Dave's Deodorant

Photo: Crispin Cannon

Interview by: Eric Greene

David Brocklebank, man behind DOPE Industries and Duh Bolts, has a new endeavor on the go. It’s deodorant. Homemade, makes you smell nice, and fully organic and all natural. Interested? You should be—especially if you have a problem with the body stank. Here are some words with Dave about why Dave’s Deodorant is the next big thing.

HI, DAVE. WHERE ARE YOU THESE DAYS?

I moved up to Poole Creek, north of Mount Currie, a while back. It’s fucking awesome, dude. I’m right on the river, fishing every day. It’s so sick. I have a hard time going to town these days. I haven’t really been drinking, so I just lay low here. When I do want to get out of town, I’ve been going to shows in Vancouver.

DO YOU LIVE IN A CABIN?

I live in a fuckin’ trailer-type place here, right on the river. It’s fuckin’ sick.

HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THE BUSINESS IDEA OF MAKING YOUR OWN DEODORANT?

Well, I didn’t use deodorant for about two years. Then I went to Nesters in Whistler one morning and bought a few things to make this natural organic deodorant shit that I saw on a hippy website. I made a batch at home and gave some to a couple friends. I can’t remember who said it first, but someone called it, “Dave’s Deodorant,” and I thought, “Damn. I should actually do that!” I pictured the Burt’s Bees logo and had a friend draw up the logo that I’m using now.

CAN YOU GIVE US YOUR BUSINESS PITCH? HOW IS IT DIFFERENT THAN SPEED STICK OR OLD SPICE?

That shit is fucking toxic. The main ingredient they use to create scents is aluminum. That’s fucked up. And they put so many other fucking chemicals in there, too. It’s just insane. People have been covering themselves with that shit for years, like in high school when dudes spray that stupid Axe shit all over themselves. It smells horrible.

WHAT DO MOST PEOPLE NOT KNOW ABOUT DEODORANT?

I think everyone is starting to catch on about how bad that shit is and they want something that’s good for you. Putting any kind of chemical on your body is bad. My dad worked at Maclean’s magazine, doing the film production, and he used these chemicals with his hands every fucking day for years. He ended up getting Scleroderma because of it and eventually died because nobody ever told him to put gloves on or wear a mask. You gotta be careful with what you put on your body.

TRUTH. WHERE DO YOU MAKE AND MANUFACTURE YOUR PRODUCTS? 

I’ve been making it stick-by-stick at home. I need to get bigger pots and start making bigger batches.

WAS IT A BIG LEARNING CURVE WITH A LOT OF FAILED TESTS, TRYING TO PERFECT YOUR RECIPES?

I’ve been nerding out on a lot of natural shit. Like, lots of essential oils and researching my “Thieves Blend,” which has thieves oil. There’s so much trippy shit in the history of it. In the fourteenth century, when the Black Death was going around Europe, these homies were robbing graves and looting dead bodies. They got busted and the cops were like, “How the hell did you guys not get the Black Plague doing that?” It was because they put thieves oil on rags and tied them around their heads. After that, all the doctors started doing the same thing.

WOW. DO ANY OF THE OTHER SCENTS HAVE COOL HISTORIES?

Yeah, man. The frankincense. When Jesus was born and all the homies showed up to bring him baby gifts, that’s one of the things they brought him. I’ve been keeping the recipes pretty simple, like organic coconut oil, bee’s wax, bentonite clay, and arrowroot powder.

DID IT TAKE A WHILE TO FIGURE OUT THE SCENTS?

Not really. The first few batches, I used too much coconut oil and it came out a bit runny. It’s tough in the summer when it’s hot and I was real concerned about people leaving their sticks in the car at the beach and having them melt, but I guess any fucking deodorant will melt in the heat.

UNLESS IT’S FULL OF ALUMINUM.

[Laughs] Yeah.

HOW EXACTLY DO YOU CRACK INTO THE MARKET OF DEODORANT SALES?

I want to get it in Nesters and focus on getting it out locally. I have a website I sell from, but it’s a mess. The shipping is too expensive for it to make sense selling individual sticks. I’ve been getting so much demand for it already. I’d like to set up a spot in Whistler eventually and hire a few homies to make deodorantthere.

SNOWBOARDERS ARE SUCH A GREAT MARKET FOR THIS. THEY ALL STINK. YOU’RE LIKE THE SAVIOR WHO’S CREATED A REMEDY FOR ALL THE BOYS TO SMELL BETTER.

[Laughs] Definitely. When a bunch of the crew gets into a truck after skating all day in the summer and everyone’s salty, it’s gnarly. It’s the worst smell in the world.

WILL YOUR ENDEAVOR ALWAYS BE A ONEMAN SHOW? IF YOU BROUGHT A PARTNER ON BOARD, YOU’D HAVE TO CHANGE THE NAME.

It’s just me, but I need some help. I’m looking for someone to help me with the online sales. It’s a oneman band right now.

ON BEHALF OF EVERYONE, THANK YOU FOR MAKING SNOWBOARDERS SMELL BETTER.

No problem! I’m not gonna do a team thing, but I’m hooking up E-man [Anderson] and Layne [Treeter]. And [Sean] Pettit hit me up about it, so he’s gonna run it, too. They’ll be like the ambassadors. I think it’d be cool to hook up all kinds of people to represent it—those who are into the same things we’re into.

WHERE CAN STINKY PEOPLE FIND DAVE’S DEODORANT?

davesdeodorant.bigcartel.com