Does anybody here actually like all natural deodorant?

[ProudGrandma]

I am wanting to like it...and I was until it got hot here...but now, unless I apply it 5 times a day, it is not working and I am about to go back to my regular, horrible ingredient, unhealthy deodorant.  I have been using a natural one since about March...knowing that it takes your body a bit of time to adjust...but if I wait much longer, I will not have any friends anymore.  What has been your experience? 

[Selkie]

I tried it and hated it. I can't stand feeling smelly or sweaty, and it left me feeling both. Dh got a bad rash from using it. 

[katilac]

I've never used it, but I can tell you that I've never liked other people using it, lol. 

I've had the pleasure of telling two different employees (at different times) that, yes, you actually do smell, sorry! 

[retiredHSmom]

I have been using Tom's and Jason deodorant for a year now and they do work for me.  I apply once a day.  Once last summer, it seemed not to work one day and I wiped my armpits down with rubbing alcohol after my shower that night and it worked again the next day.

That said, natural deodorant hasn't worked for either of my daughters, one even has her armpits turn brown when she uses it. (It clears up when she stops)

 

Edited May 23, 2018 by retiredHSmom
I can't type to save my life

[ChristyB in TN]

Me! I had to use several brands to find one I liked. I use one of deodorants from Kiss My Face. One of the Tom’s of Main works well for me, it’s in a green container and I have no idea what version it is but it seems to be better than the others. Strangely, if I eat any animal protein I can smell it when I sweat and it is unpleasant. I understand none of this but you sort of asked. ?

[HollyDay]

I have found 2 I like.  One is a cream, the other a roll on.  I can't remember the names but I'll look

[Knock]

I tried and hated them all until I found Piper Wai. I don't have a strong body odor, but I do sweat like faucet. My daughter uses the roll-on, but I prefer the paste. Disclosure: I don't wear deodorant every day, or even most days. But I use Piper Wai if I'm going to be in close proximity to people, like for Church, scouts, sports, hanging out with friends, or if I'm at work. My job is physically demanding, and my uniform is a polyester that doesn't breathe. My shifts are anywhere from 4-12 hours per day. Piper Wai is the only deodorant that works as well as a non-natural deodorant for work days. My armpits are very sensitive and antiperspirants irritate my skin. I've tried nearly every natural product and was ready to give up. Then we saw Piper Wai on Shark Tank, and my kids bought it for me for Mother's Day. Talk about taking a hint! They have also bought me other products from the show, so I try not to take it personally LOL!

But I commiserate. The product you're using should be working by now. What a let down. 

[Pen]

Yes.

Maybe it depends on what type exactly and exact circumstances. Frequency of showers. Eating habits.  

Zinc oxide powder does absolutely amazing in some situations in my experience (pits, feet ...), if applied right after shower. 

 

Ds who runs cross country and does track and field successfully can use a fragrance free Toms deodorant or Crystal; both are commercial and maybe not as natural as you mean.

We’ve tried coconut oil and alone found that not enough in hot weather or with lots of sweat exercise—though in combination with other things it may be. And it may be enough in winter with out heavy exercise. 

[lexi]

I had a terrible reaction to Tom’s. My armpits burned for a week. So awful. I tried one other brand and it didn’t work. And I always seem to sweat and smell. Yuck. I wish I could find one that worked and didn’t burn my skin. I’ve given up for now. 

[goldberry]

All I can say is I know two people who use natural deodorant, and they both have noticeable body odor. That's why I've never tried it.

[lavender's green]

I want to like it, but everything I've tried makes me rashy.

[Petrichor]

I was using a homemade deodorant for a while - like 5+ years. Equal parts baking soda, coconut oil, and cornstarch. I still sweat, but didn't smell. Worked great until a year or so ago. I started getting rashy.

Switched to a commercial deodorant labeled "sensitive" containing a large percentage of milk of magnesia. It's a stick deodorant, not a liquid, but contains some oils.

Because of the oils, it lasts 24hrs+ On a not too warm day, I can go a couple of days without reapplying.

I also got some milk of magnesia. Sometimes I use it on it's own. It works well too, but lasts more like 8-12 hrs rather than 24+. Might be more because I don't have time or desire to stand around with my arms up until it dries, lol. I do like that the liquid doesn't come with all of the "gunk" that the stick deodorant does.

Sweating after years of using an antiperspirant does take some time to get used to though.

