Natural deodorants we love and why you should try them

Our Guide to Natural Deodorants

 

So what exactly is a natural deodorant? 

A natural deodorant is made from natural ingredients like coconut oil, cornstarch or arrowroot powder and baking soda and avoids ingredients like aluminium chlorohydrate and aluminium zirconium which is often found in regular antiperspirants. They are also generally packaged in plastic-free packaging like tins and cardboard tubes, and never in aerosol sprays.

Use Deo to Fight B.O.

The aluminium in antiperspirants is used to block sweat glands in your armpit which can serve to trap harmful toxins in your body. But sweating is a natural process in our bodies and it's not good for us to block it. Instead, natural deodorants work to neutralize any bad-smelling bacteria. So while they still allow you to sweat slightly, they will keep you smelling fresh. 

 

Transitioning to Deodorant

Depending on how long you have been using antiperspirants, you may find that there is a transitional period of between 2-4 weeks in which you may get irritated skin or rashes. This can often be due to the presence of baking soda in the deodorants. If you are prone to allergic reactions and have very sensitive skin, we recommend testing the product by applying a small amount on your wrist 2-3 days before application.

Although this may all sound unpleasant, it is simply your body’s way of detoxing and releasing the aluminium and harmful toxins through your armpits, so don’t sweat it (or do in this case!). Fortunately, not everybody goes through this phase and not all deodorants contain baking soda. Try to remember that if you do go through it, it passes after a few weeks so be sure to stick it out. After that, it’s all plain sailing and it will all have been worth it! Personally, we never had any issues at all. 

 

Stain-free sustainability

The fusion of sweat and aluminium in antiperspirants can cause an annoying yellow stain on your shirts. This is what drove us to switch in the first place, our work shorts were getting destroyed with stains from anti-perspirants. We came across Warrior deodorant cream while on a holiday in West Cork and our motivation was more about saving our shirts than saving the planet. We didnt really appreciate the environmental benefits until later. Since then we've avoided hundreds of impossible-to-recycle aerosols and honestly, we smell pretty good!

Underarm stains are not an issue with natural deodorants- Source: The Spruce

 

The reason natural deodorants don't stain is because they don't contain any aluminium. 

 

Warrior Botanicals Cream 

Our first, and still one of our favourite deodorant creams is Warrior Botanicals Deodorant Cream. 

These little pots of sweet-smelling cream are hand-made by Réidín in Clonakilty, County Cork using only organic plant oils and shea oils to nourish and moisturise your pits and keep them smelling fresh as a daisy. 

Apply in the morning on clean, dry underarms. Use your fingertips to gather a pea-sized amount and massage into the underarm for 24 hour protection.  

 

Pit Putty

Another favourite of ours which provides various different scents is Pit Putty Pit Putty probably has the strongest scent of any of the deodorants mentioned here, especially the Lemongrass & Lime which is STRONG and really refreshing. 

The Pit Putty range has four fragrances and as well as the full size tins they also come in mini tester tins so you can try them out. These are also great for travel or to pop in your bag - we just top ours up from the bigger tin.

Luke and Laura developed Pit Putty in 2015 in County Sligo when Laura’s colleague was diagnosed with skin cancer and was advised by a doctor to cut out the use of unnatural antiperspirants and soaps. From then on Luke and Laura used only natural products in their skincare routine. They soon discovered that there was a gap in the market for a high-quality natural deodorant so they decided to take matters into their own hands by developing Pit Putty, and they haven’t looked back since!

 

 

 Three Hills Deodorant

If you have particularly sensitive skin and are worried about the transition period to deodorant, Three Hills Deodorant might be the one for you. This cream consists of a coconut oil and baking soda base; however the grains of bicarbonate of soda are so tiny that they will not cause any scratching or irritation. 

Made in small batches in Kells, County Meath Three Hills use high quality nourishing ingredients. They are palm oil free, vegan-friendly and do not use any artificial colours, fragrances or harsh chemicals. 

The consistency of the this deodorant is gorgeous, like a stiff whipped cream and goes on like moisturiser. The only complaint we'd have about these is that they are unnecessarily gendered into men's and women's - they are all perfectly unisex.

 

Organicules

Last but certainly not least as these are one of our most popular deodorants, if it’s a stick-deodorant you’re after, check out our range of Organicules Natural Deodorants? 

Organicules deodorants are handmade by Susan in West Cork and are formulated from organic and vegan ingredients to combat body odour with minimal skin disruption. We absolutely love Susan’s zero waste philosophy with no plastic, microbeads or silicones in any product and gorgeous packaging that's either compostable, recyclable or reusable. And while these have natural colours - they go on clear.

Our best advice if you're thinking about ditching your anti-perspirant and making the switch to a natural deodorant is to just give it a go - you've nothing to lose except those nasty chemicals!

Shop our range of natural deodorants