It was a little over a year ago that I started to focus on clean beauty products. I was eating super healthy and trying to be mindful of where my food was coming from, but I was’t paying much attention to what I was putting on my body. Our skin is our largest organ, and what we put on it goes right into our bloodstream. So I set out to find cleaner beauty products, and I started with deodorant. My quest started last July, a very hot and sweaty month. I asked around for recommendations and Native kept popping up so I decided to give it a try (the free shipping and returns, and 6000+ 5 star reviews didn’t hurt). This was after I had tried about five or six other natural deodorants that didn’t work. When I got my order in the mail I immediately loved the smell of the Coconut & Vanilla. So I started using it everyday. Within about 10 days it was working better than my regular deodorant and a year later I am happy to report I still love it. Craig uses Native now too and last year I gave it to pretty much everyone I know for Christmas. I know there’s a lot of skepticism about using natural deodorant and if it actually works. As a former sweaty (and sometimes smelly) person I am here to say, it does. I had heard that regular deodorant/anti-perspirant wasn’t great but it wasn’t until I started doing my own research that I realized how many contain toxic chemicals. Last week on Instagram I asked for your questions about making the switch to natural deodorant, check out the Q&A below.
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Native Deodorant Coconut Vanilla & Lavender Rose
Peperomia Plant
Sports Bra / Leggings
Indian Clay
Why Should I Switch to Natural (is regular really that bad)?
There are two ingredients that you will not find in Native deodorant, Aluminum and Parabens. Here’s why, aluminum has been linked to alzheimer’s disease and breast cancer. Not only that, aluminum disrupts your body’s natural process of sweating. We are supposed to sweat. It is how our body gets rid of toxins and regulates temperature. Parabens also disrupt your hormones and have been linked to breast cancer.
I tried Natural Deodorant and I was so sweaty!
First of all, same. I tried a bunch of natural deodorants and none of them worked. It took a little while for Native to work effectively for me, but I also did not detox my armpits until a few months in. I recommend doing this right away and regularly as it’s a great way to rid your body of toxins. That said, when you sweat your body is expelling toxins and you don’t want to prevent your body from doing that. Interestingly, since I switched to natural deodorant I notice I sweat less in general, some days I’ve forgotten to put deodorant on at all and was totally fine. Coming from someone that used super strength anti-perspirant in the past that is pretty amazing. When you stop using regular deodorant/anti-perspirant you’re basically unplugging your sweat glands that have been clogged up for so long so you may initially sweat more.
Will I stink?
So here’s the thing, there’s several factors that affect your body odor. Deodorant works to mask odor which is caused when sweat mixes with bacteria, believe it or not your regular deodorant can actually make body odor worse because it alters the bacterial microbiome in your armpits. Eating processed/fried foods and stress also play a role in your scent. Native works by combining ingredients like arrow root powder, which absorb wetness, with acidophilus, a naturally occurring bacteria in your gut which fights against odor causing bacteria (if you take probiotics you may have seen it before).
I tried natural deodorant and it gave me a rash.
There’s a few reasons this can happen. Chances are if you’ve been using regular deodorant you need to detox your armpits. Some people are also sensitive to baking soda. Native has a sensitive formula that is baking soda free. If you shave your armpits, try shaving at night so you’re not putting deodorant on right after.
How to Detox Your Armpits
Detoxing is so simple I only wish I had done it sooner. I try to do this every few months. You’ll need bentonite clay (I like this one). Mix equal parts clay with water until it forms a paste (not too thick or it will be tough to apply). Use a brush (I just use an old makeup brush) to apply the mixture to your armpits. Let it sit for about 10-15 minutes and wipe off with a washcloth. You might feel a tingly/cool sensation. I’ve seen some armpit detox recipes with apple cider vinegar, feel free to add a little of that too.
I recommend giving it a shot. Native has free returns and free shipping. If you give it a try let me know how it goes, and be patient. It was 100% worth the switch for me.
Thanks to Native for sponsoring this post.
I haven’t tried Native (I use Primally Pure and love it so much I haven’t had any reason to switch), but I agree 100% with everything you said! I used to sweat SO BADLY that even the clinical strength was often not strong enough. It was awful. I thought there was no chance a natural deodorant would ever work but after reading WomanCode and seeing the research (we only have a handful of pathways of elimination and two are our armpits so if we are clogging those up, it’s not gonna be good!), I decided to give it a shot. I am happy to report that I had a similar experience to you where somehow I now hardly sweat – it is truly wild!
Love all your tips here, making it super easy and encouraging for others to give it a shot!
xo Mary-Katherine
http://www.goldhattedlover.com
Totally agree. I made the switch before starting WomanCode, but after I read that book I was SO happy I did. It’s just crazy how long I was using anti-perspirant, ugh. I can’t believe how much less I sweat now. I probably forget to wear deodorant 40% of the time. Glad you made the switch too!
I switched to natural deodorant about a year and a half ago and actually recently went back to traditional antiperspirant deodorant. I tried several brands (all with glowing recommendations!), and they all left dark greasy stains on my clothes and made me smell WAY worse – worse than not even wearing deodorant. I’m not even a super sweaty/stinky person naturally, so it was frustrating. I’ll probably try to go back at some point (I haven’t tried native yet) but don’t have the guts yet…
Stacy, you should try Kinkō Balancing Deodorant (https://www.kinko.care). It will not stain your clothes as it is oil-free, unlike all the natural stick deodorants on the market. Antiperspirants, traditional deodorants, and even natural deodorants, all disturb the skin microbiome and that can lead to an increase in odor-causing bacteria and therefore BO. Kinkō is powered by Microbiomix, a patent-pending blend of prebiotics and postbiotics, that balances the skin’s microbiome and pH to prevent BO. It is body responsive for 24h protection, clean (rated 0 on Think Dirty App’s Dirty Meter), aluminum-free, fragrance-free and vegan.
I remember when you took a poll about natural deodorant last year and I was wondering when you were going to post about it! 🙂 I’ve been using natural deodorant for years now and I often forget to even put it on at all now and I definitely don’t stink because of it. I like the brand I use, Primal Pit Paste, but the sound of coconut vanilla sounds worth a try!
Just got to read this post. What are your favorite scents, are they very strong? I’m eyeing their fig & honey, and gardenia & orchid. What about for men?
Thanks!
cg
So the scents I’ve tried are coconut & vanilla, lavender & rose, and mint & eucalyptus (men’s). Those other scents sound great, I don’t really love anything that’s strongly scented and these are all really subtle but really nice.
Cool thanks, going to give it a try. I am really enjoying the non-fashion topics on your blog/podcast. Yes, even the political stuff which I know can be hairy to talk about. Dig your style too, of course!
I switched to natural deodorant and I’m so glad I did! The ingredients in comercial products is overwhelming and scary. I’ll never go back.