Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Switch It Out: Deodorant

I have been on a quest to find the safest deodorant (that actually works) for about 6 or 7 years now. Back in college, a friend had told me about a possible link with aluminum and Alzheimer's and breast cancer. I didn't want to be putting chemicals right near my ta-tas so I decided to stop using antiperspirants. From what I know, there isn't enough data available on what causes Alzheimer's or breast cancer and some studies show conflicting information so I wanted to play it safe.

 I have tried MANY deodorants and many of them have left me seriously disappointed.  They have either not worked well, stained my shirts, or feigned being natural/safe. Some of the deodorants that I currently have in my stash are (left to right).

Pure Hearts Clean Hands Natural Deodorant in Lemongrass, Nourish Organic Deodorant in Almond-Vanilla, Crystal Essence in Pomegranate.


My favorite here is  Pure Hearts Clean Hands. I like the scent and I feel like it stays on longer than the other two.  It is a tiny bit sticky though. Good price and I like the company. I had an issue with an order and customer service was great!  I did notice a slight oily residue in the armpits of my clothing but it washes right out.  Rated a "1" on EWG skin deep. If you are strict vegan this item does contain beeswax. I am vegan in all other areas, but I do eat honey and purchase items that have honey, beeswax in them.

Nourish smells great but I feel like it is exfoliating my armpits as I put it on (kind of a rough sensation on a sensitive area)!   I do have to re-apply after a few hours to keep protection up and I think it is a bit expensive. Rated a "3" on EWG skin deep (contains fragrance - although it is organic & EWG did not differentiate) This item also contains beeswax.

I purchased Crystal Essence at the local CVS after reading it was rated "0" on the EWG skin deep database. I used to let it air dry on my armpits before putting a shirt on but I have found this deodorant works better if I just put it on when I have my shirt already on. I'm not sure if the deodorant gets on the shirt and helps protect against odor better but I have found this helps keep stinkies away. I do have to re-apply Crystal Essence.

Sometimes John and I will go out for a fancy event and I don't want to risk getting the essential oil from my Pure Heart deodorant on my dress and I will use my husband's deodorant. He uses Old Spice Pure Sport deodorant (not the antiperspirant).  I only use it for very special occasions. It is rated a "3" on EWG skin deep. Some iffy ingredients that it contains: triclosan, SD alcohol 40, propylene glycol and fragrance.  Old Spice also tests on animals (cue the booing). It kills me to think about a little monkey or rat getting old spice smeared in their eyes.  I have tried to convince John to try a different deodorant, but we are still working on that.


*Some other "natural" deodorants that I have tried:

Aubrey Organic E Plus High C Roll-On Deodorant- This was a recommendation from a health food store worker. It didn't work very well for me, but I was also letting it dry and then putting on my clothing. Maybe it would work better if I put it on and allowed it to get on my shirt (like the Crystal Essence)? Love that it is vegan and does not contain bad ingredients. 

Alvera All Natural Roll-On Deodorant Aloe and Almond- This was a recommendation from a health food store worker. It didn't work very well for me, but I was also letting it dry and then putting on my clothing. Maybe it would work better if I put it on and allowed it to get on my shirt (like the Crystal Essence)? Love that it is vegan and does not contain bad ingredients. 
I KNOW this was just copied and pasted from the above review, but it is true!

Jason Deodorant Stick Nourishing Apricot- This just didn't work for me. I had to keep applying it.

Earth Science Liken Plant Natural Deodorant- I tried this a long time ago and really do not remember it. I think I remember it working alright.  

The Body Shop - DeoDry Fresh and Floral Stick- it is not antiperspirant (good) but it contains a lot other chemicals (bad) that I am not sure I want on my body. This is a good example of green-washing. The Body Shop may have discontinued the stick version of the scent I had tried. I also would have to reapply this a lot. It was rated "6" on a scale of 10 for toxicity on EWG skin deep.

Herban Cowboy Deodorant- The scent that I bought smelled like nutmeg to me. It was an odd scent for a deodorant. I didn't feel like this worked well for me. I had to reapply often.

Dr. Mist Deodorant- This did not work for me at all! And it is expensive. The only good part was that I recycled the bottle (mini spray bottle) and have made a spray of salt water and tea tree oil. It works well to fight fungus. The dispenser is high quality but the deodorant was nothing to write home about.

Arm & Hammer Essentials Natural Deodorant-  Here is another example of green-washing.  The product says it doesn't contain parabens or aluminum but there are other chemicals in there that are not good!  Check out this review on this deodorant- http://greenupgrader.com/14021/greenwash-alert-arm-and-hammer-essentials-natural-deodorant/  
I do have to say, this did fight off odor and is very inexpensive but I decided not to purchase again because of the other chemicals in it. Honestly, I think my Pure Hearts works better than this one.

Tom's of Maine Natural Care Deodorant Stick, Apricot- Smells nice but did not last long on me. I had to keep reapplying.  Decent price though.

Tom's of Maine Long Lasting 24-Hour Deodorant- I don't remember the scent I bought but I ended up returning it. I used it a few times but it was so sticky and gross feeling. I am not sure if Tom's even makes this anymore; I haven't seen it at the local health food store lately.


I have tried 3 or 4 other deodorants but I cannot remember them at the moment (must not have been that good). I am really enjoying my Pure Hearts Deodorant. They also have other scents - Lavender, Orange, Unscented.  

* Some of these may have been reformulated and may work well now. I am just going off of my own experience.  Also, some of them may not be vegan. I started my deodorant quest before I became vegan. 


I would love to hear about any products that you recommend! I am excited to learn what others have tried and liked. Please feel free to share by posting a comment below. Thanks!



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