I mentioned in this post a few weeks ago that I’m making an effort to switch out most of my skincare (and beauty) products to natural, cleaner products.  In the past year or so, I’ve become more aware of what I’m actually putting onto my skin.  One of the products that I apply every single day is deodorant.  I decided to read up on the chemicals that are in everyday deodorant like Secret, the brand I was using at the time.  The more I read, the more horrified I was at what was being absorbed into my body everyday from the deodorant.

Why I Switched to Natural Deodorant

As a little background, traditional deodorants act as anti-perspirants by clogging the pores in your underarms so that you don’t sweat and if you do sweat, you don’t smell (the combo of anti-perspirant and a deodorant).  But sweating is our body’s way of getting rid of toxins and a way that the body acts to cool itself.  Traditional deodorants block pores and don’t allow the body to do this.  Not only is that not great, anti-perspirants use aluminum compounds that act as the plug to stop your pores from emitting sweat.  For example, the active ingredient in Secret is Aluminum zirconium trichlorohydrex Gly 15% (anhydrous).  I’m not claiming to be a scientist or a doctor, but if I can avoid applying chemicals and metals to my skin on a daily basis, I’m all about it.

With that said, I decided I needed to ditch the traditional deodorant and switch to a natural deodorant.

If you’re looking to make the switch, my one piece of advice is to be patient.  Every single persons body is different so the natural deodorant that worked for me, may not work for you.  I tried out three different natural deodorants over a six month period until I finally found one that works best for me!  And keep in mind that you may go through a detox phase where your body purges all of the toxins and sweat it has been holding onto.  It may take a few weeks to transition your body into using natural deodorant.

The 3 Natural Deodorants I Tried

LAVANILA Sport Luxe Deodorant

When I first made the switch, I tried out the LAVANILA Sport Luxe deodorant.  At first, I liked it.  It seemed to do the trick.  I didn’t smell like BO, and my sweating was at bay.  However, even in the beginning of trying it out, I did notice that I had to apply it multiple times throughout the day.

When I was trying this one out, summer was fast approaching, so it was pretty hot outside and it only got hotter as time went on with the trial.  Eventually (about 1.5 months in), I couldn’t take the amount that I was sweating.  My underarms were slick with sweat anytime I’d walk outside.  And living in DC, I walk outside a lot!  So I decided to try out another natural deodorant.

Schmidt’s Charcoal + Magnesium Natural Deodorant

I read a lot of positive reviews on the Schmidt’s Charcoal + Magnesium Natural Deodorant, so I decided to give it a try.  At first, I really liked this one too!  However, because of the charcoal, the consistency of it is a bit rough.  But it worked.  I wasn’t sweating as much and I didn’t smell!  Sounds great, right?!

The bad thing about this product is the texture.  It didn’t bother me for the first week or so, but then, because of the sandpaper-like feel of the product, it began to really irritate my underarms.  I began to breakout and developed a rash under both arms.  It HURT!  I immediately stopped using this product and was on to the next.

The Winner – Kopari Coconut Deodorant

The third try was a charm!  I’ve been using the Kopari Coconut Deodorant for about 2 months now, and it is amazing.  My first reaction when I started using it was OMG it feels SO good going on!  Like I mentioned, my underarms were a bit beaten up.  The Kopari deodorant is silky smooth and feels really nice on application.  The second best thing about it is the smell.  It smells heavenly!

And for the past 2 months I haven’t been dripping sweat nor have I smelled like BO!  Yay!  It’s definitely the winner out of the three that I tried.  I’ll be sticking with the Kopari deodorant for now!

If you’re looking to switch to a natural deodorant, I hope this post was helpful!  Again, this was just my experience, everyone’s body is different and different natural ingredients may interact with your body differently than they did with mine.  I’d recommend giving a few different brands a try until you find a natural deodorant that works best with your body!