Does natural deodorant work? It can help with odor, but it does not replace an antiperspirant for sweat control.
I wanted to try a different underarm routine. A quick primer: deodorant helps control body odor; antiperspirant reduces sweating. Here, when I say classic deodorant, I mean the combination antiperspirant-and-deodorant product I used before.
Aluminum compounds are the sweat-reducing ingredients in antiperspirants. The National Cancer Institute reports no scientific evidence linking deodorant or antiperspirant use to breast cancer. Most U.S. products do not contain parabens. My switch was a product preference, not a medically necessary detox.
Products marketed as natural vary. Check the actual ingredients: the word natural and an easy-to-read label do not make a formula safer or less irritating.
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.
There is no evidence that switching requires an aluminum purge or drug withdrawal. You may notice more wetness because deodorant alone does not reduce sweat. My experience below is personal, not a timetable everyone should expect.
What Changes When You Stop Antiperspirant
Antiperspirant reduces sweat reaching the skin; deodorant tackles odor. Stopping one does not make you dependent on it or require weaning. Choose according to whether you want less odor, less wetness or both.
There is no required four-week detox schedule. Reapply as the label allows, and stop if a product causes irritation rather than trying to push through it. Persistent odor, excessive sweating or a rash is a reason to seek professional advice.
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. I liked the scent and had found it at Target. Then I’d pack the portable EO tea tree wipes in my purse for touch-ups, especially late in week 1 and during week 2. I kept the Agent Nateur stick in my gym locker for use around spin class.
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. The tea tree wipes helped me refresh during the day. I nearly abandoned the switch in the middle of week 2, when the odor and wetness felt worst to me. That is what I experienced, not evidence of a detox.
Week 2 gave me a chance to get used to not being completely dry in the underarm area. I’d used combination deodorant and antiperspirant since puberty (who didn’t love shopping for a favorite Teen Spirit scent?), so light daytime sweating felt unfamiliar. Sweat during a workout didn’t bother me as much, but I showered afterward because I disliked the odor.
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, and I still carry the EO wipes for on-the-go touch-ups. This routine ended up working for my odor preferences. It was a matter of finding products and habits I liked, not weaning off chemicals or completing a detox.
I’ve had great experiences with both Native and Agent Nateur. In my comparison, Native was less expensive and glided on more smoothly; Agent Nateur could crumble if I applied too much pressure, although I loved its scent. Neither gave me a rash or underarm discoloration. Others may react differently, including to fragrance or baking soda, so stop using a formula that irritates your skin.
Another bonus I noticed: less yellow staining on my white tees after the switch. That was welcome! It is not a guarantee that an aluminum-free routine prevents every stain; sweat, fabric, product residue and laundering also matter.
For more information, see Scripps Health's explanation of deodorants and antiperspirants and the National Cancer Institute's antiperspirant fact sheet.