Today's we're getting to the pit of it! The armpit!
As someone that grew up sweating and currently sweats for a living I have gone through my fair share of deodorants both aluminum and aluminum free.
I will say, prior to the "aluminum panic" I was tied to the Degree Active Shield spray deodorant which has since been discontinued. Before linking myself to Active Shield I went through a myriad of Dove, Secret, and other Degree Deodorants. None of which satisfied me like Active Shield did.
Now you'd think that the "aluminum panic" is what made me switch to natural deodorant. And you'd be wrong in thinking that haha It was actually the discontinuation of the Active Shield Spray which happened around the same time 😅 (Yes, the stick is now available but it wasn't at the time.) While some research has come out saying Aluminum isn't the worst thing for your pits I still thought it was a great time to switch to something more natural.
The process of switching was the hard part. I began by looking up what the journey to natural would entail. After a dozen google searches everything I read said it would take about 3 weeks of smelling bad before I'd smell good when switching to a natural deodorant.
So let me tell you about 2 of the natural deodorants I tried and why I couldn't stand them along with 1 that kind of worked, and the 1 I am now attached to.
First I tried Lululemon's Anti-stink deodorant. Upon first spray I felt a burning sensation in my pits. Now most people would go "nope not trying this again" but I'm not most people. I gave it about 3 more weeks of trial before I realized that this deodorant was not for me. Aside from the burning sensation I felt, my pits SWEAT. Like I could feel the water of my pits travel along the side of my body. So yeah, that was a no!
Next I went to Target to try out the Schmidt's Lavender Sage Stick Deodorant. That thing was solid as a brick. If I swiped with a light hand I felt like nothing transferred to my pits. Then when I would press with a heavier hand it would skid across my pit. Most people would discard the product but once again, I am not most people. I got creative by turning the stick upside down and using my candle lighter to warm the end of the product. To be honest, that worked but after a few days I realized that I may be putting a lot of unnecessary effort into applying deodorant.
Even though those products didn't work out I was still determined to find the natural deodorant for me. So I went back to Target to try another product. My eyes turned to the Native Deodorant Mini Coconut & Vanilla - Trial Size - 0.35oz which was $2.99 for a tiny stick. I didn't want to commit to a full sized product again so I thought this size would be a great way to try again. Luckily this one kind of worked. The application was smooth, it kept my pits pretty fresh and dry but I did apply it midday for a full day of freshness. Happy that the trial worked I went back to Target to look at the full size stick and saw that it was $11.99. There was a small part of me that just didn't want to pay that much for a deodorant stick so I scanned the shelves from top to bottom. At the very bottom packaged as a duo was the deodorant of my dreams.
The Arm & Hammer Deodorant 2.5oz Essentials Fresh by Arm & Hammer (Pack of 3), $12.56 was looking at me and I was looking at it. Recognizing the Arm & Hammer name I knew I should give it a try since my mom always touted baking soda as the solution to everything. Even better it was $3.49 for the duo at Target (it is no longer being sold there). I brought it home and it worked! It applied super smooth, never had to re-apply, and kept my pits dry. This is my new favorite deodorant and I'm hoping it doesn't get discontinued 🤞🏾
There you have it my journey to naturally fresh pits! It was a confusing journey but we're here now.
So if you're looking to switch to a natural deodorant but you don't want to try the internet trend of rubbing lemons on you armpits then I say definitely try the Native or Arm & Hammer products 🙌🏾
If you have a natural deodorant you love feel free to let me know in the comments 💜