Natural Deodorant: Round One

Sometime around September last year I made the switch to natural deodorant & antiperspirants. It was really hard at first. They don't lie when they say there's a two week period of your body adjusting to being aluminum free. If you didn't know there was this 'detox' period where you sweat like crazy for two weeks you would probably think natural deodorant just doesn't work. They have also made so much progress in the natural deodorant formulas in the last ten to twenty years. I remember trying some ages ago and they were pretty terrible. I was never a fan of the crystal ones either. I have to say I was very skeptical of trying natural again because of past history with formulas and I sweat a lot. I'm a nurse, I run around a lot and I'm just naturally sweaty due to my metabolism and such. I have been using a 24 hour extra strength aluminum one for years because it was the only thing that seemed to work for me.

Worth noting there's Deodorants and Antiperspirants and there is a difference. Deodorant is used to reduce body odor and antiperspirants are for reducing sweating. Antiperspirants use aluminum salt to block the pores and reduce how much you sweat or perspire. I will use deodorant as my word to describe all of these because that's just what I call my stuff. Who wants to drag it out and say my deodorant and antiperspirant? I would never use just a deodorant on it's own because I am sweaty all my sticks must have antiperspirant protection. Period. So why make the switch to natural? Curiosity and I ended up with several samples to try so it seemed logical I just give it a try. Six months later I feel fabulous about the decision. The first month was rough. I thought the sweating was never going to end and I was going to have to go back to aluminum. I stuck it out and I'm so glad I did. I don't even miss aluminum deodorant anymore. Now not all natural deodorants are created equal and some are better than others. Here's Round One and what I thought of each.

I tried the Zionhealth Clay Dry Deodorant Bold in both Original and Eucalyptus Mint as the first natural deodorant in my test. The brand in vegan, aluminum/paraben free & cruelty free. Details per Zionhealth:

ClayDry absorbs odor and toxins with a special type of healing clay called Calcium Montmorillonite.

• Arrowroot has moisture-absorbing properties. Arrowroot is anti-inflammatory and also can work as an antiseptic, making it perfect for irritated areas such as burns, rashes and sores.
• Ionic Minerals (Pure Calcium Montmorillonite Clay) contains more than 57 trace minerals to help absorb odor and balance skin pH.
• Witch Hazel is a natural astrigent commonly used to help absorb excess oil from the skin.
• Vitamin E soothe and moisture sensitive skin
• Rosemary Leaf nourish your delicate underarm area while keeping you fresh all day.
• Green Tea Extract absorbs wetness and soothes sensitive skin.

 

Next I tried Cleo & Coco Charcoal Deodorant in Basil Mint. Details per Cleo & Coco:

Gentle enough to be used daily, our natural deodorants are formulated with coconut derived Activated Charcoal and Bentonite Clay magnets that naturally draw out and eliminate odor-causing toxins, bacteria, and wetness, this deodorant will assist and support your body's natural daily detox process keeping you odor free all day. 

Our newest Unisex scent is a bold minty citrus with fresh and uplifting basil, peppermint and orange essential oils and enjoyed by men, women and teens. 

Formulated with only the healthiest ingredients for your sensitive skin, our Detox Deodorants keep your underarms soft and odor free. Our products are always free of aluminum, parabens, and toxins.

Ingredients Organic Maranta arundinacea (Arrowroot) Root Powder, Beeswax, Organic Cocos nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Butyrospermum parkii (Shea) Fruit Butter, Sodium Bicarbonate, Bentonite, Ocimum basilicum (Sweet Basil) Oil, Mentha piperita (Peppermint) Oil, Activated Charcoal Powder, Tocopherol.

 

Then I tried Dr. Lily Ros Organics 100% Natural Deodorant in Bamboo and Japanese Cherry Blossom.

An exceptional deodorant formulated with all-natural ingredients to give you extraordinary protection against body odor and perspiration. Every organic ingredient combats against unwanted underarm odor without hampering usual perspiration and leaving behind greasy residue on your skin or clothes. When you are looking for body odor neutralization and perspiration absorption products, Dr. Lily Ros’ natural deodorant goes a long way in bringing you the hygiene you desire.

Due to 100% natural and organic ingredients, which have been chosen after exhaustive research from all around the globe to bring particular advantages, application of Dr. Lily Ros deodorant is always healthy. With every deodorant purchase, you are also helping us to keep the environment green and healthy as we are committed to plant a tree for every product we sell.

Ingredients *Tapioca Strach, *Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, ***Cetyl alcohol, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, **Cetearyl Olivate (and) Sorbitan Olivate, kaoline clay, Cetyl Ester, **zinc recinoleate , zinc oxide, sodium bicarbonate, ,**Triethyl citrate , Lactobacillus app,  **Glyceryl Caprylate; **Benzoic Acid, **Sodium Caproyl/Lauroyl Lactylate (and) Triethyl Citrate (and) Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Oil, Natural Fragrances.

