Extra LSR: How I Made the Switch to Natural Deodorant.

Does natural deodorant work? Yes… in time.

Natural beauty products are everywhere, and we’re learning more and more about the effects of what we put into and onto our bodies. I’m sure you’ve heard about the potential negative health effects of the classic antiperspirant + deodorant combos we’ve been using since middle school. A quick primer: deodorant = cuts down on body odor; antiperspirant = cuts down on actual sweating. (For the purposes here, when I say classic deodorant, I’m talking about the deodorant + antiperspirant combo.)

Classic deodorant contains a ton of chemicals, including aluminum (the antiperspirant component; its the ingredient that keeps you from sweating) and parabens, which are preservatives added to many beauty products to extend their shelf life and have been under scrutiny lately because they can be absorbed by the body and potentially disrupt hormone function. The science isn’t completely perfect, but there’s certainly enough information out there to make me investigate a natural alternative.

Natural deodorant doesn’t contain the parabens or aluminum you find in classic deodorant. The ingredient list is typically short and easy to read– no crazy-long, hard-to-pronounce chemicals found here!

I wanted to share my experience here because I was under the impression that (just like classic deodorant) I would be able to tell if a natural deodorant worked (or didn’t) after about a day or so of use. Did I smell at the end of the day? Or, yikes, did I smell before lunch? Then that natural deodorant was clearly not for me, easy as that.

Well, I was wrong.

Your body actually goes through a detox period when coming off classic deodorant. Just like detoxing from anything else, it’s not exactly quick… Let’s explore.

The Deodorant Detox

Because classic deodorant contains aluminum, it’s considered an over-the-counter drug in the United States. Oh really? Yes, really. And your body is dependent on a drug it uses for years and years– which means it has to readjust when it’s no longer on that drug. Hence, a deodorant detox.

This process takes about 3-4 weeks. (I know, I know– that’s a long time to worry about whether or not you smell.) Here’s a general overview of how each week breaks down:

Week 1: You may not notice much of a difference for the first few days between your natural deodorant and your classic deodorant because your body is still holding onto the aluminum and other chemicals its grown accustomed to. Toward the end of the first week, as your body begins to purge the leftover aluminum, you will notice an increase in sweat and smell. (Oh, goody.)

Week 2: Odor and wetness, abound! This is the worst week of the 3-week detox and typically the week people determine their natural deodorant isn’t doing the trick. In reality, your body purged (or is in the process of purging) the chemicals in classic deodorant and now your armpits are in overdrive. Specifically, the bacteria that causes odor and wetness are in overdrive; a direct result after quitting deodorant with antiperspirant. Natural deodorant doesn’t have the antiperspirant properties (which means wetness is natural + to be expected), but everything seems to be kicked up a notch during this week.

Week 3: Things begin to stabilize. As bacteria levels normalize, so do wetness and odor levels. A light at the end of the armpit tunnel!

Week 4: Your body should be completely free of the leftover chemicals from classic deodorant and accustomed to a natural deodorant. It’s important to note that some wetness is to be expected (how much will vary person to person); you aren’t using a product with aluminum-packed antiperspirant, so you’re going to perspire.

What I experienced making the natural deodorant switch

I chose the 3 weeks Dave was going to be in Africa to make the switch to natural deodorant. (If things got really bad, I knew he couldn’t smell me from another continent… Right?) It seemed like the perfect time to do some experimenting and see if I could kick the classic deodorant habit.

I tried 2 natural deodorants and one natural deodorant wipe during this time:

• Native Coconut & Vanilla Deodorant
• Agent Nateur Holi(stick) No. 3 Deodorant
• EO Natural Deodorant Wipes in Tea Tree

I would start my day with a few swipes of the Native deodorant. It smells really nice and Target just started carrying their entire line, making it accessible. Then I’d pack a few of the (super portable!) EO tea tree wipes in my purse for touch-ups throughout the day, especially during the end of week 1 through week 2. I leave the Agent Nateur stick in my gym locker at work, where I’d swipe it on before (and after) and a spin class.

I experienced a pretty typical detox process: by day 4, I noticed I didn’t smell too fresh by about 11:00 a.m. and my armpits were noticeably less dry than usual. This is where the tea tree wipes came in clutch– I’d use them to towel off (literally) and refresh during the day. I totally would’ve abandoned the deodorant detox during the middle of week 2 if it weren’t for the wipes– this is when the odor and wetness were the worst!

Week 2 did give me a chance to get somewhat used to not being completely dry in the armpit area. A classic deodorant junkie since puberty (who didn’t love shopping for her favorite Teen Spirit scent?), meant I had to get used to a little light sweating here and there during the day. I have never really minded sweating during a workout, so the extra wetness there didn’t bother me– but I definitely hit the showers right after because the post-workout odor during the detox was pretty gross.

I noticed a significant change at the beginning of week 3. A few days in and I felt like my morning application was lasting longer; I didn’t need to grab the EO wipes quite as frequently. Workouts weren’t so brutal, odor-wise. I did realize that just a little bit of my body’s natural odor came through at times. This is natural; we’re humans. The natural deodorant was working, but it wasn’t a 100% fix, you know what I mean? I wasn’t sending anyone running away with their nose pinched, but I wasn’t as perma-fresh as I was when I was on the classic stuff.

I’m now a natural deodorant convert. I still carry the EO wipes with me because they are such a genius fix when I’m on the go. Natural deodorant works, I just needed to give my body enough time to wean off the chemical-packed classic deodorant. That detox period was so key– I was giving up too soon before!

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I’ve had great experiences with both the Native and Agent Nateur natural deodorants. The Native is such a good find and is less expensive; I love the formula, too. It glides on a little nicer than the Agent Nateur, which has a tendency to crumble a bit if you apply too much pressure (although it smells delightful). I’ll repurchase both in the future. Neither gave me a rash or discolored armpits, which is a reaction some people can have based on how much baking soda, coconut, and other ingredients are in a particular brand. That’s where you have to experiment and hone in on a brand that works for you.

Another bonus to switching to natural deodorant: no more yellow pitted white t-shirts! The aluminum in classic deodorant is what causes the chemical reaction that turns the armpits of your fresh white tees that gross tinge of yellow. Going natural means eliminating the aluminum, which solves this problem! Yay! Now I might not feel so bad about buying pricier white t-shirts. 😉

Have you jumped to on the natural deodorant train?

Linking up with Elegance & Mommyhood, Curly Crafty Mom, Meet at the Barre, Nancy’s Fashion Style, Shelbee on the Edge, and Pink Sole.