Smelling nice seems to be a major preoccupation with the general public, particularly in the summer months – indeed, in 2019, the global anti-perspirant market will amount to an estimated 75 billion US dollars. We haven’t used anti-perspirants in years, but we do want to smell nice, so deodorants are clearly the answer. They tend to come in either a spray can (which is damaging to the ozone layer) or as a roll-on in a single-use plastic dispenser, neither of which is a suitable choice for us.
Luckily, solid deodorant bars are easy enough to find. Lush do one that has a lovely patchouli aroma and which they will happily cut to size to fit your reusable container; and there are plenty of other makes available online. You just apply the block directly to the skin and the job’s a good ‘un.
We also recently repurposed a tub of coconut oil, originally purchased as a moisturiser, but which, it turns out, works just as well as a nicely scented (and very economical) deodorant top-up.
(Phil)
The Zero Wastrels 
Brill. I’d been wondering about the deodorant quandary. It would be nice to help the environment without, well, causing a stink. What sort of reusable container do you use… does it have to be an original deodorant receptacle? Half our problem living in a small place nowadays is finding some local emporium able to do refills. Our nearest Lush is a forty minute car trip away!
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Hi Jonny. We’ve been using screwtop aluminium tins, the kind that travel sweets come in, washed out after the sweets have been eaten. They are a good size to go in washbags for travel or gym. Most eco-shops are pretty accommodating though and will cut them to fit whatever storage you take along.
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Hey Jonny! You could also try one of the online eco stores? We like Non Plastic Beach. https://nonplasticbeach.com
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Hey guys! Thanks for the tips. I’ll get back with some fuller thoughts, but I’m going to google nearest eco stores first…
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Right, I’ve now found an eco store 1.5 miles away which apparently does refills on household and personal hygiene products, which is a great result. You’ve also given me an excuse to buy a couple of tins of car sweets 😉 Barley sugar, anyone? Thanks for the advice. We’re trying to minimise, if not eliminate entirely, our plastic consumption for hygiene and household stuff – so that should make a fair dent in things. Keep up the good work!
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