Natural deodorants that work

Credit: Flickr / lori

Victoria discovers through Twitter there are plenty of healthy, local options when it comes to choosing an effective natural deodorant

By now, you might have guessed that I’m a fan of using natural beauty products. I’ve told you about my trials with organic skincare lines, but I haven’t talked about natural deodorants.

I switched from using conventional antiperspirant about a year ago, but honestly it’s been a hit-or-miss experience.

I really like Jason’s Naturally Fresh for Women deodorant and it works well—most of the time, unless I’m in a high-pressure situation (and get nervous) or when I do brisk walking, which could be a few days a week. Then the odour and sweat factor becomes a bit unpleasant. Nevertheless, the aluminum chlorohydrate-free, green tea extract, vitamin E and corn starch mixture delivers. (You can pick it up at Drive Organics on Commercial Drive.)

While I’d love to go out and buy a dozen different natural products to try, I decided that I would try a new tactic and use my social networks to product-test for me. I put out a call-to-action on my Twitter and Facebook and these are the results I came up with.

Vancouver’s Twitterati give their two-scents on natural deodorant

Vancouver social media guru Monica Hamburg (@monicahamburg) recommends Lafe’s Hemp Oil Roll-On ($8). Lafe’s spray deodorant has been rated as a zero-hazard product by the Envrionmental Working Group, a good sign.

Roberta LaQuaglia from Vancouver Farmers Markets (@VanMarkets), which organizes local farmers markets around the city, sent me a tweet about a popular Vancouver-made product called Daisy Deodorant ($7) from Scentimental Creations that she thought was worth a try. Their deodorant stick contains beeswax and kaolin clay, which is effective at eliminating odours and soaking up sweat.

Jessica Jones of the blog How About Orange has a recipe for making your own deodorant crème with arrowroot, cornstarch, coconut oil and grapefruit essence. It sounds almost edible! It’s a fun DIY project and the ingredients she uses are easily found in Vancouver. The preparation should last four to five months.

Tips on choosing a natural deodorant and avoiding harmful chemicals

It seems there are lots of local options to choose from if you want to make the switch to a natural deodorant. To narrow down your options and ensure you’re choosing a safe product that is in no way connected to increased risk for breast cancer, may I suggest the following:

>> Avoid aluminum compounds, aerosol products, antibacterials, parabens, etrochemicals and fragrance, all of which could disrupt hormones.

>> Look for third-party-certified organic or natural products, recyclable packaging, cruelty-free products (such as those certified by Leaping Bunny) and ingredients you can understand. 

Which natural deodorants have you tried and liked? Which weren’t worth the money?