Natural Deodorant Review

I first discovered natural deodorant after reading about the health risks associated with the use of chemical based anti-perspirant deodorant. I was also looking for a deodorant which was not tested on animals.

I decided to try a natural deodorant stick, or rock made from ammonium alum. Some claim that ammonium alum is much safer than aluminium-based anti-perspirant deodorants as the aluminium molecule in alum is too large to be absorbed through the skin. However, there are others who say that even ammonium alum has health risks and should be avoided. As I don't particularly want to go around smelling of stale sweat all day and don't have the time to be washing under my arms every half an hour, I decided to go for what seemed to be the lesser of two evils.

Using natural deodorant is not quite as convenient as using conventional deodorant. For starters, you have to wet the deodorant stick in order to apply it. This is fine if you happen to be in your bathroom at home. It's not so easy if you're out somewhere with no immediate access to water.

Natural deodorant works by creating a barrier against your skin which prevents the growth of bacteria. It does not stop you from sweating. This is good in terms of your health, but the fact that this deodorant does not stop you from sweating means that if you get too hot you can start to feel damp patches under your arms. Eventually the sweat will start to smell, despite the bacteria blocking barrier.

So why bother with natural deodorant at all if it doesn't prevent you from sweating? Well I have compared using natural deodorant with using no deodorant (accidentally mind you, I just forgot a couple of times!) and found that I did notice sweat sooner with no deodorant at all. To try and combat sweat I dress in layers so that I can easily remove a layer if I find myself feeling too hot.

A great thing about natural deodorant sticks is that they last for ages and ages. I have had mine for close to two years now and it's not close to running out yet. If you dry the stick properly after using it, it will last even longer. If you work out how much you normally spend on deodorant over the course of two years, you may find you save quite a bit of money by using a natural deodorant stick instead.

I don't think it's really fair to try and compare natural deodorant with conventional deodorant because it is never going to match the performance of a conventional deodorant. However, I personally feel far more comfortable using a deodorant which is more natural, healthier and not tested on animals.