Introduction
One of the challenges I’ve faced in my journey to live more sustainably by reducing plastic usage has been finding deodorant. I’ve used Ban roll on deodorant for a long time because 1) it kept me odor free, and 2) it didn’t ruin my clothes.
Unfortunately, it has two major drawbacks. First, it comes in single-use plastic. And while each one lasts me a long time, it’s still a major source of my bathroom waste. Second, it contains aluminum, which worries me as some research shows the potentially harmful side effects. I figure if I can find something decidedly less harmful that works just as well, why risk it? (For more on aluminum see: Web-MD – Antiperspirant Safety: Should You Sweat It?, Live Science – Do You Really Need to Buy Aluminum-Free Deodorant?, Teen Vogue – Deodorant Aluminum: What You Should Know)
I was living in Hawaii when I first learned about going plastic free, so my first choice was a Hawaii-made product called Pit Balm. I really liked it at first – definitely kept me stink free, even in Hawaii where sweat is an accepted part of life. But after a couple months I developed a rash from the baking soda (sodium bicarbonate).
I had a lot of other things on my plate (moving back to the East Coast, renovating a condo, being diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and dysautonomia), so I switched back to Ban and back burnered the deodorant issue for another day.
That other day has finally arrived! I’m digging back into the fray, looking for an effective baking soda free, plastic free, zero waste, sustainable alternative. I haven’t figured it out yet, but I wanted to share my journey and my research. (August 2019 Update – Spoiler alert! I figured it out, and my answer was lime juice!)
It’s been tough because it seems like the “natural beauty and health” community hasn’t quite met up with the “plastic free” community. It was fairly easy to find “all natural” and “alternative” deodorants, but harder to find them zero waste and plastic free. But as the zero waste and plastic free movements gain mainstream traction, more and more options seem to be hitting the market. There are definitely a lot more options out there than there were 2 or 3 years ago when I first started looking, so I’m hopeful there will be something good out there for me.
I’m going to try to focus this page on low waste options rather than particularly “natural” or vegan options since there are already a lot of resources out there regarding the harmful effects of particular chemicals. I start with liquid options, since that’s the closest to my wasteful brand preference, then share some baking soda free options, then spend just a little bit of time with a few baking soda brands, since they are the easiest option to find.
Liquid and Roll On Deodorants
I really like my Ban, so my first hope was to find a comparable liquid deodorant that I could roll or spray on.
I found one on Etsy by Rutherford Reserve:
Downside is that it contains baking soda. The seller does note that they can change the formula if there’s an ingredient you don’t like, so I guess if I asked they could take the baking soda out. But if that’s the main deodorizing ingredient, then I worry it wouldn’t be effective.
The cap is also plastic, but the container is refillable, so at least it’s not single use plastic. Unfortunately, it looked to me like the refills came in plastic, so maybe not a long-term plastic free solution. Less waste, but not zero waste.
But this find did get me thinking – what if I could come up with my own liquid deodorant formula and use a refillable roll on container? Looking for containers led me down a rabbit hole on milk of magnesia, which I’d never before heard of in all of my natural deodorant searching. It has quite a following so I’m adding a subsection below.
A quick search for “refillable roll on deodorant bottle” and “refillable glass roll on deodorant bottles” turned up a LOT of results. I think it’s dealer’s choice on any of them. I will look for one that minimizes the amount of plastic used in shipping.
Milk of Magnesia
In all my natural deodorant searching, I’d never come across milk of magnesia before, but apparently it has quite a following!
Two pro-milk of magnesia articles:
Whole Natural Life: One Ingredient Milk of Magnesia Deodorant
Milk Of Magnesia Is A Perfect Deodorant And I’m Mad I Just Found Out
And one anti-milk of magnesia article:
Bubble & Bee Organic Chemical of the Day: Milk of Magnesia
The gist of the article is that bleach (sodium hypochlorite) is an inactive ingredient in milk of magnesia, and it is what’s actually causing the results people see, by killing the germs and drying out skin. Many people replied to post saying they make sure to use milk of magnesia that doesn’t have any other ingredients, and it still works. But I include the “anti” article because it brought up a very good point, and in my searching I made sure to check the inactive ingredients very carefully and it helped me narrow down brands.
