How Hemp Toilet Paper Can Save Our Planet

by Alfred van der Heide
How Hemp Toilet Paper Can Save Our Planet

If you are a fan of HempOilTalk, you will know that we cover every aspect of hemp. Even hemp toilet paper.

Hemp is a magical plant used for thousands of years due to its wide variety of uses. It’s the plant that keeps on giving.

You might have already known that regular writing paper used to be made on an industrial scale with hemp fibers, but did you know that toilet paper could also be made with hemp fibers?

Hemp is subspecies of the cannabis plant and has lots of industrial importance, as it can be turned into a fiber, oils, and several other things.

Don’t worry; hemp is not grown for its recreational drug abilities.

Hemp contains so little THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) that it is not noticeable, you will not get high or feel any psychotropic effects from using hemp toilet paper 😉

Hemp is typically used in food and nutrition, building materials, plastic, composite materials, paper, rope, and even for animal bedding.

Hemp oils are available in various cosmetic products, such as tanning lotion, and body moisturizers.

Hemp fibers are similar to other fibers like wool or cotton. Hemp fibers can be used to make handwoven bags, clothes, or shoes.

 

A case for the environment: Hemp versus Trees by the numbers

  • Hemp produces four times more cellulose fibers per acre compared to trees.
  • Hemp takes about 4-5 months to grow, whereas trees take 50 – 100 years.
  • Hemp is the world’s best biomass, as you can grow 10 tons of hemp per acre.
  • To create paper, you only need the cellulose part of the plant. Trees are 30% cellulose; harsh chemicals are used to breakdown the plant to retrieve this 30%.
  • Hemp is 85% cellulose, almost three times more than trees.
  • Hemp can be harvested far more quickly than trees can.
  • Current pulp and paper mills make up 1/4th of all solid waste in landfill sites.
  • 35% of trees are being cut down for paper. Consumption of paper has increased by 400% in 40 years.
  • In the US, in 2015, 20% of all toxic air waste is due to pulp and paper production.
  • One ton of paper pollutes 76,000 liters of water or 20,000 gallons.

Hemp has the potential to save our planet. By substituting tree-based products with hemp-based products, we can move towards a greener future. One small step can be as simple as changing your regular toilet paper with hemp toilet paper.

deforestation

Only 7% of natural forests are left in the US.

Typical Uses Of Hemp

Commercially grown hemp has many uses. The fiber part of the hemp plant is referred to as the bast, which relates to the fibers growing outside on the stalk of the plant. Depending on the process of removing the fiber, the color of the hemp fiber may be white, brown, grey, black, or even green. Hemp fibers obtained from stripping the bast are usually as long as the length of the hemp plant itself. Later the bast fibers can be cut short according to the purpose of use.

hemp fibre

Hemp bast fiber

In several parts of Europe and China, hemp fibers are mixed with building materials to obtain more concrete support. A mixture of fiberglass, hemp fiber, kenaf, and flux are combined to make composite panels for automobiles. Hemp fibers can be used for various purposes. The harder parts of the plants’ stem are used to prepare bedding for horses, chickens, and other animals. There are several hemp trading organizations from where you can order several qualities of hemp.

Hemp fiber has antibacterial and antifungal properties that ensure healthy skin. Additionally, Hemp fiber is resistant to mildew and several other fungi.
If you are wearing a garment made of pure hemp fiber, the chances of infection are considerably lower than if you were wearing an article of clothing made of cotton fiber.

We’ve dedicated an entire article to the 9 Hottest Hemp-Based Products to try in 2019 if you want to learn about more uses of this industrious and eco-friendly plant.

Hemp makes for an excellent toilet paper for the same reasons as it makes for great bedding for animals.

The three main reasons for hemp being an excellent toilet paper material:

  • Hemp fibers are odorless.
  • Hemp toilet paper can absorb up to 4 times its weight.
  • Hemp is environmentally friendly and sustainable. Hemp does not require any pesticides or fertilizers to grow, as well as being able to be harvested in 120 days, requiring little water, and having the ability to renew the soil.

