This is exactly what it sounds like: I’m on the hunt for the best natural deodorant out there, and I’m trying as many different kinds as I have to until I find it.
Head over to the Round 1 results if you want a more detailed explanation of what’s going on and to find out how my first five contestants fared. And just a quick refresher:
- I am a sweaty, stinky woman. I am what I am. *shrug*
- I live in the Phoenix metro area. The high yesterday was 100. So there’s that.
- I planned to use each natural deodorant for at least a week and my routine didn’t vary at all from the usual: running errands, walking kids to school, etc.
- I did some research before buying anything but read all sponsored articles with a hefty dose of skepticism.
- Nobody is paying me to promote anything. I bought every single one of these natural deodorants with my own money but I did include one affiliate link in this post. (Amazon forever!)
- My criteria were as follows: How is it applied? How does it smell? Does it keep me from being a sweaty stinky mess at the end of the day?
- Your mileage may vary. Don’t be mad at me if you buy something I recommend and wind up hating it.
And awaaaaay we go!
Nani Naturals Unscented Natural Deodorant
Scent: It’s hard to describe, because even unscented things smell like something. Kinda musty? The smell isn’t pleasant but it’s not noticeably unpleasant either.
Application: Stick. Goes on smooth enough, but it left a very thick coat on my armpits.
First impression: No strong feelings either way. It feels fine, it doesn’t smell gross, so I was open to whatever happened.
Effectiveness: On the positive side, it did a great job keeping my dry. Must be that thick layer of stuff clogging up my pores. On the negative side, it only slightly minimized my BO. By the end of the day I wasn’t sweaty but I definitely smelled like I should be. It was difficult to scrub off in the shower too, which I disliked.
Final thoughts: If wet pits were my biggest concern, this would be the winner. I’m more bothered by the smell of myself, though, and this did virtually nothing in that arena. I don’t wear any kind of perfume or scented lotion either, so when the only “scent” on me is vaguely musty, I don’t feel especially cute.
Score: 2/5
For sweaty-not-stinky folks, this might be a good choice. Not for me though.
Healing Hippy
Scent: Coconutty and pleasant! A nice change after the previous stuff.
Application: Standard stick. HOWEVER. This product completely liquefies at 85°F. I learned quickly not to twist the deodorant too high above the container because it would melt as soon as it touched my skin and then I’d have deodorant dripping down my arms. It’s real easy to dispense too much. Consider yourselves warned. (That’s also why the label is all smudged: excess coconut oil got everywhere.)
First impression: Nice! It smells nice and feels good. No complaints right away.
Effectiveness: IT WORKS! By the end of the day I might be damp under my arms but I still smell like a coconut. I definitely prefer that to smelling like a locker room.
Final thoughts: This was my new favorite! The melting was the only real problem I had. I’d definitely have to be careful with this natural deodorant while traveling; it could get all over everything pretty fast. And I worry a little about shipping it here to Arizona…it would probably be a puddle if it got left on my doorstep any time between April and November.
Score: 4.5/5
Other than the low melting point, I’m a big fan! Yay!
Kelly Teegarden Natural Deodorant That Seriously Works
Scent: Tea tree oil. Definitely gives it a mildly medicinal feel and was a strong reminder that THIS IS A NATURAL DEODORANT.
Application: Stick, fairly smooth (just a tiny bit grainy), thick (but not excessively so). Not much to see here.
First impression: The name of this stuff is a pretty bold statement and it definitely got my hopes up. Yet here I am, back to smelling like a Whole Foods again. I knew this was a risk of finding the right product, and I don’t mind the smell of tea tree oil. It’s fine. Not great, but fine.
Effectiveness: Meh? I think if I’d reapplied halfway through the day, it would’ve taken care of things. It was decent with the sweat control, but it seemed that just a morning application wasn’t enough to combat my stank. By late afternoon I smelled like a hippy who hadn’t showered in a couple days: herbal and a little ripe.
Final thoughts: I’m a one-and-done kind of girl. Putting on a second coat of deodorant after lunch just isn’t going to happen.
Score: 3/5
If you’re not super stinky, this would probably be fine. But why settle for fine when you can have something better, y’know?
Native Deodorant in Coconut & Vanilla
Scent: This smells like a coconut cream pie. I feel really good about that.