Toxinless has a good list of brands with only water as an additional ingredient here (although I would recommend double checking before purchase in case it is out of date): https://www.toxinless.com/milk-of-magnesia
The biggest drawback to milk of magnesia from a zero waste standpoint is that while there were lots of milk of magnesia deodorant brands out there, I could not find a product that was plastic free. Bummer-town. So I started exploring my DIY options to minimize the amount of plastic used.
First, I considered buying the milk of magnesia in larger containers. Larger containers = fewer containers = less waste, right? Well, turns out, people use this stuff for horses, so I found two 1 gallon bottle options.
First there was the one by Neogen. Unfortunately, a closer look at the product info reveals sodium hypochloride (bleach) as an inactive ingredient, so it’s a no go.
Next there was the one by Cox Veterinary Laboratory. It also contains an “emulsifier and preservatives,” which aren’t spelled out in the ingredients, so I’m ruling it out, too.
This option was starting to seem less and less viable from a zero waste standpoint. But I didn’t want to give up on some promising so easily. It’s just magnesium hydroxide and water, right? Couldn’t I make my own from raw ingredients? After some searching, I couldn’t find any plastic free options (ugh, again!), but I’d still consider it a less wasteful option than traditional deodorants since one package of the raw ingredient ought to last a real long time. Here’s some brands I found (in no particular order):
Bulk Supplements Magnesium Hydroxide Powder
Making Cosmetics Magnesium Hydroxide
So not many, but a handful of options for mixing my own milk of magnesia deodorant. Right now I don’t consider it my best option, since there is still plenty of plastic packaging involved, but I’m going to definitely keep it in the back of my mind if I can’t find any other natural deodorant I like.
I feel less bad about the plastic generated by making my own alternatives because even if I buy a deodorant that is shipped to me in zero waste packaging (like a cardboard tube or metal tin), there was bound to be plastic somewhere in the production line. Other makers have to get their ingredients from somewhere. What are the odds that they’ve been able to find something plastic free that I haven’t? The only room for improvement on that front is if they can buy their ingredients in greater bulk than I can; then they’re probably maximizing the fewer containers = less waste idea.
Other Liquid Deodorants
I found some suggestions for DIY deodorant on Hippie in a Van’s article “STOP STINKING: VEGAN + ZERO WASTE DEODORANT OPTIONS.”
She claims the simplest option is simply wiping one of the following into your pits:
- lime juice,
- white vinegar,
- vodka, or
- lavender essential oil
So far I’ve only tried one – a mix of lavender, tea tree, and rosemary essential oils in almond oil to dilute them. Success was moderate. I felt like I had to reapply more often, and I felt like it was just covering up an underlying funk. With underwhelming success, I want to try other options. I also worry about the oils damaging my clothes.
Lime Juice Review
I was very skeptical, but desperate for an effective liquid deodorant, so in July I gave lime juice a try. And I have to say, so far I’m impressed!!
I had a small glass roll on container with lavender essential oil in it, which I transferred to another container. I juiced half a lime and put it in the roll on container, so technically what I’ve been using is lime juice with a tiny bit of leftover lavender essential oil. However, since I tried essential oils solo with little success, I credit the lime juice for the deodorizing power.
I don’t want the lime juice to go rancid, so I’ve been keeping it in the fridge. It’s been a couple weeks now and it hasn’t gone bad yet. And a little seems to be going a pretty long way.