The only drawback of using hemp as a toilet paper is its high price, and usually, one has to look online to be able to find it. We will tell you your best options down below for purchasing hemp toilet paper.

 

Hemp’s Historical Significance in the States

The US used to be at the forefront of Hemp processing.

George Washington himself was a fan of the plant and pressured the people around him to cultivate the practical plant.

President Washington was also known for growing the plant himself. It is believed that George Washington not only bred the plant for the fibers but even sampled some of his strains in an attempt to find a solution to his toothache.

Thomas Jefferson was not to mention also a proponent of the hemp plant.

The hemp plant could be utilized for many reasons, making it be a very lucrative cash crop. Slaves would often find themselves working on hemp fields. Kentucky’s economy, in particular, was very tied to the production of hemp.

1937 marked the decline of hemp production in the United States, as the Marihuana Tax Act was passed, which lead to a tax being levied on anyone doing business in hemp. The 1937 Marihuana Tax Act is credited for destroying the hemp industry and is believed to be propelled solely for the rise of similar adjacent sectors in an attempt at higher profits. Despite this, hemp played a significant lasting role throughout World War II, ensuring that US soldiers were always well equipped with proper uniforms. Largely thanks to Kentucky’s large hemp fields.

Industrial hemp cultivation in Northern America has been non-existent for years thanks to the public’s disdain for the Marijuana drug.

Even though hemp played a significant role throughout US history as a source of revenue and materials, in addition to its support of the troops, it has been misconstrued and distorted by authoritative entities as a dangerous drug leading to its unjust eradication as a useful material.

 

The Best Places To Order Hemp Toilet Paper

Hemp toilet paper can be hard to get your hands on. Although the future looks promising with companies such as Hempies Paper, stating that they will soon launch their hemp toilet paper.

There is also HempSoSoft, a US-based company that sells hemp toilet paper. However, as of the time of writing, they are completely out of stock and have been for the past couple of months that I have looked them up.

Sadly, Amazon does not currently sell any hemp toilet paper. You might also have probably seen that the Chinese are selling ‘Hemp Toilet Paper’ on Alibaba, however, after going through every single seller, upon further inspection, the material is usually either bamboo, wood pulp, or a mix.

Times do change however so it might be worth looking it up again. Alibaba is the world’s largest online retailer based in China; they deliver worldwide, however. Here is a link to Alibaba’s online Hemp toilet paper store.

You can also learn how to make your own hemp toilet paper, which I’ve outlined down below!

Similar Hemp Products

Hemp Lotion

If you’re looking to make your living space more natural by incorporating hemp-based products, why not look at some related products that are also made from hemp, which could prove to be a healthy way to freshen up your home.

If you are suffering from dry skin or want your skin to be so soft that newborn babies will be envious of it, then you should take a look at Hempz.

Hempz is one of many skincare companies that provide Hemp-moisturizers. Hempz is the most well known, and respected skin moisturizer in the industry (4/5 stars with 3500 ratings.).

Hempz also has many variations of its proven formula as well as different sized bottles (A nifty 2.25 Fl Oz. for traveling and a 17 Fl Oz. bottle with a squeezable top for in the bathroom).

Variations include Green Tea, Pomegranate, Honey & Melon, Pumpkin Spice & Vanilla Chai, and many more.

Hemp Soap

Hemp Soaps are an amazing way of ensuring you stay clean and healthy as well as removing body odors.

hemp soap

We use a locally produced hemp soap at home, which smells lovely and makes for great gifts.

 

Nubian is a company that produces not only hemp soap but also hemp deodorants made from Indian Hemp and Haitian Vetiver Soap.

The soap is made primarily of shea butter and the ingredients as mentioned earlier.

The soap is suitable for all skin types and contains little specks of hemp seeds, which can help exfoliate rough skin through exfoliation.

The soap is a crowd favorite due to its natural combination of moisturization and exfoliation, just look what others have said.

 

Bamboo Toilet Paper -A worthy contender?

