Green deodorant update

Well, I promised you an update after a week and.........IT WORKS!!! I can't believe it but it really does work!  (In case you didn't catch the original post, here's the link...)


I mixed one spoonful of bicarbonate of soda (baking soda in USA) with 6 spoonfuls of cornflour (cornstarch in USA) in a little container which I keep in the bathroom. Each morning, when I've done my usual ablutions, I dampen my underarms then use my still damp fingers to pat the powder on till it feels dry. I do this leaning over the sink in case I spill any. It doesn't mark my clothes and it keeps me fresh and dry all day. It even worked when I did my exercise class - the rest of me got hot and sweaty (as it should if it's doing me any good) but there was no smell and no pit stains! (sorry if I'm being gross here) AMAZING!!!


And, of course, as well as needing no throwaway plastic container it is so cheap to buy. I reckon the amount I mixed will probably last a month or so, easily; and there's loads left in the packets I bought. Wow!


Sorry if I'm sounding a bit evangelical about all this but I can't believe how well it worked.  To think of all the money I spent on useless chemical formulas in planet polluting packaging.... (Ooh, good bit of alliteration there.)  Bet this is something the cosmetics companies want to keep veeerrrry quiet!   ;-)

'Green' deodorant

I HATE PLASTIC! 


Well, that's not quite true. Plastic is a wonderful material in itself; lightweight, strong and colourful BUT (and it's a huge, mega-sized 'but', bigger even than mine, and that's saying something!) it takes hundreds of years to break down and, not being a natural product, never actually decomposes. It also requires oil to make it, which we're rapidly running out of. (Have a look at Soul Soup Sister's blog post about where a lot of plastic ends up.) So I am trying to avoid buying products in plastic containers - for example, I buy rice pudding and custard in tins, which can easily be recycled.


One product which always comes in plastic containers is anti-perspirant/deodorant. (Except spray cans, but they can't be recycled either.) On the recommendation of another blog friend, Ember, I tried a Lush dry deodorant bar. Lush cut down the need for packaging by taking the water out of things like shampoo and deodorant, and try to use natural ingredients. I have to say that this is the MOST EFFECTIVE deodorant I've ever used. I love the zingy smell too! It takes a change of routine to use it since it is neither a roll on or a spray but a bar. I found it quickly broke into pieces so I keep it in a little lidded pot. To use it I wet my fingers and scoop up some of the powder (you only need a very little) to make a kind of paste, then apply to my underarms. It has never marked my clothes and keeps me fresh all day, unlike my old roll ons which used to give a sour smell by the end of the day.


However, I have now run out. My nearest Lush store is 40 miles away. I can order online, as I did last time, and Lush are committed to recyclable and biodegradable packaging, but it still seems a waste to send it all that way.  I looked up the ingredients in the Lush bar and the main active ingredient seems to be bicarbonate of soda, with most of the rest of it being a combination of essential oils to make it smell nice. Sooooo I have come across what looks like a good recipe for homemade deodorant. When I've tried it for a week or so I'll let you know how I've got on!