So I am back on my what seems to be on a never ending search to find an all natural deodorant that really works. Back in college (more than 10 years ago, and I’ll leave it at that) I heard a few reports about talc/aluminum, the number one ingredient in deodorant being tied to cancers, alzheimer’s and many other sad health affects. One report highlighted ties to breast cancer, think about where you put your deodorant and you put it on generally right after showering when you pores are open and most vulnerable to absorption. So I stopped using regular brands that contained aluminum and switched to all natural deodorants. Well, I smelled. No really, I spent a lot of money testing all sorts of brands, including Tom’s of Maine, Kiss My Face, Dr. Hauschka, Nature’s Gate, etc. And they didn’t work. Some had really nice light natural fragrances, but by mid-day trekking around campus, left me smelly. I have to point out that I am not an unusually sweaty person, but I work out (and in those days ran) and just couldn’t find one that worked. So I gave up after a couple of years of earnest effort and went back to wearing Secret.
Fast forward, when my daughter was born I almost entirely stopped wearing deodorant while I nursed her for the first year, I was more worried about some getting on her than I was about myself. But in the last 6 months or so I decided to give my search another chance. I figured with all the time that has passed surely someone has found the winning combination of ingredients that can match what aluminum does. So I went to Whole Foods where they have the best selection in my area, and asked lots of questions of what was new and worked well. First one I tried was a beeswax based formula and it worked ok, but it was yellow and anything it touched was stained yellow. That was no good, then I tried Tom’s of Maine Long Lasting Roll-On, I just felt like it never dried. The last one I am on is from Nature de France, le Stick, it has a nice light scent and works ok, I feel like if its an especially active day, reapplication is a must. I was going to try a rock crystal but was advised by a friend that they work pretty well but stings like crazy on a post shave application. For now I am using what I have but will probably try something else again. But I am going to try to stick with the safer all natural varieties. Do you have one you have tried and works? I’d love to hear about it and might even give it a try.



Remember that deodorant is different than antiperspirant:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deodorant
I just came across a great article today- called “how safe is your deodorant?”. I was actually at The Soft Landing checking out a post about a PVC free rain cover and saw a link to this one. It is a great break down of what is in deodorant and why its not so good for you.