If you are interested in reducing your global footprint bamboo toilet paper might also be a good alternative to regular pulp toilet paper. Some people are not able to notice the difference between regular toilet paper and bamboo toilet paper, however, there are some subtle differences. Bamboo toilet paper is a little bit more expensive than regular toilet paper and might be a little bit rougher as well as thinner. It should still have the same strength, however.

Bamboo grows a lot faster than trees do, as bamboo is technically a type of grass. Some types of bamboo have the potential to grow up to 36 inches (91 cm) in length in just 24 hours.

It takes just 12 weeks from planting the sampling to harvest for bamboo, whereas the best trees take at least 12 years, with pine and spruce taking 70-80 years!

Luckily bamboo toilet paper is a lot more common than hemp toilet paper is, large supermarkets should have it on stock. Else one can also order it online.

How To Make Your Hemp Toilet Paper

To preface this, this isn’t meant to be a “perfect formula” however this can be considered a well-structured starting point, to which you can apply modifications as you wish.

Also, this is quite a time-intensive activity, it is very fun to do together with children.

 

What You Will Need To Make Your Own Hemp Toilet Paper

  1. Hemp Fibers
  2. Blender/food processor
  3. Water
  4. A basin/tub which is wider than your mold and deckle
  5. Flat surface
  6. Damp cloth
  7. Mold and deckle
  8. A pot (large enough for the hemp fibers)
  9. A stove
  10. A sink or drain
  11. Baby oil
  12. A tablespoon

The shape of the toilet paper comes from the mold and deckle. A mold and deckle can easily be made from a couple of pieces of wood and a screen which can be found either online or at most arts and crafts shops.

You can also purchase a pre-made mold and deckle, however afterward you will be left with an A4 sized sheet, thus you might have to cut the paper in half afterward with a scissor or knife.

Instructions To Make Your Own Homemade Hemp-Based Toilet Paper

Ancient Chinese paper making technique. Softening the fibers to create the pulp.

Making the pulp

  1. Place the hemp fibers into the pot, add water until the fibers are submerged. Turn up the heat to medium and let it simmer for an hour, stir regularly. Afterward, turn the heat to high and boil for 30 minutes.
  2. Drain water from the pot.
  3. Add room temperature water, hemp fibers and 4 tablespoons of baby oil, to the food processor and blend until you are left with a smooth and watery substance. Ensure you use a lot of water, you want the product to be runny, and to contain as little chunks as possible.
    hemp fibre

    homemade hemp toilet paper texture

  4. Pour the new mixture into a tub.
  5. Submerge your mold and deckle into the tub and slowly pull it up, capturing fibers on the way up.
  6. Let the water drop off the mold and deckle until the majority of the water is gone.
  7. Place your damp cloth on a flat surface, and then in one swift action flip your mold and deckle so that the fibers perfectly land on top of the cloth without changing the shape.
  8. leave the paper out until dry, preferably in a warm place such as the sun.
  9. cut into appropriate strips.
  10. Repeat steps 1-9 until you have enough hemp toilet paper.

 

Ancient Chinese paper making technique. Softening the fibers pressing the fibers into the shape of paper using a mold and deckle

Softening the fibers pressing the fibers into the shape of paper using a mold and deckle

To Summarize

Hemp is becoming more and more popular in our day to day lives. Hemp has gone from crowd favorite to criminal, and now after the introduction of the 2018 Farm Bill, we are seeing a resurgence in Hemp’s popularity due to its many superior qualities to what we now know as ‘conventional’ solutions. There is still a long way to go, especially in the sector of hemp toilet paper, as it is quite hard to obtain currently.

I’ve been looking into possibly setting up a link into importing hemp toilet paper from AliExpress and reselling it on Amazon, but it is more a question of start-up capital as most Chinese manufacturers require you to buy 10,000 to 50,000 hemp toilet paper rolls at once… Regardless I do expect to see hemp toilet paper soon to be lying next to the other hemp products in your favorite organics shop.

 


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1 comment

Jessica wiliam August 11, 2022 - 3:26 am

Nice article. I will consider about using hemp toilet paper. Your article has provided useful information for us. Thank guys. Hope you write more.

Reply

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