The idea of an all-natural products is intriguing, but trying to find the best natural cream deodorant can be expensive, time consuming and ultimately, disappointing.
Lot's of people have told me how they've tried natural deodorants and ended up less than impressed. I've always liked a deodorant in a soft cream, because it simply works better. No scientific research here, but I think the massage application makes a difference!
Do you remember Tussy?
It was a cream deodorant, first manufactured in 1925. My grandmother used it, it came in a little red 2 oz jar. I loved it's consistency. Maybe it was because it felt fancy, but I swear it worked better because of the application.
The idea to create a deodorant came to me in a dream. You know that early morning dreaming state when you're just about to wake up? I heard a sentence, 'make deodorant', it said.
So, I started researching. Here are the ingredients I choose, and what I found out about them:
☞ Arrowroot powder is a soft vegetable powder, made from a tropical root/tuber plant called the Maranta arundinacea. It's commonly used in bath and body formulations and it's a great replacement for talc in body powders, due to it's silky soft texture.
☞ Aluminum-Free Baking soda is slightly alkaline, altering the natural pH of the skin just enough to make it impossible for smelly bacteria to live there. However, many natural deodorants use too much of it, which can be irritating. Using just enough baking soda is key.
☞ Extra-virgin coconut oil is naturally deodorizing, as it kills both bacteria and fungi. Sweat itself doesn't smell, it's the bacteria that feeds on the sweat that produces odor.
☞ Kaolin Clay is gentle, naturally absorbent and purifying to the skin. It gives the product a silky feel and is commonly used in facial mud masks.
☞ Cocoa Butter is packed with vitamins and has many skin benefits. It moisturizes and soothes the skin.
☞ Candililla wax is vegan, and gives the cream a nice firmness for ease of application.
☞ Organic, ground chamomile flower is anti-inflammatory, packed with anti-oxidants and helps to calm skin.
☞ Zinc Oxide is a natural mineral, commonly used in diaper ointments because it possesses effective anti-bacterial properties.
☞ Lavender and Tea Tree essential oils are both naturally anti-bacterial, mildly antiseptic and smell fresh and clean.
Natural deodorants will not prevent you from sweating, only aluminum salts can do that, but who wants to stuff their pores with aluminum? The point here is to avoid the aluminum all together.
Some users have reported they actually sweat less, after acclimating to a natural deodorant vs an anti-perspirant. Your body's got a perfect cooling system, and it's totally possible to smell good while it's doing it's thing.
"I've got a perfect body, because my eyelashes catch my sweat."
~ Regina Spektor
