Hiya Gorgeous,
Let’s talk B.O.!
Do natural deodorants really work? Why should we use them? Which ones are best?
As per usual, there’s more here than meets the nose! In this video and blog, I’m giving you the down and stinky scoop on deodorants and antiperspirants. Like many of you, I’ve been on the hunt for natural products that work for years, and now I’m gettin’ down and dirty to find the best natural deodorant. I finally tested over a dozen products and included the results in this (hilarious) video and awesome infographic below.
Pssst! Make sure you watch the entire video. You don’t want to miss my surprise guest—A GRIZZLY BEAR!
Your skin is your body’s largest organ and it’s really good at absorbing what you put on it.
Think about it like this: when smokers want to quit, they slap on a patch that delivers nicotine right to their bloodstream via their skin, same deal with the birth control patch. There are even vitamin B12 patches! With your spongy epidermis in mind, it’s important we do our best to reduce our chemical exposure. Which includes what we put on our pits. I can’t wait to discuss this all with you. Let’s dive in!
To clear up our stinkin’ thinkin’ about, well, stinkin’, here are a few starting points about deodorants, antiperspirants and good ole sweat:
- Why do we sweat? Sweating is our body’s cooling mechanism. We sweat when it’s hot out, when we’ve been exercising, when we have a fever or when we’re anxious and stressed.
- Why does it smell bad? Actually, sweat itself doesn’t smell. That signature sweaty odor comes from the meeting of the bacteria living on our skin with the sweat escaping from our sweat glands.
- What are antiperspirants? Some people try to prevent body odor by using an antiperspirant to stop their bodies from sweating (yikes!). Unfortunately, it’s unlikely that you’ll ever find a truly non-toxic anti-perspirant because of the harsh ingredients necessary to prevent sweating—more on this in a moment.
- What are deodorants? Unlike an antiperspirant, a deodorant works on top of the skin, killing off the bacteria with an antiseptic ingredient, then covering any leftover odors with a scent. As with all personal products, it’s important to be an informed consumer to select a safe natural deodorant. The good news is that it’s possible!
Conventional Deodorants & Antiperspirants
What should you be looking for when you check the ingredients on your next stick? Here are a few of the potentially harmful things found in regular deodorants and antiperspirants. These are the guys you want to avoid. Take note: Some of these ingredients will be spelled out right on the label, and some won’t be, so you might have to sleuth a little further.
Talc
What does it do? Absorbent and colorant.
Why should you avoid it? It is considered a carcinogen if it contains asbesiform fibers. But there’s no way to know if the talc in your product contains asbestos. So stay away—better safe than sorry.
Triclosan
What does it do? Kills bacteria.
Why should you avoid it? Triclosan disrupts the endocrine and immune systems, can cause allergic reactions and can also build up in your tissues.
BHT
What does it do? Acts as a preservative.
Why should you avoid it? BHT can cause allergic reactions and has also been linked to cancer.
Propylene glycol
What does it do? Keep things from drying out. Propylene glycol is used in cars as an anti-freeze and in airplanes as a de-icer.
Why should you avoid it? It can irritate your skin (and gosh knows what else).
Parabens
What do they do? Used as a preservative, containing antibacterial and antifungal properties.
Why should you avoid them? Many parabens mimic estrogen in the body, and have been found inside breast cancer tumors. The widespread use of parabens in personal care products makes their potential link to cancer especially concerning. Most experts call for more research.
Fragrance
What does it do? This one is pretty straight forward: the synthetic chemicals listed as “fragrance” are included in products to mask body odor.
Why should you avoid it? There are an alarming number of chemicals (over 3100!) that fall into the fragrance category. According to the Environmental Working Group: “The average fragrance product tested contained 14 secret chemicals not listed on the label. Among them are chemicals associated with hormone disruption and allergic reactions, and many substances that have not been assessed for safety in personal care products.”