I don’t think the lime juice has quite the 24-hour power that I got from Ban, but it does a good job, even in these hot summer days. Compared to the magnesium oil I tried, the lime juice is much more effective. I’d say it’s about on par with the Little Seed Farm deodorant cream I tried in June, with the lime juice maybe being more effective. The creams had a nice scent while the lime juice has virtually none, but the lime juice has the advantage of not leaving a residue.
So far I haven’t seen any negative impact of the lime juice on my clothes.
Especially after my negative experience with the magnesium oil, I was worried that the lime juice would sting on freshly shaven armpits, but I did not experience any at all.
Unless I have any issues, and of course I’d post an update if I did, I will be using lime juice as my plastic free roll on deodorant of choice! I’m so happy I came across the suggestion and decided to give it a try, despite my skepticism.
August 2019 Update
In line with milk of magnesia/magnesium hydroxide deodorant theories, I came across other magnesium-based deodorant options. One is a magnesium oil deodorant spray recipe from Wellness Mama. I also found a couple magnesium oil options in glass bottles on Etsy:
Pura Vida Chica All-Natural Magnesium Oil Spray
Magnesium Oil Review
I bought the Pura Vida magnesium oil (with lavender essential oil) in May (2019) and I’ve been giving it a go for a couple weeks now (it’s early June as of this update!).
I really, really wanted it to work, but I have to say success has been mixed.
On the plus side, I did not notice any effect of the deodorant on my clothes, so that was a win!
On a plastic free note, ordering from this seller was not a success. It was shipped in a plastic envelope and the bottle had a plastic seal. The plastic seal might be mandatory for health reasons, but if I were making my own, I wouldn’t need it.
Some days I felt like the magnesium oil was working, but other days I could tell it was not. It’s had a fair run at this point, so I’m going to move on to try something else.
I’ve also been really put off by the stinging when I apply. At first I thought it was stinging because my underarms were freshly shaved, but even skipping a few days shaving I was still have trouble. I had read some people experience “tingling.” Mine was not so mild. More of a lemon juice on a paper cut sensation that lasted for hours and really was distractingly painful.
June 2019 Update
Black Willow Apiary Magnesium Oil Spray
Rooted Earth Magnesium Oil Spray
Magnesium oil is not actually an oil; it’s made with water and magnesium chloride rather than magnesium hydroxide. Which is also very close to my epsom salts, which are magnesium sulfate. Kind of makes me wonder if I could use one spray for both my hair and as a deodorant, if it’s the magnesium that’s the key ingredient.
Unfortunately on the DIY end, I seem to be running into the same raw ingredients issue over and over again – I can’t source the raw ingredients plastic free.
If I had the storage space, I’d probably go for the large tub that’s at least reusable from Earthborn Elements:
For a less overwhelming amount of raw ingredients, I’d probably go for these Swanson Ultra Magnesium Flakes instead:
It’s not plastic free, but at least the container would be more reusable.
Without Baking Soda
It’s been particularly difficult even finding brands that meet my two highest priorities: zero waste/plastic free AND no baking soda.
As of May 2019 I have yet to try any of these options, but as I test them out, I will share my results. In no particular order:
Little Seed Farm
Little Seed Farm Deodorant Creams
I’m looking forward to trying this brand! There are a variety of scents, it looks like good, natural ingredients, AND they even have a ZERO WASTE SHIPPING option! It’s nice to find a brand with natural and zero waste priorities.
Little Seed Farm Review
I purchased 2 small samples – cucumber scent and rosemary patchouli scent. They have done a much better job of deodorizing than the magnesium oil, and the ingredients have not aggravated my underarms – yay! They both smell very nice, but I think I prefer the cucumber. I’m impressed with how well they worked, considering we’ve had some hot, sweaty weather around here.
My only complaint is that the deodorant can leave a residue. I stuck a folder under my arm when I was walking to an appointment, and when I looked at it later, it had a huge deodorant smear on it. Not super appealing. I used to do a lot more swing dancing, and one of my most embarrassing moments was when my deodorant left a mark on my dance partner’s dark shirt. I switched to liquid deodorant after that and never had an issue. So, I think I will keep looking for a good plastic free liquid deodorant, but in the meantime I will order a large container of this deodorant.
