Three of the best natural deodorants
Words: Sarah Tarca // @tarca
I’ve been on a little deodorant experiment for the last four years. It started with my partner (of a decade) telling me he never used deodorant – which was mind blowing becuase not only did he not smell, I had never noticed his lack of deo in our lives.
Inspired by this, I quit deodarant cold turkey and let my pits roam free. Not going to lie, it wasn’t pretty. As I soon discovered, they needed to go on a detox journey after the years of mainstream aluminium-filled deo use, and I quickly decided that I was not one of the charmed few who could go without it altogether. Enter: natural deodorant. Back then the options were slimmer, and I tried everything health food stores offered me. I hated the ones you needed to scoop out with your fingers (still feels really gross to me to apply that way) and found most of them really drying and irritating to on the skin.
It wasn’t until this year that I feel like natural deodorants really came into their own in terms of scent (nothing too ‘earthy’ please) use (for me, sticks only), and efficacy. And so, now I proudly bring to you three of the best natural deodorants that I’ve found on the market.
Biode Carb-Free Natural Deodorant, $19: one of the best natural deodorants I’ve tried.
Biode Natural deodorant
Launched just months ago, Biode has already become a firm favourite in the natural deodorant world. Using 100% natural ingredients, it includes Magnesium Hydroxide to fight bacteria (the thing that causes odour) plus certified organic shea butter (for moisture) and coconut oil alongside kaolin clay to help prevent sweating and odour. They have two variants available, one being bi-carb free (above) and are free from all the bodycare red flag ingredients with no sulphates, parabens, phthalates, silicones, petro-chemicals and synthetic fragrances and dyes.
But that’s not the only reason we think it’s one of the best natural deodorants on the market: it’s also 100% home compostable with packaging that will biodegrade in 12-20 weeks. A win for your pits AND the environment.
One of our best natural deodorant finds: Asuvi Natural Deodorant, $22
Asuvi Natural Deodorant
While we’re on the sustainable train, Aussie brand Asuvi is another newish one to the natural deodorant game that we absolutely love. Created by Sydneysider Thomas Richards after he had an allergic reaction to aluminium, his idea was to make a deodorant that was not only effective and great smelling, but also as sustainable as possible.
His solution was packaging made from 100 per cent post-consumer recycled plastic that is BPA free and doesn’t ‘leak’ chemicals, but to take it to the next level by making it reusable. That’s right, you can refill your tube when you’re done with another stick that’s housed in biodegradable (compostable) packaging. So why use plastic at all? Quite simply, to make use of the already existing 1.8 trillion pieces of plastic that already exist in the world, so they don’t just go to landfill.
Asuvi natural deodorants come in four scent variants, including a bi-carb free version for sensitive skins.
The best natural deodorant for those who always run out, Natch Essentials natural deodorant, $29
Natch Essentials Natural Deodorant
If you’re as obsessed with personal care subscription services as we are (having everything from toilet paper to washing detergent delivered) then you’ll be equally excited about yet another pioneering Aussie brand, Natch Essentials. They offer a subscription service for their entire range of natural personal care products (including hand cleansers and sanitisers and body balm) as well as the deodorant – so you don’t have to think about running out of the essentials again.
Just like the rest of their products, the aluminium free Natch natural deodorant, does not contain parabens, chemicals and synthetics, and are both cruelty free and vegan. Handcrafted in small batches in Sydney, they use all-natural ingredients including coconut and vanilla oil for a pleasantly sweet-but-not-sickly scent.
Three things you need to know about natural deodorant:
They are not antiperspirants: This is an important one to know. They will not stop or curb any sweating. They are there to keep your pits smelling nice and use antibacterial ingredients to do this.
There will be a detox period: If you’re currently using and antiperspirant with aluminium, expect a detox period. This is because the aluminium essentially plugs the pores to inhibit sweating so after being “released” of this your body goes into overdrive releasing all the sweat and waste.
If you’re sensitive, go bi-carb free: Bicarbonate soda acts as a natural deodorizer so a lot of natural deodorants include this in their ingredients. However, it can react with the natural acid in your skin, often compromising the moisture barrier, which if you have sensitive skin can cause rashes and irritation.