[LarlaB]

I want to like it.  I have tried to like it.  It doesn't do what I need it to do- I shouldn't say doesn't work, because if I clean my pits 2x a day and reapply- sure.  All is pleasant.  But that's not practical, certainly not at work.   I don't mind wetness and perspiration, rather the odor. 

I've tried Piper Wei (the paste), Jason, Toms, Crystal, Native, Schmidts, and Arm & Hammer. I've had unpleasant reactions to a few, persevered and still was incredibly unimpressed. 

I feel like its a racket at this point- LOL We all keep buying and trying and buying some more. ?

 

[SKL]

I've used all natural in the past with good results.

Right now I'm a Toms user - I don't know if that's all natural but it seems a little less unnatural than Secret etc.  ?  It generally holds up for about 24 hours, give or take.

I might be a person who sweats less than average though.

I wear the Secret when I'm going to TKD.  Just no point risking it.  ?

[Laurie]

1 hour ago, on the the next adventure said:

 

That said, natural deodorant hasn't worked for either of my daughters, one even has her armpits turn brown when she uses it. (It clears up when she stops)

 

This happened to my daughter, too, when she used Desert Essence Lemon/Tea Tree stick deodorant.   Others have irritated her skin.  Now I buy scented towelettes for her to use every morning and they prevent odor all day, even if she hasn't bathed, and haven't irritated her skin.

I've tried quite a few.  Most recent failures for me have been Tom's of Maine Natural Powder scent, which turned my armpits into a whitish mess, and Desert Essence.   I like what I'm currently using:   Kiss My Face in the Cucumber scent.  The label says no white marks, and that's been true.   This scent is mild so I don't smell like a vegetable stand, but their sport scent smells weird and bad on me.   

[Liz CA]

I make mine: Baking soda, coconut oil, whatever essential oil scent you like, i.e. citrus, lavender, etc.

Mix up ingredients so the final product is creamy but not too runny. It seems to work fairly well for me.

[Laurie]

3 minutes ago, Liz CA said:

I make mine: Baking soda, coconut oil, whatever essential oil scent you like, i.e. citrus, lavender, etc.

Mix up ingredients so the final product is creamy but not too runny. It seems to work fairly well for me.

Does it leave an oily residue on your clothes?  

[KatieJ]

My husband uses the toms of Maine, most of the time he’s just fine. He tries to,go,without on weekends to give his body a break, and we’ll, sometimes he is chopping wood and we’ll, yeah, don’t stand near him. 

 

I had had the same reaction Lexi did. Burning armpits is no fun. I gave up. 

[Liz CA]

1 hour ago, Laurie said:

Does it leave an oily residue on your clothes?  

 

No, I have not noticed this. 

[EmilyGF]

I don't have a choice; I'm allergic to normal deodorant. They give me really painful nodules under my arms.

First, your body cycles through hormones and you'll find that two weeks or so per month you need nothing and two weeks per month you stink like crazy. During those two stinky weeks, use deodorant soap on your pits (if you are OK with that) and then swab with rubbing alcohol each time before you go out.

I do think the first year is the worst (when your body is adjusting to no longer having to fight the chemicals it makes a ton of sweat). Then the sweat really decreases and it gets a lot better. Are you OK with the non-aluminum crystal sticks? I use that on days I will be out all day and am concerned that I might be hormonally stinky. I use it maybe 2-3 days per month. So this minimizes deodorant use without completely eliminating it.

Emily

[alisoncooks]

DH is a big, hairy, sweaty man. He uses the crystal and it seems to work for him. 

I, on the other hand, haven't found anything natural that will keep me from stinking. 

 

[Ravin]

I have used Tom's of Maine and it works fine for me regardless of hormones. It doesn't work for DD though, DH bought her something else because it just wasn't cutting the teen funk.

[Ravin]

4 hours ago, lexi said:

I had a terrible reaction to Tom’s. My armpits burned for a week. So awful. I tried one other brand and it didn’t work. And I always seem to sweat and smell. Yuck. I wish I could find one that worked and didn’t burn my skin. I’ve given up for now. 

 

There is one variety of Tom's that I had that reaction to (the one in the green container), so I'm careful to only get the kind I know works well for me.

[kbutton]

I use milk of magnesia, and it works quite well. I try to let it dry out/thicken up a bit before using it. Generally if leave the bottle open for a couple of days, it starts thickening up.

I had only one kind of non-natural deodorant that worked all that well for me.

