pulp that becomes these tissues. Sure, one can argue that tissues are an end byproduct of the paper recycling stream, but not all tissues come from recycled materials. I
s there ever a time for a disposable tissue, yes, absolutely. I understand not everyone is going to want to tuck their own boogers into their pocket... I fall into that camp myself. But if you are at home and can toss it right into the laundry hamper, why the heck not? Think about all of the trees saved!
Here's the good news... there's a handkerchief movement and several brands are making versions that are attractive or even chic, like the ones pictures above-left by Harrow and Green. Etsy is also a wonderful place to find vintage handkerchiefs, like the ones pictured above, if you really want to channel a grandparent that you remember using them.
My fantastic husband discovered Last Object around the holidays when he was brainstorming stocking stuffers ideas for me. He totally gets me. I'll touch on some of Last Object's other products in the next few weeks, but for now, here are my thoughts on their tissues. For the most part I appreciate the reusable tissue set that they offer. It comes with six organic cotton tissues that are tucked into a simple silicon case that comes in several colors and it is also a very handy dispenser.
My one complaint is that the issues are not nearly as soft as advertised and are really quite stiff. I thought they would soften up after a few washes, but so far that has not happened. Not a huge deal for a single blow, but come cold season I may have different thoughts. Let me know if you make the switch and what you think of it.
**I do not receive any kickbacks or payments from any of the above companies for talking about their products. If that ever changes I will disclose that fact.
Thanks for reading!
Cheers!
Krista