12 Months-12 Eco Swaps: Switching to Sustainable Deodorant

Month 1- January It’s Deodorant

Background…..

As when I decided to go Vegan back in 2013, I started with the food, gradually as I did the next shop I swapped over the milk and butter and cheese, we obviously stopped eating or buying any meat but finding substitutes didn’t happen over night.

My husband Peter then joined me a few months later as he felt better not eating meat every day, every meal as it was me shopping & cooking the food we all ate.

Our kids were young at the time 3, 5 & 6 so swopping the younger 2 over wasn’t a big deal as they were at the stage of trying different food out all the time anyway. We also found after eating dairy they would throw up later in the day, so it was easier to just look for the V vegan sign on food than to keep checking for non dairy products for them.

Clayton, being Autistic had (and still has) a self limiting diet of dry brown or beige finger foods only so he wasn’t included in our switch, getting him to just eat was a struggle in its self.

Anyway…..my point is, nothing happens over night, going Vegan we started with food, it then progressed onto products, clothing, shoes, coats, linen, furniture, now we chose items without a second thought.

This progressed onto what was happening on our land and led us to permaculture, principles & design. Permaculture principle No6 is: Produce No Waste. This is the overall aim.

Just making 1 swop starts to make a difference to our planet. What could you do today?

What Am I Looking For?

When looking at products I always found that they contained such a load of other harmful chemicals. Watching what food & drink I put into my and my families body made me really aware of what chemicals we were putting ON our bodies that would still pass through the skin into our bloodstream.

I’ve spent the last 5yrs swopping to non toxic brands, but that doesn’t mean that they are eco friendly too. So here I am making more swops. This month finding deodorants that met my criteria

What Is My Criteria?

My criteria for swapping over deodorants are:

1. Vegan & Cruelty Free

2. No Aluminiums or Parabans or Sulphates

3. No Single Use Plastic

4. Nothing I have to put in the recycling bin OR send back to be recycled

5. Biodegradable (if that will even be a thing)

6. Cost. I do not want to spend any more than I already do on our non toxic deodorants of £6 per month

What Did I find?

There are so many on the market that hit 3 or 4 but not all 6 of my “demands” There were a few on the market that met all 6 of criteria. But this one stood out to me. I have been using this product since Oct 21 to give it a good review.

Wild Deodorant. This is What They Say

Wildly effective and sustainable.

Deodorant Redefined
Wild is the new, sustainable Natural Deodorant delivered straight to your door. Aluminium free with compostable, plastic free refills and a 100% effective formula.

Effective
Rigorously tried, tested and customer approved

Sustainable
Unique plastic-free, compostable refills

Convenient
Delivered through your letterbox when you need it

No Nasties
Powered by nature, not parabens or aluminium

Taken from their website: wearewild.com

How Did It Fit My Criteria?

1. Vegan & Cruelty Free

This is my No1 priority before even looking at anything else. Ideally I would prefer to support fully Vegan & Cruelty Free businesses.

Wild state: All our deodorants are made from ingredients that are vegan-friendly. Wild is powered by plants, not aluminium-salts or parabens and sulphates and all our formulas are certified vegan and cruelty-free. We never test on animals, only smelly people.

– YES – This works for me!

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2. No Aluminiums or Parabans or Sulphates

After so many years of reading labels, endless hours looking up chemical names, I am not about to give this up just because it is eco friendly. I need to have both, all, my criteria met to make yet another swop

Wild state: Wild is powered by plants, not aluminium-salts or parabens and sulphates and all our formulas are certified vegan and cruelty-free. No Nasties- Powered by nature, not parabens or aluminium

We will never use aluminium salts in our deodorant. Our reusable case is however made of aluminium alloy which is a very commonly used and safe form of packaging and is totally different to the aluminium salts used in some antiperspirants.

– YES – This works for me!

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3. No Single Use Plastic

& 4. Nothing I have to put in the recycling bin OR send back to be recycled

& 5. Biodegradable (if that will even be a thing)

Refillable, reusable case & Unique plastic-free, compostable refills that come is a wide range of scents for the whole family, that keep being updated.