Phthalates
What do they do? These chemicals are called plasticizers—they make products more spreadable.
Why should you avoid them? Phthalates have been found to be endocrine disruptors (chemicals that can affect your hormones).
Aluminum Chlorohydrate
What does it do? Aluminum chlorohydrate is a salt that prevents wetness, which makes it a very popular ingredient in antiperspirants.
Why should you avoid it? The continued use of aluminum chlorohydrate adds to the number of chemicals your body must eliminate and to your overall body burden (see more below).
How do these chemicals impact your health?
As our friend Heather White, the Executive Director of Environmental Working Group, put it so clearly during our Chat & Chew, we just don’t know what the long term effects of the buildup of these chemicals are, and the things we do know are pretty alarming. When EWG studied body burden, (the amount of chemicals stored in our bodies), they found the average person has nearly 300 different chemicals in their system, including PCBs and DDT, which were banned over 30 YEARS AGO in the US.
Natural Deodorant
But there’s good news! Lucky for us, there are natural ingredients that can be used in place of the chemicals. Remember that we all have different body chemistry. That’s why your best friend might swear by a certain brand, but that same formula might leave you wanting (and wafting). What works magic for me may or may not work for you.
Disclaimer: Read your labels tootsies! When you test your own deodorants, keep in mind that not all natural deodorants are created equal. And just because a product says “natural” on the package doesn’t mean it’s all good in the hood. If you can find products that are certified organic (not always possible), that may be the best way to go, since the labeling has a more stringent standard than “natural.”
My Natural Deodorant Rankings
I hope you enjoy my video (watch above!) and rankings chart, which cover a slew of sticks (and rocks, and sprays, and creams—whew!). The natural deodorants I tested are all free of the harsh toxic chemicals and are cruelty-free. I ranked the deodorants a few ways: How well they worked for me, how enjoyable they were to use (sticky? chalky? silky?), and how they rated at EWG’s Skin Deep database. Though I tested over 15 products, I only included the top 9 because many of the others ranked too high at skindeep (over a 3 rating). Download my Natural Deodorant Rankings chart below!
Have I mentioned that there’s a bear in today’s video? Don’t miss it!
Your turn: Have you found a natural deodorant that works? Share your successes (and failures) in the comments below!
Peace & healthy pits,
I used Crystal brand roll-on for several years until it dawned on me that potassium alum is aluminum! Not good. I switched to Primal Pit Paste in the jar (want to avoid beeswax that’s in their stick). The first jar worked great. I’m on the second jar, which is softer than the first jar and does not last as long as the first one. It lasts most of the day which is okay, but the first jar lasted over 24 hours. I’m hoping it’s just a bad batch. I’m not going to give up on it yet.
What’s most important to me when choosing beauty products is that there are no aluminum, and that is what i found in missy girls spray and aluminium free deodorant uk.
Hello – I just discovered a deodorant called NATIVE – ITS AMAZING !!!!
I *love* Native, it’s the BEST!! I got my husband to use it too!!
Try using jungleman all natural deodorant from https://www.junglemannaturals.com works better than everything else listed.
I have been using Schmidt’s paste deodorant for almost a year and I love it. I have tried several others from roll on. salt stick and spray to dry stick and this works best for odor control as well as wetness. It rubs on smoothly and easily so please give it a try if you are still searching for your best fit.
Interesting subject matter. I love how you cover things I was too afraid to google!
I had a pretty stressful day yesterday so I was thinking about how it seems like my stress sweat smells stronger or different than my normal “I’m too hot” sweat. Is there anything to that or I am I just sweating more intensely? If the stress sweat is different in any way, would that lend itself to different deodorant options?
Indeed it seems like stress sweat is different but I’m no Dr.
I think different glands are involved with stress sweat.
Soapwalla, hands down my favorite! Been using for the last 7 years and still works as well as the first day I tried it! I’m not gonna lie, when I sweat I stink and this is amazing even my husband was like wow and impressed after my workouts…just love it! Like Kris said, everyone’s body chemistry is different so have to find the right one for you.
