On the Edge (of BO): Experiments with Natural Deodorants

Being zero waste is not without its sacrifices.  Most of the time, it involves precious personal time spent making something from scratch: think my husband’s granola, toothpaste, mustard, cleaning products, yogurt.  In my mind, it is a worthwhile investment to help reduce the plastic and garbage in the world.   I can’t just tell people to be zero waste without making the effort myself.  Consequently, I try to lead by example.  However, in the case of personal hygiene, I have been a little skeptical and frightened of the impact to my ”image”.  I don’t really want to be known as the hippie, granola chickie who smells a little (or a lot) funky.  Even I have my limits.

Toothpaste was one of my first forays in this department and I was pleasantly surprised with the results.  I think my breath is OK or at least, no one has yet had the courage to tell me it is an issue.  However, in the case of deodorants, my transition to plastic free has been a little slower.  My friend Marianne and I both attended the zero waste festival last November and we both purchased the same “natural” deodorant.

I tried it out on a weekend.   It smelled lovely and was easy to apply.  Unlike my usual deodorant, it took a little time to ‘dry” but this was a minor inconvenience.   Saturday being a chill day without too much stress, I was pleased with the results.  The following day, I again used the deodorant and towards the end of the afternoon, I went for a run.  I came home and started preparing supper.  My older daughter came by and said, “ Mom, you smell like BO.”  “What ?!#.  I sniffed myself.  Yup!  I stunk.  The following week, I shared my deodorant experience with Marianne.  She concurred with my experience.  Consequently, I had put experimenting with deodorants on the back-burner.   However, as I have progressed in my experience with zero waste living, I was starting to feel very uncomfortable using my commercial deodorant.

There is so little deodorant relative to the amount of plastic in the packaging.   Plus the packaging cannot not be recycled.  Ugh.  It was starting to turn my stomach to keep using it.   My sister has using been the Thai Crystal Stone for over a year with success and she encouraged me to give it a try.  I reluctantly purchased one on-line.

 

The Thai crystal stone is a naturally mined stone of an aluminum salt known as alum.  The concept is that aluminum salts react with the bacteria in sweat and prevent the formation of unpleasant odors.

Commercial deodorants also work on the same principle.  They contain commercially produced aluminum chloride as well as a number of other chemicals (polyethylene glycol, etc) which make them questionable for use.  There are concerns about the use of commercial deodorants because of potential links with breast cancer, although the studies are not entirely conclusive.  With this in mind, I bravely decided to try the crystal stone.  It is very easy to use:  you simply wet it and apply it to your armpits.  Then you let it dry and off you go.  There is a difference relative to commercial deodorants:  the crystal stone does not contain an antiperspirant.  This means that even though you have no odor, there is still some sweat.

Day 1:  Even though I occasionally “sweat”(or should I say “glow” because ladies don’t sweat), there is no odor.

Day 2:  I put the crystal stone to the test with a run.  No smell!  Victory!

Day 3:  Today is my boot camp class.  No worries though!  The stone still seems to be working.

Day 4 :  Today I have a meeting with the management committee and make a presentation.  Even though I am sweating (a little), I don’t smell (I think).  Since no one sitting next to me starts holding their nose, I consider that the stone has proven its weight in gold (or alum?).

Day 5: The crystal stone is still doing its thing. I look at my commercial deodorant and scoff: hah!

Fast forward to 2 months later and the crystal stone is still working for me.  That being said, I have noticed a few issues.  If I don’t apply enough water to the stone before applying, it causes some burning and itching.  In discussing the stone with others, I hear that it sometimes only works for a short period of time.  For some of my friends, it only worked for a month and then stopped.  Being one to want to test everything for you dear reader, I decide to do some research on line on “home made deodorants”.  For DIY recipes, I like Crunchy Betty and Wellness Mama.  The recipe I find from Wellness Mama is pretty easy (see link here Wellness Mama Deodorant Recipe):  3 tablespoons baking soda, 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder (or cornstarch), one quarter cup shea butter,  3 tablespoons coconut oil and essential oils.   I use more shea butter because I like the more viscous deodorant cream.  I also think it lasts longer and is better absorbed into the skin.   I have ylang ylang and tea tree oil available so I add a few drops of each of these to make the deodorant smell enticing.

The deodorant itself is like a paste and easy to apply.

On Saturday, I give the deodorant a try.  After 8 hours, no smell.

On Sunday, I give it more of a test:  a 7 km run.  No smell… but…? Yeah, it seems to me that there might be a hint of an odor, though very faint.  I ask my family for their feedback.  Apparently I am still “OK”.    I read on line that some natural deodorants only last 8 hours.  Maybe that’s the issue?  I have a shower just to be sure and reapply.  All is good.  Consequently, I would say that this natural deodorant “works”.

Experiments concluded, my feedback is as follows:

• The crystal stone is my preferred deodorant.  It works reliably and leaves no residue.  It travels well.  My eldest daughter has also now adopted it and loves it.
• The shea butter recipe seems to work better than the more liquid (unknown) natural formulation.  I would not hesitate to use it.
• Phase 2 of the experiment:  Get my husband to try to these options.  Curious if they still would work for a man!

For those of you who are allergic to baking soda or do not find success with the options that I am proposing, please check the post on My Green Closet:

Finally found a Baking Soda-Free Deodorant that Works!

Maybe this option will work for you.

Challenge for the Week:  Are you using a natural deodorant?  How is it working for you?  Do you want to give a “natural” deodorant a try?  If you are reluctant like I was, I suggest trying it out on a weekend when you might not be doing a lot of socializing so that you can keep your friends. Your family, well, they can suffer for the cause!