I tested four natural deodorants
Have natural deodorants officially hit the mainstream? In May last yeat, Justin Beiber announced his collab with vegan beauty brand Schmidt’s Naturals on a natural deodorant called Here + Now. The Instagram post featured a tattooed, shirtless Beiber, arms out Jesus-style showing off his breezy-looking pits. The 2.9 million excited Beliebers could only guess what the deo will smell like as it doesn’t drop until Spring. Could Justin Bieber’s natural deodorant be the new Lynx Africa?
Mmmm...Lynx Africa. You know, the poor man’s cologne worn by all the teenage boys at your school. It reminds me of my first boyfriend who was blessed with a Lynx Africa gift set every Christmas. ‘Sensual’ or ‘nice’ are not words I’d use to describe it, but it masked ciggies (kind of) and kept pubescent boys from smelling of stale B.O after P.E class (kind of). That’s thanks to aluminium - the ingredient that stops you releasing sweat and lets deodorant brands encourage you to shower less.
Natural, aluminium-free deodorants use ingredients like baking soda, arrowroot and essential oils to deodorise underarms instead. All the cool people I know use them. They smell chic like sandalwood and make my Rexona Sexy Bouquet feel inferior. As much as I want to love them, I’m yet to find a natural deodorant that works. I’m no sweaty betty either - if they can’t handle my perspiration levels I worry for the wet, stinking reality of this generation’s Bieber-wearing teenagers.
Before I give up I want to put them all to test: spray-ons, roll-ons, solids, even a DIY. The internet told me I should ‘detox’ my pits first from the aluminium I’ve been poisoning my body with:
You can buy armpit detox kits for lots of money, or you can just mix some bentonite clay and charcoal powder with some water the next time you have an undisturbed hour at home.
Apply a layer of the mask over your pits post-shower then then lie down with your arms up, pop on a podcast and rinse it off after 40 mins.
Malin & Goetz Eucalyptus Deodorant $38
Rating : 3/5
This has the best application of the bunch. It’s cool transparent stick glides on smoothly, dries quickly and leaves no marks. Turns out I couldn’t trust this guy to keep me fresh on a busy work day BUT if you don’t mind reapplying every 3-4 hours it’s a nice, sinus-clearing option.
Sukin Natural Deodorant $9
Rating : 2/5
The hot yoga studio I go to stock this in the changing rooms. Feeling hopeful, I spritzed on the citrus-vanilla spray before a Power Vinyasa class. Does any deodorant stand a chance? I still emerged dripping with sweat, so after a towel-dry I spritzed on more, noticing a slight sting. After 2 hours I had to admit defeat, I needed a shower.
Kind-ly Cyprus and Sandalwood Deodorant $26
Rating : 4/5 [Winner]
Goodbye Sexy Bouquet, I’m one of the cool girls now. The classic roll-on dries down clear and the scent is powerful, letting everyone know you are a clean earthy goodness even by the end of the day. It didn’t keep me dry but it gets high marks for eliminating B.O - just make sure you love the scent ‘cos it’s strong.
B.Bold Bergamot & Cedar Natural Deodorant $19
Rating : 4/5 [Another Winner]
The girl at my local health food store showed me this gem, she said it’s the best she’s used. It’s also less pricey than the other ones they stock so I believed her. The cream comes in a little glass jar so you have to scoop some out and rub it under your arms. The powder-paste texture did the best job of keeping me dry and my pits smelling of fresh earl grey tea. If it wasn’t for the fiddly application this would be a clear winner!
Alternative Acid Method using Perricone Intensive Pore Minimiser
This option involves using exfoliating acids you normally use on your face - the AHA or BHA liquid type. I have a lot of these lying around so I might have to come back to you with a part two on this post.
