Your hair is blowing in the wind. The music is pumped up loud. The sun is a golden orb in the sky. You're rocking a sleeveless crop top on your way to meet up with the girls. You raise one arm to wave as you see them and then you realize…. oh sht…. is that smell…. me????
If that’s ever been you (or a pal whose back you've got), you’ve either forgotten your deodorant or had a bad experience with a natural deodorant. This begs the question of like, does natural deodorant even work??
Well, that depends on what you expect of your deodorant. There are actually two different types of underarm protectors out there: deodorants and antiperspirants.
Deodorants are meant to attack the odor, rather than prevent you from sweating. They target the bacteria that (gross-out warning) breaks down your sweat, turning it smelly, rather than preventing you from sweating in the first place. Technically? As long as you don’t smell like b.o., your natural deodorant is working.
Antiperspirants, on the other hand, are just what they sound like— they stop you from sweating, thanks to different substances (usually aluminum) that plug your sweat glands. It’s soooo natural to sweat, but if you can’t handle sweaty pits or aren’t a light sweater, then you might prefer an antiperspirant.
Compared to traditional deodorants, instead of using aluminum chlorohydrate and aluminum zirconium to block your pores and stop you from sweating, natural deodorants use coconut oil, cornstarch, arrowroot powder, and other recognizable components that neutralize bad-smelling bacteria. There are also different powders that can help absorb excess wetness. If you do choose to go au-naturel, make sure you give your armpits time to detox (not, not like that juice detox). They might be smelly for a little while, but eventually, they’ll self-regulate— cause nature is magic!
Now, it’s just up to you to figure out how much sweat you can handle, and swipe accordingly! Have you been convinced and want to give sustainable deodorant a shot? Here are a few we’ve tried and actually work really well:
