Trying Natural Deodorant
Who else has been on the quest for a natural deodorant that actually works?? It's a challenge y'all! Let me cut to the chase and say I've found one that I'm set on and if you don't feel like reading how I got there why are you even here and also the answer is Native. It's the best and I love it and it's the one I'm using everyday. But before you skip on your merry way with this exciting information I'll also tell you there were some unexpected repercussions of switching to a natural deodorant.
The easiest way to explain the pros and cons is to go in order of when I tried them and what happened. Also, I'm not saying this is what will happen to you but I'm saying it's definitely what happened to me.
I feel like I've casually been talking about a natural deodorant forever. It's like we all know we shouldn't be using Secret but also Tom's deodorant is a fucking joke and it's a million degrees here in the summer and you can't not wear deodorant. So I was casually talking about deodorant with my friend one day, as you do, and she said she started using Pit Paste. You can get it at whole foods and she loves it. They should really emphasize paste because it is thick. And who reads directions for deodorant, not me. Which is why I didn't find out until I was almost done with the tube that you're supposed to hold it under your arm pit for like 10-15 seconds to warm it up and then use it and it goes on much smoother. Anyway, there's a weird in between time when you make the switch where your body is detoxing all of the chemicals from your toxic cancer inducing, aluminum filled deodorant and things are particularly stinky and sweaty and generally kind of confusing. Is it working? Is it not? Can anything cover up this smell? Am I sweating even more than normal? Why do I feel sticky? And then you'll want to give up this journey and just use a linen fresh stick of Secret, so you do. And then you sweat through that because you're a human and you discover you smell worse with your chemical deodorant now. So you cry a little because you feel like everything is terrible and you're just always going to smell bad. What if you get used to the smell and aren't able to recognize it anymore so you become the stinky kid. Like in every episode of hoarders where they legitimately don't know they smell like cat pee. Then you stop crying and realize it was actually a tipping point and natural deodorant works for you now! Hooray things are looking better. Until! You realize you get rashes under your armpit that are comparable to diaper rashes babies get. Things are swampy and weird again and you're once again reminded that everyday of adulthood brings a fresh set of annoyances. Tank tops gives you anxiety now. You try to remember a time when you weren't thinking about your armpits on a regular basis. Then winter comes and you're blessed with roughly 2-3 months where you don't have to worry about sweat and can ignore this subject blissfully. After several chilly months of using natural deodorant on a regular basis things started to even out. By the time it got hot again I didn't feel nearly as stinky and I felt like the deodorant was legit working for me! I don't even think about armpits! Also, it's a pandemic and people need to stay 6 feet away so honestly who gives a f at this point.
Closing thoughts:
Would I do this again? Yes. Even though it was super frustrating and took so much longer than I expected it to I think it was worth it. The "detox" period really grossed me out and made me feel like I never want to go back to putting that crap on my body. I feel cleaner which makes sense because even though there is now information that proves aluminum in deodorant does not cause cancer it still blocks your pores. Using natural deodorant means your pores are open to let good bacteria through as well which leads to you being less stinky in the long run.
Also I feel a lot better purchasing from a company that has sustainability in mind. Native just rolled out a plastic free deodorant stick that uses cardboard for their packaging instead which I love to see! There are a few other brands I'd like to try next that I've heard some good things about like Each & Every. I also tried Milk & Honey at some point in this process and I love the way it smells but it isn't nearly as effective so it's mostly sat in my cabinet. I also looked through this list recently which has some great suggestions.
If you have natural deodorant thoughts or suggestions for brands to try please share your wisdom in the comments!
Hi Emily! I went through the detox thing years ago, so that’s no longer my issue…what IS is that I neither tolerate baking soda OR coconut. You can find formulas without baking soda, but I have had no luck finding one without coconut. I have tried alcohol based sprays with EO’s in them, and they are not effective at keeping the stink away. Imagine my pleasure and surprise when a Himalayan salt block ended up being the answer. I NEVER stink, ever. And if I do feel sticky, a fresh application dries up any wetness, which is a nice bonus. Pro tip: never rub the salt directly on your underarms, it’s rough and will tear your skin to shreds. Get your fingertips wet, rub salt on them, and then apply to your underarms instead. I got my salt deodorant bar from The Spice Lab, thru Amazon.