After months and months of testing all natural deodorants I am so excited to finally report my findings with you! I really wanted to approach this almost like a scientist. Totally unbiased and clinical. So I had my girlfriend test deodorant after deodorant with me for over 3 months. We wore each deodorant for at least 1 week in an assortment of conditions from everyday temperatures and activities, to hot summer days, stressful situations, and intense workouts. Before I get into my favorites though, I will give you a brief background on my deodorant history which may be very similar to yours!
Personally, I did not wear deodorant consistently until about 5 years ago. I was never a huge sweater growing up and also didn’t do a ton of intense workouts/activities so I just didn’t really need to wear it! (I feel like some people have a more intense sweat gland situation and smell than others and I was fortunate in that it just was never an issue for me!) Honestly, I only started wearing deodorant when I began doing more physically intense workouts like Soul Cycle and boxing and felt self conscious that I would start smelling since I was working out so much! So, I picked up a generic deodorant at the drugstore that everyone seemed to have in their cabinet and used it for 2 years thereafter.
Everything was fine with it… (I honestly didn’t really notice a difference one way or another. And I was wearing it more for mental clarity/security) but when a guy I had been dating opened up my medicine cabinet and literally gasped at the deodorant I had and said, “You use this stuff?! You know this is terrible for you and has aluminum in it which causes breast cancer. You shouldn’t use this. Seriously Kat.” I was SO shocked and taken aback by his reaction and had NO idea it was bad so I immediately started researching it myself. He was a jerk. But I can thank him for opening my eyes to the aluminum in deodorant haha!
Anyways… I was stunned to find article after article talking about how many of the ingredients in generic deodorant, primarily aluminum, were linked to breast cancer! And yet government articles I was finding insisted aluminum was NOT linked to cancer… Very conflicting! Either way, I knew that I didn’t want to even risk the small chance of aluminum causing cancer. So I threw it out and began looking into all natural deodorants.
For months, I tested all natural deodorant after all natural deodorant and was very sad to find that they made me smell TERRIBLE! I was mortified at my new body odor. And literally started canceling workouts and friend dates because of it. My body felt out of whack and I almost felt like I was producing MORE sweat during this phase! Probably from the stress and fear of smelling bad LOL! I decided to do some more research on why this could be/what was happening/if I even should continue wearing deodorant. It was a super embarrassing time. Thank goodness I’ve now figured out what works for me!
First and foremost…
I will never wear a deodorant with aluminum again. Second, if you are thinking of making the switch from regular deodorant to all natural, give your body at least 2 weeks of not wearing ANYTHING to adjust before trying a new deodorant. I know, I know, this seems scary especially if you are a sweater… But trust me your ph levels and smell will even itself out and then you’ll have a neutral base to incorporate/test out an all natural deodorant into your routine. Third, when choosing an all natural deodorant remember that everyone has different ph levels and takes to chemicals and scents differently. So what may work for one person, may not work for you (which is what I found in this testing process that my girlfriend and I did together.).
Fourth, what you EAT and your overall health does have a huge impact on your body odor. You could have body odor regardless of what deodorant you use because of something being imbalanced internally. This is why I am such a stickler about what I put into my body. Because I have found that it directly impacts my scent! If I eat spicy, greasy food or something that doesn’t sit well with my system, I notice I have more of a BO scent than if I’m eating fresh, healthy, organic food.
Finally
I don’t think anyone really NEEDS deodorant. I think it’s a great safety, precaution tool to smell more fresh. But if you’re balanced internally/healthy and sweat out the toxins/go through the elimination phase I truly believe your body will even itself out and that you will sweat AND smell less. Nowadays, I wear deodorant maybe twice a week max, I rarely sweat, and hopefully I don’t smell (and if I ever do – I hope my friends would tell me!!!)
After talking with my girlfriends about what deodorant they use/what works for them – I was surprised to learn many of them, especially the ones in LA, now don’t wear deodorant either! They have let their bodies even out naturally and if anything, they use this cool crystal deodorant stick. Here’s a roundup of all of the deodorants I tried and which ones I liked/disliked + why!
All Natural Deodorants
Scully deodorant
I was turned off at first that this was a liquid spray, but I have to say after wearing it for weeks, I became super impressed with it! My girlfriend Jesse who did the testing with me was equally as impressed. This has a minty scent and tingles for the first few seconds you spray it, but that quickly goes away. What we both loved about this is that the ingredients (which I found out have been used for over 100 years in their family’s secret recipe) completely neutralize all body odor and the spray has no scent (after those first few seconds) so it doesn’t compete with any perfume you want to wear! Neither of us had any residue, BO problems, or stains. This was definitely one of my favorite deodorants that we tested.
Curie deodorant
This deodorant is my #1 favorite. I LOVE the white tea scent which is not overly strong, floral, or “earthy” smelling – it’s just a pretty and subtle smell. I also love the texture – it is exactly how you’d want a deodorant to feel. It goes on smooth but isn’t too sticky and isn’t too dry – it’s the perfect in between. And most importantly it worked and I did not have to reapply it during the day!
Schmidt’s deodorant
My girlfriend Jesse and actually another close friend of mine both love Schmidt’s and say this is their go-to deodorant. *Jesse does say that she can’t wear it with black workout clothes during hot yoga because it does stain them white. I on the other hand tried this deodorant and hated it! It totally stained my clothes and I had white streaks running down my arms during yoga – not cute. Another reader who saw me doing the deodorant round up on Instastory a few months ago – messaged me saying this gave her a rash. So this is a perfect example of how everyone’s ph levels and bodies react differently!
