When switching from an antiperspirant to a natural deodorant, expect to smell for about 2-3 weeks. No, I'm serious! In my experience it was not an easy switch and no one warned me about the “detox” phase. I only discovered it when I realized halfway through the day, that smell wasn’t coming from the guy who just walked past me in the hallway at work, it was coming from me. Gross. Just to be clear I had never had an odor problem in my life, but I soon realized without the use of an antiperspirant and that my body supposedly detoxing, I didn’t’ smell great! A friend and colleague of mine just kept telling me, “It gets better”; as in one day you won’t stink. I should have planned better or googled what it was really like to switch to a natural deodorant. Honestly having to smell check throughout the day while I transitioned to natural deodorant was not fun. I don’t recommend switching when you have any important events that you have to attend. It took me nearly two weeks to feel like l wasn't starting to smell by the end of the day.
The reason I switched to a natural deodorant was because everyone was doing it so I just followed along. No I’m kidding! I did my own research and came to the conclusion that using an antiperspirant with all the added chemicals was no longer suiting my lifestyle. I’m slowly trying to move towards more natural products in all aspects of my life. I’m not here to tell you that antiperspirants causes illnesses or cancer, I did my research on that as well and I could not find any scientific studies indicating that they clearly caused these issues. For me, it was simple, if I could eliminate some chemicals that I apply daily to my body, and not smell bad, why not try to switch?
I went through four different brands before I found the one that worked for me. Below you will find the pros and cons of each brand I tried and the one I truly believe to be the best on the market.
This was the first brand I stumbled on in my quest for a great natural deodorant. The reviews were good and it is made in Vancouver so I liked the fact that it was Canadian. I also thought the ingredient list seemed very natural. What I didn’t like is the consistency of it. You had to dig out the product from the jar and smear it on, and it only became soft when you put it on your warm skin. It also didn’t work for me long term so I had to reapply it and struggle with the hard consistency a few times throughout the day. Overall, this one did not work for me and I would not recommend it.
The next brand I went with was Schmidt’s. I liked that it was more like a “normal” antiperspirant or deodorant, in that it wasn’t in a jar. I could apply it like I did with my old antiperspirant and it went on fairly easily. I noticed a rash early on and found out that many people (including myself) are allergic to a key ingredient in a lot of natural deodorants; sodium bicarbonate or baking soda. I switched to their sensitive formula which doesn’t contain baking soda. The odd thing was the rash got worse. I did a bit of investigating via Google and found that many others were experiencing rashes with Schmidt’s, even when using the sensitive formula. I don’t know exactly what other ingredient was triggering my rash, but I had to stop using it all together. Overall, if you don’t have a reaction to this one, it works well and I’d give it a try. However, for me it was not a great choice.
I found this natural deodorant at Winners when I was desperately searching for an alternative to Schmidt’s. It’s a spray which I actually didn’t mind. The only flaw was that if had just shaved and applied this, it did burn as it does contain alcohol. Overall I think this would be my second favourite option that I tried. Easy to apply and it worked. I will say during an intense workout it didn’t’ hold up that well though.
Drum roll....the winner is Native! My sister had recommended this brand to me halfway through my quest for the perfect natural deodorant. At the time I was still trying to make the previous purchase work. Also one reason I wasn't super keen on purchasing this deodorant was that you have to purchase directly through them, no Amazon and no buying it at the local Winners, and the shipping takes a little while as well. I finally broke down and made the purchase a few weeks ago and I'm so glad I did! The product has over 10,000 5 star reviews with people raving about it and for good reason. It goes on very smoothly exactly like my previous antiperspirant did. I did stick with the sensitive no baking soda option, and I chose a coconut vanilla scent and its subtle but perfect. There is no aluminum and all natural vegan ingredients. The best part by far is that it actually works! Imagine that a product that calls itself a deodorant and it actually deodorizes and doesn't wear off a few hours after applying it? Save yourself some stinky days and just order this. No need to wade through all the other options out there!
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