Application: Stick. Smooth, straightforward, no issues here.
First impression: I smell yummy and my armpits don’t hurt. (I’m still nervous after all the rashes I got from the last round.) So far, so good.
Effectiveness: THIS STUFF IS THE BOMB. Not only do I not stink at the end of the day, I actually smell even more like a toasted coconut treat. And at the risk of sharing too much, even my bed sheets don’t stink like sweat after a couple nights…they smell like coconut! It’s kind of amazing.
Final thoughts: I think I’ve found The One, guys. It’s not melty like the Healing Hippy stuff, it’s not sharply scented like the lemony stuff from Round 1, and it keeps me relatively dry. For the first time in ages, I’m ready to commit to one product indefinitely.
Score: 5/5
I cannot emphasize enough how much I love this natural deodorant…which was something I never thought I’d say. It’s fantastic.
HOWEVER…
It’s $12 a stick.
Honestly, given how well this worked for me, I’d be happy to pay that and call my quest complete. I know that not everyone is willing to pay that amount for deodorant. And since you have to order it online…well, I can see why some people might balk at it.
Which is why I’ve started working on Round 3: drugstore options. I’m pulling a few less expensive, readily available options out and running them through the wringer.
Am I excited about it? No way. Phoenix summer is upon us and I’d rather stick to what I know works. But I love you people. I will do this…FOR SCIENCE!
Stay tuned!
SOLD. Off to buy the Native stick.
Dude. I really hope you love it as much as I do.
PSA: Use the code LOVE to get 10% off the Native stick. Every little bit helps, right?
I must try the Native deoderant!! I keep going back to the regular stuff since the others dont work!
I may need to try that stuff! I currently use the Old Spice brand cuz it works WATY better than any “female” brands do for ME and my stink. But now I’m intrigued!
Before I switched to homemade deodorant, I loved using Old Spice. Especially when I was pregnant and extra gross. Why are boy products so much more effective? Dang patriarchy!
Urm, I buy “prescription strength” deodorant to combat my armpits…I’m super hesitant to try natural because I have office mates and such that would also suffer while I figured out what worked for me. I’m fascinated by this whole idea, but nervous to try it when what I currently use ($8-10 a bottle, probably full of chemicals) is mostly working, or, at least working better than what I did before (same brand, not prescription strength). Ya know?
xox
I’ve been using Native for almost a year and it is AMAZING!!! It lasts me 4+ months per stick, so it’s actually cheaper than the Dove clinical used to be because that only lasted about 2 months at best and was only a buck or two cheaper, and it works soooo much better. Plus if you subscribe, it’s $10. Excellent customer service too. A thousand thumbs up. They even have a baking soda free option now in case you’re sensitive and that one works just as amazingly well!!
I loved your tips and I want to try them for sure!!
I have a question. How do you wash your clothes? Because, sometimes, even if you are clean and smelling good, your clothes can still betrayal you. I really want to discover how to remove the smell from them too (normal wash doesn’t eliminate the bacteria that cause the bad smell). So it doesn’t matter if the deodorant is good, you’re gonna stink anyway. 😭
I totally get it! I’m emailing you more details, but in a nutshell: time makes a difference. My clothes held onto the aluminum residue from my old deodorant/antiperspirant for months. After multiple washes, the stink faded. It’s not even an issue anymore.
Please tell me which one smells closest to Old Spice???
Alas, none of them smell remotely close to Old Spice. It’s a shame, though, as that is one of my favorite smells ever.
I love these posts! I too am stinky and it’s so embarrassing :/! Nothing I’ve tried works, it’s hard to feel cute / attractive when you’re constantly thinking of how badly you smell.
Great deodorant review and analysis! Most importantly thanks for sharing this with us!
Thanks for the great review! I’ve been using my Native deodorant for over a month now and am definitely convinced that I will be only buying this going forward. It feels so nice and smells amazing compared to my regular Degree Sports. Big upgrade. I have the Eucalyptus & Mint one.
I like this post. It shows the different types of deos for people who sweat more often than others.
It is high time for people to turn to natural deodorant. Although artificial deodorant can be better at certain things, the truth is that most of us don’t even need that kind of sweat protection. This is one of the best comparison articles about natural deodorants.