Do I stink?
This worry constantly followed me around all through-out my younger years. From sweating everyday due to high-level soccer, to being a typical hormonal teenager, I became very self conscious of my body odour. For whatever reason, mine was really bad. If I forgot to put on deodorant in the morning before school, my whole day felt ruined. I was never able to wear white t-shirts as the armpits would become stained with yellow or dark splotches after just 1-2 wears.
Once, I remember being on a date where we went for a walk before getting drinks, and I had to keep reminding myself to keep my arms down the rest of the date because I could smell myself. Completely mortifying!!!!
I would often keep tissues under my armpits (I never even considered stuffing them in my bra lol) to help control the sweat seen on my shirt. My mom even got me some intense clinical deodorant to see if that would make a difference. It did not.
I thought I was the problem, not my deodorant.
What is aluminum’s role in deodorant?
Technically, aluminum is present is antiperspirants, which is different than deodorant. Antiperspirant helps you sweat less and deodorant helps you smell better. The thing is a lot of deodorants in the drug store will be a combination of the two, so it is safe to say that most deodorants contain aluminum, if not all.
The reason aluminum is used is because it is a salt that dissolves into your skin, and therefore, into your pores (Healthline). Because your pores are now clogged, this will help decrease the amount of sweat. The problem is that our body uses these pores to naturally sweat out toxins, and blocking this function can have a negative impact to your overall health. While there are many inconclusive studies on aluminum’s relation to cancer, particularly breast cancer, aluminum definitely affects estrogen.
If aluminum is absorbed into the skin, there is a chance it will disrupt the endocrine receptor for estrogen (American Cancer Society). It has the potential to trick the body into thinking it is estrogen, which has been said to influence the breast tissue (MOFFITT Cancer Society).
Aluminum has also been linked to other issues such as kidney disease and Alzheimers, so it just makes seems like common sense to make the switch.
How Is Natural Deodorant Different?
For the longest time, I believed natural deodorant to be a hoax. Any of the ones I tried did nothing and I rather felt like I smelled worse than before.
What I did not realize is at this point, my pores still had aluminum present. It can take up to 30 days for your body to adjust to the natural deodorant (VIVA). So anytime I tried natural deodorant, I would get frustrated and go back to my aluminum deodorant within a few days.
I officially committed to making the switch over to natural deodorant once I realized that aluminum was the contributing factor to staining my white shirts. I was so annoyed that I had blamed myself for this!
Natural deodorant essentially uses natural products to help mask the smell of body odour and decrease bacteria. If you suffer from sensitive skin, want to decrease the earth’s pollution, and love anything organic, natural deodorant is for you. (aka natural deodorant is for everyone!)
What you will notice is there are actually many different types of natural deodorants you can buy, as ingredients such as coconut oil, baking soda, arrowroot, & shea butter all can naturally neutralize body odour.
My Natural Deodorant Requirements & Top Picks:
When I first started out, I went with Dom’s Deodorant (linked below). I can’t particularly remember why I went with this one first, but it has a very aesthetic container, it is made locally, and uses easy to love scents. Switching from a roll-on deodorant to a cream that you apply with your fingers was strange at first, but now I love it! It never makes me feel wet and I never have to do the weird arm hunch we all would do while waiting for deodorant to dry.
When shopping for natural deodorant, there are a few things to keep in mind in order to make a decision that is best for you and the environment.
Here are a few questions you can ask yourself when shopping:
💡 How is the deodorant packaged?
Do they use plastic? Do they offer plastic-free options? Are they any made of recycled paper? Do they offer a refillable system? Whenever you can, stay away from that dang plastic.
💡Where is the deodorant made?
Is there a local brand you can support? Do they state where their products are made or resourced from? Gold stars to those who manufacture within their own country. Red flags if they go overseas.
💡 What is the deodorant made of?
Clearly Aluminum is a no-go, but you also want to make sure you are avoiding any harsh chemicals. You should be avoiding: parabens, triclosan, phthalates, propylene glycol and aluminum.
It is also good to stay away from anything that contains fragrances, especially if you have sensitive skin.
💡 Do you like the texture of the deodorant?
Natural deodorants can come in a lot of different versions. Are you okay with a cream, where you use your finger to apply? Would you rather have a stick? Are you wanting to stick with the classic roll-on version? Are you open to getting an imperfect one at a lower cost?
One thing to note with with getting the stick version, is to make sure you warm it up against your skin for a few seconds before swiping it back and forth 🙂
💡Do they offer scent-free options?
Not everyone offers a scent-free version, so make sure to check if that is important to you.
💡Does the brand use ethical & sustainable practices?
