Next to shampoo, the Deodorant Question looms the largest in the world of the seriously plastic-free. And somewhere in my head I made the calculation and thought “that’s too far.” I can zap plastic in other parts of my life before I go there. Thus LowPlastic.com.
But I’m sympathetic enough (and frugal and wary of toxins) to pass along an idea if someone else can make something of it. Queercents — a lesbian, gay etc. etc. finance blog; gave a transman article on affordable testosterone, for instance — recently ran an article by Elizabeth (no surname given) who makes her own toiletries.
Her research and experiments came to some counterintuitive conclusions, so I recommend you read the whole thing. You’ll end up with a two-fer! And it’s not a messy lotion-type concoction like your grandparents might have suffered.
I am inspired by your quest for no/plastic and am becoming more aware of it in my life. What makes the most sense to me is to focus on those things where we use the most plastic. That’s food for us. A package of deodorant, which we share, lasts us about 2-3 years. That seems like a really long time, but we don’t stink, so it seems to work for us.
At that rate, I’m not overly concerned about finding a plastic-free alternative. Your mileage may vary, of course :-)
I just started reading this blog, http://blog.earthlingshandbook.org/, and she reuses glass jars for her food storage/leftovers. I’m pretty sure that our Rubbermaid containers are made of BPA and need to be replaced. In the past, I would have looked for another plastic item. Thanks to you, I am motivated to try something non-plastic, and thanks to Becca, glass pickle jars may be the answer.
So, you are already making a difference just by creating this site. Thanks, Scott.
Scott, I know you are fond of deodorant, but honestly, plain baking soda works even better. Srsly. I dab it on dry with a powder puff in the morning and never have odor all day long. Every deodorant I have ever tried wore off after a while, but baking soda just keeps on giving its best.