Here’s a product that’s not only vegan and amazing but also local – Made in Portland! When Jaime Schmidt, the founder of Schmidt’s Deodorant, discovered Vegan Miam thanks to Veganadian, she reached out to us to offer a sample of her lovely all-natural vegan deodorant…and it’s the perfect sample for these hot summer days!

Schmidt’s offers a guilt-free alternative to conventional brands, using a formula free of harmful chemicals and animal products to eliminate underarm odor and wetness. Schmidt’s Deodorant is 100% natural and made with pure ingredients like shea and cocoa butters, Vitamin E, hops extract and essential oils. All products are vegan, cruelty-free, all natural, free of aluminum, propylene glycol, parabens and phthalates. Available in five varieties to suit your mood – one scent-free and four lovely natural scents. All deodorants come packaged in beautiful and sturdy reusable, recyclable and sustainable glass jars with a handy applicator spatula in each jar.

about

Jaime Schmidt started making personal care products for her family several years ago, and did a lot of R&D on various beauty products in the process. After sourcing and testing the highest-quality ingredients she could find, she developed the Schmidt’s recipe. It was really exciting because she had tried many natural deodorants on the market and they never worked for her, but the one she made did, and extremely well. She started sharing the product with others, and they had the same reaction–shocked and relieved that a natural deodorant could work for them. So she began selling it, and it was a hit locally here in Portland, OR. That was in 2012. Since then, the brand continues to grow and evolve, and they’re hearing every day from people who love the deodorant.

available in

Five different scents: Cedarwood Juniper, Ylang-Ylang Calendula, Bergamot Lime, Lavender Sage and Fragrance-Free. The MSRP is $10 and it sells for $9 on schmidtsdeodorant.com. The jars have 2 oz (56.7 grams) of deodorant and the shipping weight including the glass jar is 6 oz.

Cruelty-Free Certified by the Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics. All products are vegan, cruelty-free, all natural, free of aluminum, propylene glycol, parabens and phthalates.

where to purchase

Schmidt’s deodorants are available online at their shop website and from retailers such as Whole Foods, Anthropologie, Pharmaca, Urban Outfitters, Vegan Cuts and several large natural grocery chains along with Amazon.com. Click here to view a list of all their retailers and a zip code search.

Thanks to Schmidt’s Deodorant, use the code VEGANMIAMSCHMIDTS for 15% off your entire order on schmidtsdeodorant.com for the month of July.

the verdict

We received full-size samples in Bergamot Lime and Lavender Sage.

We also received few smaller (0.5 oz) samples: Cedarwood Juniper, Fragrance-Free and Ylang-Ylang Calendula.

The deodorant is sufficiently soft and easy to apply on warmer days, and can be done with either the included applicator spatula or with your fingers. You will find that on cooler days it will require a bit more effort to scoop and apply and this is when the spatula certainly comes in handy. It’s small enough to fit inside the jar so it’s easy to keep track of.

Note: The French bracelet I’m wearing can be found here.

Application is rather simple – use a spatula to dig out and apply a pea-sized amount onto your fingers, warm between fingers and spread it around the underarm. My partner claimed that he needed more than one pea-sized amount for his underarms, but I needed just the pea-sized amount. Once smoothed out against fingertips, the paste softens quickly, due to body heat, into a buttery texture. It does have a slight grainy feel though, which could be due to the baking soda and arrowroot powder.

There is another method without using your fingertips, but a challenging one. I used only the spatula to scrape a thin layer of deodorant onto it, carefully held it against my skin (underarm) for about 5 seconds allowing it to slightly soften and become easily spreadable. This method worked fine for bare or less hairy underarms where skin is visible, but some particles fell out from the jar before application due to clumsy moments or hasty application. I’ve tried on my partner’s hairy underarms and it require more caution since some particles will stick to the hair, but with enough effort it will disappear and eventually apply clear and without any noticeable discoloration or marking.

After application, the deodorant feels light, natural, comfortable and not too sticky with scents that are pleasant and not at all overpowering. We tested the deodorant on dark shirts to see if the deodorant left any residue. In most cases there was no residue or markings but in a few cases there were some white marks, this occurred when the deodorant wasn’t fully applied (and you could still see white residue on the underarm) or when a top was put on immediately after application. In regards to the scents, they are nice and pleasant at first but they weren’t long lasting scents.

In our experience the scents lasted around 4-6 hours, while the deodorant itself worked much longer. I do wish the scents lasted a little longer but at least the deodorant element lasted longer. Overall, we were impressed with the results and quality of the deodorant. The deodorant didn’t irritate our skin or leave it especially dry or greasy. I am curious to find out how well it holds up in humid climates, since we have only had the opportunity to test it in dryer climates thus far.

Our two favorite scents are Cedarwood Juniper and Bergamot Lime. We also appreciate the versatility and practicality of fragrance-free, particularly nice for those sensitive to odors or when you don’t want your deodorant to clash with your perfume or cologne. Bergamot Lime provides a refreshing, summery and citrus profile and we love citrus smells in the summer. Cedarwood Juniper is the true scent of the company’s home base in Oregon and captures the essence of the woody outdoors and Pacific Northwest. I like both the Lavender Sage and Ylang-Ylang Calendula, but mostly in the warm evenings before I go to bed because I find a soothing tranquility to the floral and herbal aroma.

Fragrance-free, Ylang-Ylang Calendula and Bergamot Lime are great scents for unisex, while Lavender Sage is appropriate for females and Cedarwood Juniper has a more masculine scent.

I hope one day they will develop a line of their deodorant with a slightly easier application method. I don’t like having to apply with my hands, and this can occasionally be inconvenient whilst traveling or with long nails – keep in mind you will want to wipe or wash your hands off after application. I love that Schmidt’s deodorant works well to actually deodorize and smells absolutely lovely while also being made with a limited number of all-natural ingredients, all of which are animal and cruelty free. It’s worth the slight inconvenience of having to use your fingers to apply Schmidt’s deodorant when the product itself is so nice. As a side note, these jars are travel-friendly with spatula.

Thanks to Schmidt’s Deodorant, use the code VEGANMIAMSCHMIDTS for 15% off your entire order on schmidtsdeodorant.com for the month of July.

Worldwide Giveaway (3 Lucky Winners)

We are thrilled to partner with the lovely Jaime at Schmidt’s Deodorant to give away a full-sized jar of deodorant to three lucky INTERNATIONAL readers. Use the Gleam widget below to enter for a chance to win a jar in the scent of your choice!

If no widget appears, try refreshing the page or use this direct link. You can come back everyday for a bonus entry, by leaving another comment, or reshare a tweet. The closing date is 11:59 PM 17th July, 2014.

Schmidt's Deodorant Worldwide Giveaway

contest details

• This is a sponsored Giveaway provided by Schmidt’s Deodorant. Open to international readers.
• The Giveaway ends 11:59PM 17th July 2014 (Pacific Time / PST).
• Three Winners will be drawn randomly by using Gleam and will be notified via a certified vegan miam email, unless otherwise stated. Winner must respond with current/correct address within forty-eight (48) hours or prize will be forfeited and another winner will be drawn.
• Each winner will receive a full-sized jar of Schmidt’s Deodorant.
• Prize will be shipped directly to the winner by Schmidt’s Deodorant. VEGAN MIAM is not responsible for any unsent, lost or stolen prize(s).

Have you tried Schmidt’s Natural Deodorant yet? What are your thoughts about natural deodorants?

Disclosure: Samples were kindly provided to me for review. All reviews are my own personal opinions, I have not been compensated to provide any feedback positive or otherwise.