Does natural deodorant work?

Will you be whiffy or winning?

In April 2020 I decided to try natural deodorant for the first time. It was the perfect time, Lockdown 1.0 had just started and both me and my husband were working our office jobs from home, on separate floors of the house. Video calls were forcing me to keep some semblance of normality when it came to getting dressed, but since no one could smell me online, there was nothing to lose.

I’d read a few articles about natural deodorants, and although I had no health concerns about my antiperspirant spray, I was keen to give something natural a go.

Preparation Most of the articles I read suggested a 7-10 detox period, time enough for your pits to expel whatever they had in them, and, I think, important for you to understand what actually goes on under there when left to their own devices. I can’t remember ever not having used deodorant/antiperspirant, so I had no idea what to expect from my pits, but I was fully prepared for moisture and stink, but it never really appeared. There was frankly an underwhelming lack of any grossness, even after an hour long online exercise class, so perhaps I'm not as sweaty as I thought I might be.

What's the alternative? During my detox I set about finding a natural replacement - I knew if I got one before I started I’d be tempted to give it a go before I fully detoxed. First stop, ask the girls if anyone was using one and what their experience was.

Jenny reported back that she was using the The Natural Deodorant Co ‘clean’ for general use and ‘active’ for running. A little more expensive than others at £12.50 for a 55g pot, but a positive review back from her. So I bought one from Your Nature in Lavender & Bergamot instead! - £7.95 for 70g.

Your Nature deodorant is totally plastic free and comes in a cardboard tube, which you manually push the bottom up on to reveal the stick, rubbing it on as you would a normal stick deodorant. The cardboard tube does have some drawbacks, I shoved a little hard once and couldn’t get the top on properly for a few days, but I really love the simple and natural packaging. Nothing about it feels unnecessary.

To Sodium Bicarbonate or not? The first thing that I noticed was that it was a little abrasive on my skin when applied, not actually uncomfortable, but noticeable. I didn’t really think much of it at first, I really liked the smell, which seemed to last most of the day, and most importantly it worked like it should. About half way through my tube though, I noticed my skin was becoming irritated, and I did a bit more research.

I decided to try one from The Natural Deodorant Co next, which did contain Sodium Bicarbonate, but certainly at first, wasn't causing me any irritation. There's a good range of scents (fewer options without bicarb) and I tied 3 different pots, before eventually realising that bicarb and my pits just don't go together. The pots however are, I think, one of the big plus points for this brand. They're glass (infinitely recyclable) with metal lids and paper labels, which are super easy to remove, making them really re-usable.

Wanting to explore some more brands, and find something without bicarb, next I tried Awake Organics 'space cat' £12.00 for 60g. The consistency was really nice and it went on well, and I can't fault the technical ability of this to keep you dry and stink free, but I wasn't a massive fan of the quite 'earthy' fragrance caused by the hemp seed oil contained in it. It wasn't bad at all, just not for me, I prefer something a little fresher I think. I used it all up, the tin washed out well and the label came off so it gets a big tick for re-usability from me.

My next choice was Simply Effective, which comes in a lovely heavy glass pot with a bamboo lid. Initially I was disappointed with its re-usability, as the glass is printed on, but I've since discovered they do refills, which is great. However, it is the first one I've felt is a bit of a struggle to apply due to the shape of the pot (narrower top). I'm using 'sensitive' (£10.99 for 55g) and it works a treat, and unlike some other sensitive options, is scented. I've started using an old hair remover cream spatula to scoop a bit out of the pot, but I know lots of brands come with little bamboo scoops, I just haven't needed to use one before. I am finding it a little more difficult to wash off my fingers after applying than the others as well.

For me, the simplicity of a glass jar of nice smelling cream you apply with your fingers is the most sustainable approach, but there's so many different options with various application methods available. There are so many options now that I suspect I will keep trying different ones, because, why not? I'm certain of one thing though, they do work.

Update July 2023 Three years later, I'm still 100% switched to natural deo. For most of that time I was using Natural Deodorant Co and have 0 complaints about it, it's very good, but I did recently decide to give Fussy a go.

B-Corp Certified, Fussy, uses a refillable plastic applicator, so in theory it's the only one I'll ever need, and the refill cartridges are made from sugarcane pulp. The subscription model is three new refills sent to you in plastic-free letterbox packaging every 3 months (£15), so they estimate a refill will last you 1 month...mine last nearly 3 months! Potentially very long lasting then (if you tend to skip days like I do - I don't smell honest!). I went for the only three sensitive scents that they do (much more choice in 'normal') and all smell really nice, but the fragrance isn't very long lasting (which doesn't really bother me). As much as I love the simplicity of a glass jar, I don't miss washing the slightly greasy residue off my fingers and sink daily, so for now at least, I'm a fussy girl!

Update Oct 2023

After 6/7 months of using Fussy I was gifted some Salt of the Earth deodorant, which comes in a plastic applicator, but I also got two cardboard refills to go in it, and so I'm now swapping between the two. Surprisingly the Salt of the Earth isn't 'sensitive' but yet isn't irritating my skin and it's working well.