Hi there! I was wondering if you had any opinion on Humble all-natural deodorant (www.humblebrands.com)? I saw that they’re doing a $1 promotion for deodorant, and I was wondering if you thought that would be a good deodorant to try?
Thanks!
I think you should let your arms go through the days naturally and let it sweat ! Sweating doesn’t mean you will have odours, you just need to choose the right type of deodorants.
Choose a deodorant that doesn’t clog-up the skin or preventing sweating.
A good deodorant is one without leaving residues, stains and odours behind is best. I’ve been using UARMSOL deodorant for many years now, even when I sweat, I have no underarm or armpit odours. I applied 1 pinch and it’s all to it for the whole day without worries about any smell afterwards. There’s no chemicals, oil or fragrances added. No staining clothes too. There’s no after sport smell or odour masking. And the best thing is I don’t have to shave !
I was using Primal Pit Paste but discovered after a few months that my skin is super sensitive to baking soda. I know they have a sensitive skin bar, but I was thinking of switching to the Crystal Essence Roll-On. I find their spray to be pretty weak for me, but have heard good things about the roll-on. Also, I discovered earlier that EWG updated their score for Crystal Essence Roll-On to a 2!
Have you tried primal pit paste? It comes in a jar just like Schmidts and has gotten amazing reviews. Just looking for another opinion.
I’ve used primal pit paste and I loved it! However, for me, after a couple months of use it started to clog my pores and resulted in some pretty painful lumps in y arm pit so I had to stop using it. It really did work well and smelled good.
I wear Crystal Essence Mineral Deodorant Roll-On in Pomegranate every day. It’s the perfect scent and it really works to keep me dry!
Hi Kris,
I recently came across this blog after searching for a deodorant that would actually live up to the marketing hype, yet be more than just all-natural. I wanted it to be organic, due to synthetic processes and ingredients sliding in under the radar in some of the all-natural deodorants today. I found an organic Lavender Tea Tree Peppermint deodorant from Lavender & Leaf, which has changed my life! Worth the look, if anyone is searching for a fully organic deodorant that actually holds up to the claims of being effective. On my third stick now!
Hi Kris! I just came across this article, and after looking through the comments, I realized several people have mentioned my company’s deodorant, Real Purity. We were just picked up at Whole Foods last summer (as a Premium Body Care itme) and in the last 12 months, have sent deodorant to every US state & over 40 countries. We’re also family-owned, made in the USA & cruelty-free. We’d love to share it with you, so please email me if you’d like to try it. Also, if anyone sees this comment and wants a sample, just reply with your email and I will reach out! Thanks!
Kris, Natural is definately the way to sustainable beauty. I love prima pit paste deo, last longer too.
I have tried the Crystal rock deoderant – same bran but it’s not liquid and it did nothing for me. Do you think the one reviewed is better or should I try another. I am a stinker 🙁 I have tried so many and just can’t find one that works for me.
Hi Gina! My girlfriend and her daughter (11 year old) used to use the Crystal and I convinced them to give ours (Real Purity Roll-on) a try. Organic, over 350 5 star reviews (and we’re carried throughout midwest Whole Foods stores). If you want a free deo please let me know! rachael at realpurity dot com
We manufacture an all natural deodorant, For Pits Sake!. How can we go about getting you some samples for review?
Has anyone tried Primally Pure deodorant? I’m curious how that compares. I’ve been seeing it on alot of blogs lately. It’s more expensive than some of the other brands so I’m wondering if it’s worth the money. I’m a first time user of natural deodorant so just trying to spend my money wisely.
ZERO deodorant for me. Found it on Zulily, only shea butter.
I use Be Free deodorant from http://www.Honeydewnaturals.com it’s organic with no aluminum or parabens and it lasts all day even in the gym with no B.O. I will never use anything else it’s a life saver.