I didn’t even know if No5 was possible, I didn’t want to add anything more to the recycling pile, nor did I want to waste postage footprints in sending things back. I just wanted something that after I used it, it would compost away. And this does!!! I just bury the refill pots & lids in the dirt outside and it starts composting.

Wild state: That their refills are plastic-free, compostable refills

– YES – This works for me!

6. Cost. I do not want to spend any more than I already do on our non toxic deodorants of £6 per month

After grabbing a free case code, I only paid for the refills which are the same price as what I have been paying for my monthly deodorant. However I only switched out the refill after 7 weeks of daily use, so has lasted me nearly double. Dr Organic Deodorant is 50ml liquid and these refills are solid 43g, I do wonder if that makes a different as the liquid does come out faster?

Wild state: That their refills are plastic-free, compostable refills

– YES – This works for me!

How Easy Is It To Use & Buy Refills?

To buy the refills you can pop along to BootsTheChemist who sell them or order directly off their website, there are so many to chose from all you need to do is select a case and pick out which scents you would like to use. Either pick a one off order, great to test it out, or you can have them deliver monthly for a discounted price.

You can even get them with your name printed on if you order direct from the website. This is the Gold version case. You can get a free case to start your eco deodorant journey by using my mention-me referral link.

So far I have tried out

Fresh Cotton & Sea Salt Inspired by newly washed linen drying in a cool seaside breeze this energizing fragrance will help you start your day right. Which I really loved the fresh clean smell.

Sandalwood & Patchouli This scent combines sultry, woody tones of sandalwood with the rich scent of patchouli to create a mysteriously decadent fusion. Which has been a real hit with both my teen boys as it smells like a cologne

Coconut & Vanilla This sweet scent will have you dreaming of trips to the tropics, thanks to its exotic blend of coconut oil, cocoa and shea butter. Not worn this one yet, but smells lovely

Jasmine & Mandarin Blossom This floral fragrance blends sweet, sophisticated notes of Jasmine with fresh and exotic smells of Mandarin Blossom. This is a hit with my pre-teen active daughter smells really cute and flowery

and I also had the Halloween special Toffee Apple which I wish I had got more of as it smells like Christmas

I also have the

3 x Mini Deodorants. These I have noticed get changed up with different scents. Which are ideal to pop in your bag, gym bag, car for a quick refresh….not that I have needed to use them!!

Top 5 Reasons To Try This Swap

1. Aluminium free (This is a must nowadays)

2. Compostable & plastic free refills. (I just bury mine in any soil outside)

3. Powered by nature, not paraben. (again, a must!)

4. Lots of different scents for the whole family (You can add your name to the cases too, which is cool)

5. You can get a free case to start your eco deodorant journey by using my mention-me referral link.

And of course the whole reason to stop extra waste coming out of the household. This produces ZERO waste each month!!

As a household if we each get through our deodorant once a month (like I do) that’s 60 plastic bottles now being eliminated per year!!!

🌳Permaculture Principle No6 – Produce No Waste

🌱Vegan Living- To Do No Harm

👣🌎Small steps is better than none at all! What small change could you make this year? Could you look into your deodorant too?

Happy Gardening!

Katrina & Clayton and family live in East Ayrshire and share their daily life in the garden on instagram. They practice permaculture principles in the garden, reducing & repurposing waste whenever they can. Katrina shows how home educating in nature has helped Clayton thrive. 

Clayton Completed The 2 Grow and Learn Courses with the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society. He is Autistic, Non Verbal & has been Home Educated since 2018. Katrina & Peter hold their PDC & PDC PRO Permaculture Design Course from Oregon State University 

They featured on BBC Beechgrove Gardens Ep23 2022 and returned in 2023 for an update,Katrina & Clayton are also columnists for ScotlandGrows Magazine, Guest Blog for Caledonian Horticulture as well as working with Gardeners’ World Magazine and many other brands. They are also Authors of the new children’s book: Clayton’s New Garden Journey: A Story of Autism and Growing available on Amazon & Kindle. Listen in on our Guest Podcast to learn more about us.

Our Children’s Book Series

Author of the new children’s book series: Clayton’s Garden Journey: A Story of Autism and Gardening. Topics on Growing, Harvesting, Sowing & Composting and 108 Page Weather and Seasons Weekly Gardening Record Book available on Amazon and Kindle

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