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Thursday, April 21, 2011

On my mind: Meeting green halfway works for me and my budget

Okay, I'm trying to buy greener products, but they don't always suit me. So I've decided to meet green halfway and guess what? IT WORKS!
Underarm Deodorant 
    I'm a big believer that "layering" underarm deodorant makes it work better, but never foung a "green" deodorant that seemed to work. I tried three different brands: Kiss My Face, Tom's and Jason's, but even if I applied the natural deodorants at night and in the morn and then reapplied yet again a few times during the day, I seemed to smell of lavender AND sweat. UGH!
Add water to baking soda for a thick paste.
   So I decided to go halfway green: I apply a natural deodorant at night after my shower and in the morning I use a standard commercial antiperspirant/deodorant. Works great!
No 'Poo Shampoo
   Never found the time to give the "no 'poo" baking soda shampoo the days supposedly required for my "natural oils" to kick in, so I've been using the baking soda paste every other shampoo or so (about 1 1/2 teaspoon for short hair). Works great!
Homemade Dishwasher Detergent
   The cleaner greener homemade dishwasher detergent I made a few weeks back is working for me too. Still using it every fifth time or so and there hasn't been any of the buildup I'd been warned about with the green recipes. Works great!
   Until I can find my way to natural products that work, meeting green halfway not only eases my budget but also eases my guilt about the environmental impact of commercial products.
   Are there any ways you are meeting green halfway? Any recommendations of natural products that DO work would also be appreciated!

9 comments:

Alynia said...

I use those deodorant rollers instead of sprays, to which I was used since my teens (you know the reactions of teenagers: rollers are yuk etc :P). Somehow I managed to get a lot of eco detergent and shower gel free lately, and off course I use those now! And I don't use a dishwasher...

Dmarie said...

I'm using the roller now that the stick ran out, and it does take some getting used to...takes so long to dry! but I'm gonna use it up anyway!

Unknown said...

hmmm....need to check on the no poo thing ... deodoerant? Straight Secret for me, sorry, can't bring myself to do anything different :)

Brenna said...

I use the 100% natural deodorant from Rock Mountain Soap, and it is fantastic! Best natural deodorant I have ever used, and I tried quite a few! They are Canadian, and not sure if they ship to the States, but if they do, I would highly recommend them! I also use their shampoo bar for shampoo, and it is fantastic. Better for shorter hair, which I have. For dishwasher detergent I use Seventh Generation, and it is wonderful.

becky3086 said...

I have converted to a green bathroom cleaner and a green dish detergent (not dishwasher here). Tried the baking soda shampoo, thought it worked great but is inconvenient. When I find a couple of squeeze bottles I'll try again.
I tried the cloth bags at the grocery store, got a bunch of them, but slowly stopped using them. I got tired of explaining to the cashiers that they were mine and I wasn't buying them and wanted them filled and to NOT use any plastic. They couldn't ever seem to get it. Now we use the plastic bags and take them back to be recycled. I would still rather use the cloth one though.
I also am trying to buy more organic vegetables but they are expensive so I always try to buy at least one or two organic things each shopping trip to help support the organic farmers.

MegSmith @ Cooking.In.College said...

You are amazing! The things you do are so unique, I love reading about them.

I was thinking about a natural deodorant but the smell of flowers and sweat...no thanks!

Practical Parsimony said...

No one can be perfectly "green." Those who say they are perfect eventually show their lack of consistency. I still use dishwasher detergent.In a pinch, vinegar and baking soda work. Yet, I have not bought tp in about 3 years. We all try. I used a deodorant rock. It worked but I was still drippy. I suppose I prefer to poison my body to being wet all the time. LOL

Mary said...

Good luck with the green deoderant quest. I've not found anything that really works for long.

I've been using green cleaners for a long time but just recently switched to homemade laundry soap and it works great.

I also made some ant traps, maybe not 100% green (borax) but at least they aren't pure poison.

Dmarie said...

@Florida, I understand that completely! trying brands that don't work is no fun, especially since I feel compelled to use them up.
@Brenna, THX! will definitely look for that!
@Becky, I had the same problem at first with my bags, but it's getting better. Hope that means more folks besides me are using them!
@Meg, *chuckle* I hear you!
@Practical, HA, I guess I do too, since I'm not willing to give 'em up, but I'm gonna keep looking! (Hopeful about Brenna's brand)
@Mary, my folks had ant troubles. I'd read about cayenne but they tried it and it didn't work, so they had a pro come in. not great for my mom's asthma!

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