Kopari deodorant
This coconut oil based deodorant just won Allure’s Beauty award. I trust Allure’s Beauty roundups, but I have to disagree with their findings here! I really like Kopari as a brand and LOVED the scent of this product, but the texture was too gel-like and made my armpits feel damp for most of the day. It just didn’t seep into my skin/absorb at all for me, and my girlfriend said the same thing.
Native deodorant
I bought the mini travel pack of Native deodorants so that I could test 6 of their scents. The coconut vanilla scent was my favorite and I wore it throughout my Italy trip in August. It was a really hot summer as many of you know and this definitely worked. I had no body odor or stains. I was happy with this deodorant, BUT the only thing I will say is that I felt like it was a bit too dry texture wise and was kind of chalky going on + didn’t glide/absorb like I’d have preferred.
Malin + Goetz deodorant
This gave me BO at two different points in my life (I tried it back in 2016 and again this past summer in 2018) and it just smelled WAY too earthy for me. It’s like pure eucalyptus so you smell like a sweaty Equinox gym sauna. NOPE not for me!
Crystal deodorant
I haven’t tried this but wanted to include it after several friends recently told me they have been using it for years and love it. Note – they said you need to apply it right after you shower or else it doesn’t work. I’m intrigued now and am going to try it and will report back!
PiperWai deodorant
This was a thick black sticky paste that you roll under your arms and smelled super earthy… It was a no immediately for Jesse and I. Also, I didn’t block out any odor whatsoever.
AER deodorant
I tried this deodorant back in 2016 and was obsessed with the Palo Santo scent. A ton of bloggers I love use it and rave about it. The texture was a bit too gel-like for me, and it didn’t mask my BO (but this was when I was first transitioning out of regular deodorant and I haven’t re-tested it since.). I wanted to include it here because again, everyone is different and I did really enjoy the scent and so many others seem to really like it!
Overall, my two favorite deodorants were from Scully and Curie. If I had to choose a third it would be Native. I hope you enjoyed this roundup and would love to hear what your deodorant experiences have been and which ones are your personal favorites!!!
I use Native and I love it! I need to check out Scully and Curie!
http://www.rdsobsessions.com
Great post! x
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Lovely post, but I wanted to say how much I love your black dress! Where is it from?
http://innapishtoy.com/
Thanks! It’s from Re:Named
Great round up and I loved reading your honest opinions! I tried Schmidt and it also ran down my arm during my workouts (yuck)! I also tried the coconut/vanilla Native last summer and thought it worked really well smell-wise! But the other scents from Native irritated my skin too much. I’ll have to give those others a try!
So interesting that the Native one only worked for you in coconut vanilla!!! It’s crazy how we are all so different. Thanks for sharing :)
I have been searching for natural deodorants off and on for about 5 years. I started out making my own. Got severe rash and peeling of my skin. Come to find out I’m baking soda a lavender sensitive. But shea butter doesn’t mix well w/ my body chemicstry. I’ve gone through Sephora HEB(Texas grocery store) Whole Foods Etsy target etc and they all break my skin out or i end up needing to constantly re-apply. Also i live in Texas so the sweat is real!! It makes me really sad cause i want to be able to wear the natural drop but I’m stuck using men’s old spice!!
Ugh that is so tricky! I wonder if a French/european pharmacy brand that’s more gentle and pure would work well for you. Honestly, I rarely wear deodorant – like I said about 2 days a week and I don’t have smell issues/sweat a ton now that I’ve transitioned. I hope you can get to a good place with one that works for you!!!
What shoes are you wearing with that dress?
None!
I have been on the hunt for a good natural deodorant! This post was so helpful. Have you used the toms one?
Jae
http://www.allthatjae.com
Hi!
I have and I didn’t love it! Have you tried it?!
Thank you so much for this, it is super helpful! I just ordered the Curie deodorant. I hope it works as well for me as it did for you.
I knew general deodorant wasn’t great for you but I really had no idea HOW bad they were for you. I’m so happy you shared this. I may need to go through the same thing. xo
Allison | http://www.peplumsandpie.com
Been wanting to make a switch…. this is so helpful!! I think I’ll try the Curie! xx
Oh this is the post I needed!
x Lisa | lisaautumn.com
[…] you switched to natural deodorant?! Kat’s post is so informative and thorough.. I need to try her favorites. I tried to switch earlier this summer […]
I love Native! I am also trying Saje Wellness’ deodorant now, since I love their foaming hand soap and their peppermint halo. Thanks so much for this post!
I’m a bit late to the game here but I thought you’d find interesting is that there’s a a recessive gene called ABCC11 that is common among east Asians. If you have this gene, your body doesn’t produce the amino acid that feeds BO bacteria growth. You’ll smell like sweat but not BO. Since you’re of Japanese decent, you may fall into that category. You can tell because people with this gene also typically have dry earwax (opposed to yellow sticky earwax). Love the honest review!! I need to find a deodorant for my non ABCC11 daughter!
So interesting I had no idea!!! Thanks for sharing :) And YES I hope you find one that works for her!
Thank you such a lot for this, it’s super helpful! I simply ordered the Curie toiletry. I hope it works furthermore on behalf of me because it did for you. Check out our new website https://luxurybeautymakeup.com/how-to-look-beautiful-and-attractive/
I loved your list of deodorants!
https://sobrancelhascurso.com/
Hi,
Love reading this post as I have been using for the 2 time a natural deodorant. I am using the piperwai and agree with your comments. The smell is earthy and very thick and pasty. I don’t love the texture and feel like I start to smell when I sweat too much. I was on vacation in Hawaii and it melted in the lid…. so that was ugly looking and even more difficult to apply. Glad you found other ones though
[…] don’t use a deodorant! I actually haven’t worn deodorant in years. I did a blog post on my favorite natural deodorants when I was wearing it. Luckily I don’t have strong body odor (it’s typically hereditary if you […]