Do they clearly state their sustainability plans in effect and their future goals. Do they ensure their workers are treated and paid fairly? If they do manufacture overseas, have they gone to the location themselves to ensure proper management? If there is not a-lot of information about this on a site, it is same to assume that is a red flag and an easy pass 🙂
💡Do you know anyone who uses it?
Before you make any purchase, whether it’s deodorant or not, are you certain it is a good fit for you? Do you know anyone who uses it and who you can ask questions about how it works? *you can ask me in the comment section too!
It is always good to make informed choices instead of buying things on a whim and then realizing you don’t like it and can’t return it (guilty). We have enough trash as it is!!
⭐️ Christine’s Top Pick’s ⭐️
YAY the fun part!
Below are a few deodorants I have either tried myself or have done the research for you. Please note I may get a commission for purchases made through these links below.
ATTITUDE Deodorant
🌱 made with shea butter & coconut oil
🌱 uses biodegradable all-paper packaging
🌱 offers unscented options
🌱 offers baking-soda free options
🌱 vegan & cruelty-free
🌱 every product purchased will plant a tree
🌱 made in Montreal
Cost: $9.99 CAD for 3 oz
my favs are the Super Leaves Orange, Super Leaves Olive, & Super Leaves Unscented
DOM’S Deodorant
🌱 made with cornstarch, coconut oil, & baking soda
🌱 uses 100% recyclable glass jar and compostable lid
🌱 comes in cream or stick form
🌱 you can shop the minis to figure out your favourite scent
🌱 vegan, cruelty-free, & organic
🌱created by Dom in 2013, who sadly passed away from Hodgkins-Lymphoma in 2020
🌱 made in BC
Cost: $19.99 CAD for 50 mL
** I personally love the scents Calm and Nude
Routine Natural Deodorant
🌱 made with kaolin clay, beeswax, cornstarch, and/or baking soda
🌱 uses a refillable glass jar or 100% recycled cardboard. You can find out where to refill your jar on the FAQ page; hit up my girl @Delish if you are in north van!
🌱 comes in cream or stick form
🌱 they have a ‘damaged goods’ section where you can buy the imperfect products at a discount!
🌱 a few are vegan, but most contain beeswax
🌱 offers baking-soda free options
🌱 made in Canada
Cost: $29.99 CAD for 50 mL
Native Plastic Free Deodorant
🌱 made with coconut oil, baking soda, shea butter, & magnesium hydroxide
🌱 comes in plastic-free packaging, however Native does still allow shoppers to buy the plastic version :/
🌱 stick form
🌱 partner with 1% for the Planet
🌱 vegan & cruelty-free
🌱 offers a baking-soda free option for sensitive skin (uses arrowroot)
🌱 made in the US
Cost: $16.99 CAD for 2.65 oz
Wild Deodorant
🌱 made with tapioca starch, sunflower seed wax & baking soda
🌱 uses palm oil which is less ideal, but is sustainable sourced
🌱 comes in an Aluminum refillable cases that meant to last for life, otherwise Wild will recycle it for you.
🌱 The refills are wrapped in bamboo pulp which are recycled alongside paper.
🌱 Every purchase plants trees in partner with ONAMISSION
🌱 offer two scents with no baking-soda
🌱 made in Europe
USE MY CODE CHRISTINE2022 for 20% off at Wild
Cost: sign up for a prescription to save money or get the case and 3 refills for $38.90 CAD
Nuud Deodorant
🌱 contains 10 ingredients including coconut oil, almond oil, and micro silver
🌱 100% recyclable bioplastic sugar cane tube (except the lid) with biodegradable cardboard box
🌱 cream form; highly concentrated so less is more
🌱 vegan & cruelty-free
🌱 odourless
🌱 made in Europe
Cost: $14.95 USD for one or $28.95 for two on Amazon (each is 15 mL, highly concentrated)
*evidently containers made of bioplastics can sometimes require a lot of natural resources to make but Nuud goes into detail on how they do this in a sustainable way.
PIPER Imperfect Activated Charcoal Deodorant
🌱 made with tapioca starch, shea butter, cocoa butter, & witch hazel
🌱 uses recycled plastics from the ocean
🌱 stick form
🌱 this imperfect deodorant stick is a great way to help reduce waste and comes at a discounted rate
🌱 vegan & cruelty-free
🌱 baking-soda free for sensitive skin
🌱 made in the US however packaging is made overseas
Cost: $12-$15 USD for 2.6 oz, shipping outside of US has shipping costs.
Which one will you try??
If there is a natural deodorant you are using that I missed, make sure to comment below!
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Thank-you always for the support! ❤️
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