[6packofun]

Have any of you tried Native deodorant?  I keep reading rave reviews of it and want to get some for my dd, but would love to hear something positive from people I don't really know but "know" on the internet.  LOL

https://www.nativecos.com/

[retiredHSmom]

5 hours ago, 6packofun said:

Have any of you tried Native deodorant?  I keep reading rave reviews of it and want to get some for my dd, but would love to hear something positive from people I don't really know but "know" on the internet.  LOL

https://www.nativecos.com/

I actually have the same question but I have been unable to find any reviews except on the Native site and I try not to trust self-promotion.

[retiredHSmom]

I gave natural deodorant a try because every white shirt I owned turned yellow in the armpits after the first wearing. It was ruining my clothes.  I seemed to find that it was due to oxidation of the metals in the antiperspirant but I couldn't find any product for women that was deodorant only other than natural stuff. It was try a men's product or try natural, I decided to try natural.  Not a single one of my shirts from last summer had stained armpits at the end of the summer.

[KatieJ]

59 minutes ago, retiredHSmom said:

I gave natural deodorant a try because every white shirt I owned turned yellow in the armpits after the first wearing. It was ruining my clothes.  I seemed to find that it was due to oxidation of the metals in the antiperspirant but I couldn't find any product for women that was deodorant only other than natural stuff. It was try a men's product or try natural, I decided to try natural.  Not a single one of my shirts from last summer had stained armpits at the end of the summer.

My DH had the same thing happen. It’s the deodorant !

His shirts are nice and white since switching to Toms of Maine. 

[ProudGrandma]

White armpits are wonderful....but only if you don't stink.  How can I get both without having to try a dozen different ones?  I have already tried 2...and struck out both times.  I can't afford to have a dozen different deodorants sitting here barely used.  I so want it to work for me...but....

[skimomma]

I use a salt rock (sometimes called crystal) with very good luck.  And it is cheap.  The $5 rock I bought 10+ years ago is going strong.  It doesn't stain and is not slimy.  It also works on feet.  I still sweat but it does not stink, even after a hard workout.  The natural more-traditional types do not work for me at all.  I actually tried the rock after regular deodorant stopped working for me (and was ruining my clothing). 

 

[Kanin]

I found Lafe's all-natural deodorant in my grocery store, and it's been great so far. I don't know all of the ingredients, but it doesn't have the well-known toxic ones in regular deodorant. I need to do some more research, but I'm hoping that Lafe's is okay.

https://lafes.com/collections/bodycare-for-women/products/lafes-natural-deodorant-twist-stick-active

 

 

[Matryoshka]

I used Tom's successfully for decades, but I'd never been a big sweater.

For some reason in the past couple of years I've started sweating (and being stinky) more often.  I've switched to a different natural deodorant that includes charcoal and it seems to be working better, though I still have the occasional stinky day (in which case I find a bathroom and wash and dry there - and reapply if I'm at home).  I would think in my 50's things would be going in the other direction, but I'm not going to complain too much if this is my worst symptom of changing hormones...  When I went on vacation I just brought a travel-sized Secret.  I'm thinking maybe I should keep one in my purse, just for those random days...?  There doesn't seem to be any way to predict which day will be like that, and most days are fine, especially since I switched.

[Jess4879]

I have been using Bubble & Bee for years and absolutely love it.  They have a guarantee too, so nothing to lose. ? 

https://bubbleandbee.com/organic-deodorant/  

[Greta]

I've found that ones with tea tree oil in them work better for me, but I don't know if tea tree oil might be irritating to the skin for some people.  I only recently made the switch from anti-perspirant, though, so I haven't done a lot of experimenting yet.  I'm going to try some of the ones that were mentioned here, so thanks everyone!

[alisoncooks]

I love the soap from Chagrin Valley Soap & Salve. I've been wanting to try their deodorant (esp the lemongrass tea tree) for a while but haven't yet. 

https://www.chagrinvalleysoapandsalve.com/products/natural-bathbody/natural-deodorant/

[Katy]

I tried about 4 I hated.  I had a homemade one that I used for months and loved... until 3 months later when I got what looked like a yeast infection rash under my arms.

[bluemongoose]

Schmidts Sensitive. I cannot use their regular. It gives me a rash. The sensitive works, but on very warm days I may need to reapply. I am not a super sweaty person, and I have a sensitive nose, so I know I am not walking around with funk.

