[pct-l] deodorant

[Diane at Santa Barbara Hikes dot com]

On Apr 2, 2010, at 2:01 PM, pct-l-request at backcountry.net wrote:
> random question maybe, but does anyone bother bringing deodorant on  
> the
> trail? I find it hard to imagine life without it, but my boyfriend  
> is of the
> opinion that it really won't make a difference, and I'm starting to  
> worry he
> might be right!
> Any input is appreciated!
>
> Alexandra

I didn't use deodorant because by day 1.01 you stink. After that,  
adding deodorant does precious little.

When I returned home, I decided I preferred not using deodorant. I  
learned you can use baking soda instead. Make a paste of baking soda  
with a little bit of cornstarch and a little bit of water. Rub that  
on your underarms and it creates an environment that bacteria don't  
like. You can sweat naturally and avoid putting dangerous chemicals  
and excessive plastic waste into your body and the environment. I do  
this at home, but you could easily use baking soda on the trail. Just  
put it into some kind of watertight container. I've been thinking of  
buying a roll-on deodorant just so I can have the container for my  
homemade deodorant.

Diane



Books I've written:
~ Piper's Flight
~ Adventure and Magic
~ Santa Barbara Hikes