Natural Deodorant – Some Considerations Before You Try It

I wouldn’t necessarily call myself crunchy, but I respect those who are, and I do try to be mindful of what goes in and on my body and how those products affect both my body and the environment. A few months ago, my husband and I switched to natural deodorant, after reading about the dangers of aluminum in traditional antiperspirants/deodorants. We went in pretty much blind and learned a lot by trial and error and online search engines, as well as recommendations from our physician. Here are seven tips I figured out in my own transition that might interest you should you be contemplating whether or not to make the switch.

I hate that I have to even mention this, but as always, consult your physician first any time you are thinking about making any changes to your body. This article is my experience only. I’m not a doctor nor an expert, nor am I recommending what you should do medically or otherwise, so this disclaimer basically means your body and talking to your doc and all the associated outcomes and effects are your responsibility, not mine, and I’m not liable in any way for your decisions. Whew, glad to get that out of the way. Moving right along…

1: It’s a deodorant, not an antiperspirant. You may still sweat. You might even sweat a lot, especially at first while your body is getting used to it. So especially the first few days you try it out, don’t wear something that you don’t want to have wet pit marks on. That might get embarrassing. I started using it in the summer, so I was able to wear a lot of tank tops, which was helpful.

2: You will stink – more than you have ever stunk in your life. You’ll smell like your dog rolled around in death and then washed off with body odor. The good news is it should only last a few days. The first few days of using my new, natural deodorant I smelled so bad that I was embarrassed to be around people. I almost gave up and went back to my old antiperspirant/deodorant because I couldn’t stand the thought of smelling this bad indefinitely, and even though I’m a natural introvert, I couldn’t avoid people forever. Luckily, right at that moment of weakness, I found some great information online from a maker of natural deodorants, and supposedly this is pretty typical as your body is basically detoxing from the aluminum seal the old antiperspirant/deodorant forms over your pits and pores. All the gunk that couldn’t get out before is apparently coming out all at once. Yuck.

3: You might experience dryness, redness, irritation or eczema in your pit area, and this is ongoing since you’re not coating and sealing your pits in aluminum every morning. This came as a surprise to me. My husband has noticed this a whole lot more than I have and talked to our physician about some remedies, but I also experience an ongoing, milder version as well. If you experience this, talk to your physician about what she/he recommends.

4: Natural deodorant is more expensive than traditional antiperspirant/deodorant. The good news is that you don’t have to use very much at a time. A little goes a long way, and for me, a stick of natural deodorant usually lasts me several weeks.

5: You might have to apply natural deodorant more often than your previous antiperspirant/deodorant. For my body, it soaks in and loses its effectiveness quicker than what I was used to. If I’m really moving around a lot, sometimes I have to apply my deodorant at another point during the day.

6: You might worry about pit stains on your clothes since natural deodorant is white, not clear. I read about people having mixed reactions with this, and supposedly it can be a little tricky to get out if it does stain your clothes, but I really haven’t noticed it on my own clothes, even my black tops that fit tightly around my arms. Since the recommendation is only a swipe or two at a time and then you let it soak in before getting dressed, there shouldn’t be enough left on your pits to soak into your clothes. But it is something to consider. I didn’t wear anything I didn’t want to get stained until I figured out how my body reacted first.

7: Check the ingredients on the natural deodorant you’re considering before you buy it. Be mindful if you have any allergies, and with your doctor’s input, look at the ingredient list so that you don’t choose something that might make you have an allergic reaction.

All in all, I’m really glad we made the switch. I love the new scents I get to try, and I love that I’m not putting something on my body that makes me uncomfortable or has questionable health effects. My deodorant is made from essential oils, coconut oil, and natural fragrances, so I feel good about what I’m putting on my body, and what’s soaking into my pores. My pits feel fresher and healthier.

There are a ton of natural deodorants out there on the market, and I chose the one I felt best about for me after taking the time to do a bunch of online reviews. Since everyone’s body chemistry is different, how each deodorant interacts with your body will be different, so you might want to do some research and select the top three natural deodorants you’d like to try, and then purchase either a sample stick or one stick of each and compare them. Just remember to give them enough time to really see how they’ll do, especially with the first few days being a little more stinky than usual.

Good luck!