Vegan Deodorant: Do's, Don'ts, and DIYs.

In all my journeys to veganize that little space underneath the bathroom sink, the hardest thing to find a suitable vegan replacement for was deodorant. In the past (almost) 3 years I have probably spent at least $75 trying to figure out what products work for me. Unfortunately, quite a few do not work at all.

To start on a cheery note, these are some products I would not recommend: Kiss My Face liquid rock deodorant, Jason's deodorant sticks, or Desert Essence deodorant. I have tried different scents of each and all of them last about an hour before all smelly hell breaks loose. Don't waste your money.

Conversely, I do have a few "do's" which worked well for me. The first is LaVanilla's deodorant. It smells lovely and it works incredibly well but unfortunately at $14 for 2oz bottle it is not something most people could afford. Another deodorant I like is Lush's Aromaco. The smell is a bit strange as is applying it but it does the job very well for $6.95/100 g. Finally, Herban Cowboy's deodorant in blossom. The fact that I smell like a bouquet of flowers after biking +5 km wearing this should speak volumes. It costs about $10 for 2.8 oz. but I think it's worth it.

Although these "do" products are effective, they are not the best choice if you're looking for something "natural," "eco-friendly," healthy and/or affordable.

 But don't sweat! There is one more thing you can do: DIY deodorant (a little ironic consider the blog title, no?). There are literally dozens of variations of this recipe floating around the web so I just plucked one off Google at random: ttp://cameraphonevegan.com /2013/03/10/diy-coconut-oil-vegan-deodorant/ 

Laugh if you will but this stuff actually works. There is a company called Bubble & Bee which makes an organic, vegan version of this recipe and it actually worked just as well as all my other "do's," if not better. I was a little short on time and motivation last time I ran out of deodorant which is why I'm still using Herban Cowboy but once it's done I'm not buying anymore. It's probably best that I can cross one more product of my shopping list for good. 

That's all for now, xx

the VPJ