I’m really not hopeful that I will find a plastic free liquid deodorant that really works for me. Most of the ones I’ve seen are either not plastic free and/or essential oil based, which I worry will leave marks on my clothes and/or not be effective.
June 2019 Update
Meow Meow Tweet
Meow Meow Tweet Deodorant Cream
This brand has a variety of formulas, including this baking soda free one. It also comes in a paper stick packaging option, but with my arthritic hands, I think the cream will be easier for me to use.
Meadowlark Botanical
Meadowlark Botanical Herbal Deodorant
Routine
Routine Cream Deodorant for Sensitive Skin
This brand has a wide variety of baking soda free “flavors”. They use magnesium as a main ingredient instead. They also appear to be very planet focused, with refill options available in some Canada and US locations.
Hammond Herbs
This brand have a wide variety of flavors, two of which are available in the no baking soda (no BS) formula which uses magnesium chloride. Comes in a biodegradable tube. They also have a variety of other zero waste health and beauty products.
With Baking Soda
I wanted to include some baking soda options since it doesn’t seem to bother a lot of people.
PiperWai
First, I’m listing a brand that is supposed to better for people who are sensitive to baking soda. I’m hopeful that if none of the no-baking soda options prove strong enough, this one might be just the ticket. I thought it was interesting because it also has magnesium hydroxide (the key ingredient in milk of magnesia) as an ingredient:
PiperWai Natural Deodorant (Jar)
Unfortunately, I wouldn’t classify this particular brand as being completely zero waste or plastic free. The jar still has a plastic lid, and I don’t see anywhere on their page about any sort of refill system. They also offer a traditional plastic stick version, so it seems like a more natural products focused brand. But, if enough people ask for it, maybe they’ll come up with a zero waste version!
by Humankind
The concept of this deodorant is a little different. You get the plastic container once (it’s guaranteed for life) and then buy deodorant refills for it on a subscription basis.
by Humankind Refillable Deodorant
This is one I have actually purchased. I was really excited about it, until it arrived and I actually read the ingredient list. It has baking soda. But I’m including it here because they were really nice about it when I asked if I could return it, and said they were exploring other formulas. If they do come up with a baking soda free version in the future, I’d be eager to try it!
Natural Vegan Club
I haven’t tried this brand because it is a baking soda formula, but I’m including it because they are really focused on their environment impact. It’s hard to find brands that are both socially responsible and environmentally responsible.
Natural Vegan Deodorant
They were also super responsive when I asked them about the compostability. I was worried that it meant industrially compostable (which means hardly compostable at all), but they said while they recommended recycling the tube rather than composting, that it would in fact compost in the back yard. Hard to beat that! I just wish they had a baking soda free version! Then I’d try it.
***August 2020 update: NaturalVeganClub.com is no longer active. The brand seems to be transitioning to “Habitat Botanicals.” They offer a deodorant in a similar biodegradable/compostable tube, with a note on the product page stating “We are currently going through a rebrand and the products that you will receive may look different than the photos.”
Additional Resources
Plenty More Plastic in the Sea
Plastic Free Deodorants: Which to Choose?
A nice article from a woman who’s actually tried several brands. She lists the pros and cons of each.
***December 2019 update: PlentyMorePlastic.com appears to be discontinued. 🙁
South China Morning Post
Plastic-free, natural deodorants: we test six of the best available in Hong Kong
Not all the ones they tried are available worldwide, but this is a good jumping off point for the variety of zero waste deodorant options out there.
Little Plastic Footprint
Little Plastic Footprint Deodorant
This was a really comprehensive list of a lot of plastic free brands! Features a lot of non-US based brands and option. Well laid out and easy to find good information.