 

I saw Native Deodorant at Target and knew I had to grab the Coconut & Vanilla version. Details per Native:

Refreshingly smooth, tropical scent that is both sweet and sophisticated. Native Deodorant isn't a chemistry experiment, and is made without aluminum, parabens, phthalates, and talc. Native Deodorant is a solid deodorant that you can apply easily. Since the deodorant doesn't contain aluminum, it won't stain your clothes. We tested thousands of ingredients before finding a recipe that feels light and fresh under your arms, but provides you with effective protection against odor and wetness.

Ingredients Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride (Fractionated Coconut Oil), Tapioca Starch, Ozokerite (Earth Wax), Sodium Bicarbonate (Baking Soda), Magnesium Hydroxide, Cocos Nucifera Oil (Coconut Oil), Cyclodextrin, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter (Shea Butter), Dextrose, Lactobacillus Acidophilus (Probiotics)

 

Next up was the Dr Hauschka Rose Deodorant. Details per Dr Hauschka:

Gentle, moisturizing and antiperspirant-free, Rose Deodorant manages odor without impeding the skin’s natural processes. Composed of botanical and mineral ingredients that soothe freshly shaven skin without leaving any stains or discoloration, this low alcohol roll-on is especially suitable for normal to sensitive skin.

Formulation Zinc ricinoleate naturally manages odor. Lady’s mantle extract helps to gently balance skin perspiration. Rose essential oil and jojoba oil have a moisturizing, softening effect on skin. Rose water offers an elegant, delicate fragrance. Tapioca starch helps absorb moisture.

Ingredients

Water (Aqua), Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Alcohol, Manihot Utilissima (Tapioca) Starch, Glycerin, Zinc Ricinoleate, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Glyceryl Caprylate, Rosa Damascena Flower Water, Rosa Damascena Flower Oil, Fragrance (Parfum), Citronellol*, Linalool*, Geraniol*, Eugenol*, Limonene*, Farnesol*, Citral*, Benzyl Alcohol*, Alchemilla Vulgaris Extract, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Glucoside, Hectorite, Xanthan Gum.

*component of natural essential oils

 

After I went through the detox phase I could start to test these out better and get a better feel for them. Minus the Dr Hauschka one (which is a liquid roll-on) these are all thick cream sticks. Cleo & Coco is the hardest of them all while Dr. Lily Ros is really soft and almost creamy. Native is the thinnest in texture with a light creamy feel. It glides on the easiest with no crumbly texture. If you've used natural deodorant you know what I'm talking about. When you swipe these on you get little balls of the product until it can fully absorb or get rubbed into the armpit area better. That took me a while to get used to. If you have underarm hair the creamier sticks may not be your best choice and you may want to try a liquid roll-on or the Native is an excellent choice as it has no balling up texture.

The scents vary on these from mint to vanilla to rose or cherry. I would say just got for whatever scent you like as none was better than another. Texture wise my favorite is the Native followed by Zionhealth. Dr. Lily Ros was a little too soft and it balled up more, Cleo & Coco was too hard for me and I had to really rub hard. I heard they reformulated recently to make them softer so I want to try a new version badly as the actual product was great. I wasn't a fan of the Dr Hauschka one because one the liquid texture was too wet for my tastes and it just didn't seem to work at all for me in the antiperspirant category. It just didn't work for me and my sweaty pits.

Besides texture and scent the most effective ones for me as far as deodorizing and keeping perspiration at bay was Cleo & Coco & Zionhealth. Those were the best. Not far behind is Native & Dr Lily Ross. All four worked well and I had no complaints about any of them as far as their protection. I would pick Zionhealth as my favorite because it worked the best and had the most pleasant texture out of the strongest ones. The softer version of Cleo & Coco may rival Zionhealth once I get to try it. Native was my second favorite as I love the smooth, thin texture but it's just a touch less effective in the antiperspirant protection. To sum up my thoughts I'll post pros & cons below and stay tuned for Round Two once I test more. The differences between the four solid deodorants was minimal, I would honestly go with what scent you like & your preferred price range.

Zionhealth Pros: Strong protection in both odor and wetness, creamy texture but not too creamy nor too hard. Affordable. Cons: None really, balls up a little.

Cleo & Coco Pros: Strong protection in both odor and wetness, less balling in texture. Cons: Pricier, too hard in texture.

Native Pros: Good protection in both odor and wetness, great thin smooth creamy texture with no balling up at all (great for anyone with hair). Affordable. Cons: None really, slightly less effective at perspiration protection than above two.

Dr. Lily Ros Pros: Good protection in both odor and wetness, nice soft creamy texture. Cons: Pricier, balls more because it's softer. Slightly less effective at perspiration protection than Cleo & Coco and Zionhealth.

Dr Hauschka Pros: Nice easy roll-on liquid texture. No balling texture so great for anyone with hair. Good protection against odor. Cons: Pricier. Not good at antiperspirant protection and left me feeling wet.

 

*I bought Native but the rest were gifted by brands for honest review.