[Susan in TX]

13 hours ago, 6packofun said:

Have any of you tried Native deodorant?  I keep reading rave reviews of it and want to get some for my dd, but would love to hear something positive from people I don't really know but "know" on the internet.  LOL

https://www.nativecos.com/

 

I've tried it and it works for me and smells great too. They have several scents to choose from. My adult daughter introduced me to it. She said it was the first natural deodorant she has found that really works. My teen and pre-teen girls use it now too. The only downside for me is the price.

Susan in TX

[hippiemamato3]

I'm completely in love with Schmidt's Deodorant and they sell it at Target for less than $5. We all use it and it smells so good (and so do we!)

[hippiemamato3]

8 hours ago, retiredHSmom said:

I actually have the same question but I have been unable to find any reviews except on the Native site and I try not to trust self-promotion.

Native works great and smells nice. It is expensive and because we are vegan we stopped using it because it contains beeswax. Schmidt's works equally well and is cheaper and available at Target. Also, no beeswax. 

[Stacia]

I've had good luck with Green Tidings All Natural Deodorant (solid stick, unscented) and Bali Secrets Natural Deodorant (liquid roll-on, unscented). These are anti-perspirants so they don't stop sweat, just the smell. I tend to alternate between the two. Biggest drawback is price. (I order through amazon.) I'm somewhat sensitive to scents so I often prefer unscented over scented things.

Tried a Tom's one quite awhile ago but it was horrible & didn't work at all for me. It was like I wasn't using anything at all.

For the price, maybe I'll give Schmidt's a try in my rotation.

[laundrycrisis]

I like the Scmidt’s Rose and Vanilla but only because I like the scent, and it’s moisturizing and easy on shaved skin. It does not stop sweat though,  so if I wear it alone, I end up adding antiperspirant gel later in the day, or at least spritzing with some rose witch hazel to freshen up.

I hate to say it, but I can usually tell when people choose natural DO. (I actually wrote a haiku about this ! Health food stores smell like Essential oils and BO - Natural armpits. )  I never ever hold it against people - I know they are clean and making a health related choice.  It’s fine.  I have a very sensitive smeller and I smell all kinds of things, and that is just one of them.  I’m sure I bring my own bouquet as well. I think people should be clean, use what they like, and perhaps reinforce as the day goes on if  necessary. 

 

[laundrycrisis]

16 hours ago, hippiemamato3 said:

I'm completely in love with Schmidt's Deodorant and they sell it at Target for less than $5. We all use it and it smells so good (and so do we!)

I bought a 3 pack of Schmidt’s at Costco.  I don’t know if they will always have it, but it was a good deal.  

[Clear Creek]

Most natural deodorants give me a rash after using them for several days. Schmidt's does not give me a rash, but I can only use it when I wear a tank top because it leaves a thick residue on the inside of my t-shirts (even when I apply a very small amount). That residue does not wash out with normal washing; I have to spray it with stain remover and wash several times after just one wearing. Primal Pit Paste works really well and leaves no residue on my clothing, but I have to alternate using it with a regular deodorant or I get a rash.

Tom's leaves me smelling worse than if I skipped deodorant completely. Far, far worse.

[Rachel]

On 5/24/2018 at 8:46 AM, kfeusse said:

White armpits are wonderful....but only if you don't stink.  How can I get both without having to try a dozen different ones?  I have already tried 2...and struck out both times.  I can't afford to have a dozen different deodorants sitting here barely used.  I so want it to work for me...but....

Shop at places that allow you to return products. I learned Kroger will take back products that you don’t like. Just ask before purchasing. 

[Rachel]

Timely thread, I tried Justin’s this week. I put it on right after a shower and even though I wasn’t sweating I had bad BO within a couple hours. I think I smell better with no deodorant!  It ended up giving me a rash too so now I’m looking for something else. 

[mommaduck]

There is a difference between deodorant and antiperspirant. Most natural deodorants are just that, deodorant. It's not supposed to stop you from sweating. Not sweating is not healthy. You can actually see the skin bubble with sweat it's not releasing when I've put on antiperspirant. Deodorant just helps with smell.

[73349]

I've found Chagrin Valley and Aquarian Bath only good for winter. (I shower pretty much every day.)

Schmidt's works much better for me (bergamot and lime in the little glass jar), and that's what I've bought for DS as well. On really hot days, though, I still go for the typical antiperspirant.