The less glamorous side of being a vegan is definitely the trickiest. Finding household products and basic nuts and bolts like toothpaste and deodorant, which are each areas largely dominated by consumer giants, can be difficult as they are often forgotten and left behind. My first foray into natural, cruelty-free deodorants saw me trying the Dr Organic Lavender Deodorant from high-street healthstore Holland & Barrett. Dr Organic is an award winning company with prestigious acolades from beauty trade giant CEW, Pure Beauty, Cosmopolitan and the Beauty Bible. They are committed to using only the finest natural and organic raw materials where possible and are strong campaigners against animal cruelty.
I found the packaging instantly striking. It is simple and sleek and aligned with the natural and organic messaging of the product. I love the shiny white screw cap and the eye-catching purple to hint at the lavender scent. To put it simply: it suceeds in making deodorant attractive and almost premium.
Secondly, I was drawn to the scent. I am a huge fan of lavender; I love to pour it into my bath and sprinkle it on my pillow before bed. It's proven to be calming, balancing and beneficial to the soul - what's not to love! It enhances natural skin cell renewal and improves the skin's health and texture too. On second thoughts though, lavender's only place is perhaps in the bath and bed. It somewhat jarred as a deodorant. When applying it in the morning, the subtle aroma would tempt me to crawl straight back into bed instead of setting me up for the day.
The functionality also impressed me. There is nothing worse than a rollerball deodorant that simply doesn't roll and although it feels unusual to discuss the degree to which a deodorant rolled (not my most insightful beauty input), but this is a deal breaker for me! I can therefore assure you that it was well lubricated and also rolled well to distribute the anti-perspirant effectively across the armpit area :)
As a result, it is fresh and cool and just what I'm looking for: a thin gel-like consistency. No whiteness or flakiness.
I also cannot argue with the sentiment. Dr Organic promise to use organic, natural and bioactive ingredients, no harsh chemicals, no animal ingredients, no animal testing, no mineral oils or petro-chemicals and no GM ingredients. Sounds fantastic and a truly inspirational company.
However, as much as I love the packaging, the scent, the functionality and the sentiment, I will not be repeat purchasing this product.
Despite all of the above, surely the one thing you would look for in a deodorant is to keep you smelling fresh. And I'm sorry to say that I was one sweaty Betty.... Everyday I told myself that it was perhaps because I was warm or overexerting myself, but now having stopped using the product I can tell that it just wasn't delivering.
Who knows - I may be sweatier and smellier than some, but if I could smell myself I dread to think what others thought. It promises to be fragrant and purifying and its organic lavender oil and aloe vera, Sunflower oil, Icelandic Moss and Vitamin E did improve the quality of my underarms - reducing any irritation and leaving them soft and smooth. However, I did smell and that is that. No more Dr Organic deodorants I'm afraid. It hasn't put me off the entire range though - the body oils and lip serums in particular may find themselves into my shopping basket when I'm popping into Holland & Barrett for my non-dairys.
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