I’m not a scientist and admit I’ve not researched much in the best ways to go about reducing my impact on the planet but I do know that small changes are the easiest way to implement routines long term.
With that in mind, I’ve been looking to the cosmetic products I use daily to lessen my single plastic use and user kinder ingredients and processes.
One thing I’ve had trouble finding is a deodorant that matches my criteria:
- Lasts the whole day with moderate to low activity.
- Neutral or mild scent. I’m pretty easy going with smells.
- Easily recyclable container
- Easy, non messy application
- Can pop into gym bag or handbag and take anywhere
- Comparable price to my previous favourite. I expect to pay a little more for more expensive ingredients, processes and smaller batches though.
My old favourite was Mitchum roll on. Retails about £3 and it’s strong enough to be applied every other day and lasts me about 4/5 months. I’m not expecting to find the same performance and I don’t mind a more frequent application, but on looking most of the more ecologically kind products retail from £6-£13 so double to more then four times of what I currently pay. Yikes!
Products I Have Tried So Far
Ben & Anna ‘Nordic Timber’ (https://www.babipur.co.uk/natural-toiletries-skincare/deodorants/ben-anna-deodorant-provence-65982.html)
Paper tube and vegan. This one smells great and lasts for a day. The application is easy enough post shower BUT is a little crumbly if applied dry. Didn’t leave any marks on clothes.
I didn’t have any issues with the tube disintegrating as seen on some web reviews, BUT I did struggle to push the tube up and finish with my small fingers and ended up having to find a pen to use. Not ideal in the gym!
I used it alongside the Mitchum I was finishing off but it did go down quite fast and at £9.95, it’d make a noticeable dent in my bank account.
Lush ‘Teo’ – https://uk.lush.com/products/teo
It smells nice (I like it) but that’s possibly the only positive thing I have to say about this. And the price I guess, but then I don’t like using it so that will add some longevity!
The first time I used this, not after shaving and without any known skin sensitivities, I got a mild burning feeling for about an hour after and pink pits. The surface was also rough and uncomfortable to apply.
It took me a few days to figure out that the only way to get it to last beyond an hour was applying it wet – and even using a touch of water made it crumbly.
Aramaco might work better but I won’t be buying this again
Earth Conscious – Lavender and Tea Tree (https://www.babipur.co.uk/natural-toiletries-skincare/deodorants/earth-conscious-lavender-tea-tree-deodorant.html)
Lovely fresh scent and a lot smoother then the Ben and Anna stick – not at all crumbly. The tube is shorter so may not have the same issues as previous. Applied fine when dry and not too badly priced, but I am sad that I lost my tube before I had a chance to find out it’s value!
Packaging advises being modest with applying it but I found I needed a few swipes to get it to last the day.
I may go back to this but I want to try a few other brands first. I’ll post again when I’ve tried more, though hopefully I will find ‘The One’ and not need to!