It seems to me that natural deodorant works for every "Natural Mama" out there in the cyberspace except for me. So why do I continue to search for something that works? I should just throw in the towel and use regular deodorant right?
Maybe I'm a little over-tenacious, but I refuse to be beat by aluminum zirconium. -The stuff that may cause Alzheimer's disease... Which is what my father died from- I didn't even know Alzheimer's disease could cause death before it did...
My natural deodorant experiment started when I first became pregnant, I started looking at the ingredient lists in not only my household cleaners (which suspiciously don't always list the ingredients on the package.) but also my hygiene and beauty products. When I looked at my deodorant- the stuff I put on my body right next to the things I was planning to feed my new perfect infant with, I didn't like what I found. So, I mixed some arrowroot powder, baking powder and coconut oil together and smoothed that on my underarm skin like lotion everyday and BAM, I had homemade deodorant! Well for a while, until I developed a rash that eventually sloughed off leaving tender raw skin right where no one wants it. (Well one of the most inconvenient places anyway, not that raw skin is ever convenient.) So then I used plain coconut oil until I had healed.
Next I tried a "natural" store-bought variety deodorant that used some kind of salt, I don't quite remember what it was called, but it was a roll on and for a while I was happy with it. Then it stopped working altogether. By this time I thought I must have been detoxing when I used my homemade deodorant nearly a year ago, so I decided to try it again. This time my husband decided to try it too. The rash came back, for both of us, and before it got bad we quit using it and looked for another store bought natural deodorant.
I found a spray on deodorant that my husband and I both used, but it only worked a few hours at a time. My husband was back to his conventional deodorant by the time the summer was over, while I sprayed every time I left the house and before bed.
Then I heard magnesium oil worked as a natural deodorant and I tried it for a while, but I found that my pits stayed wet and it caused chaffing in my underarms. I put up with it anyway until I found the left over salt was drying out my skin.
Next I decided to try the famous Primal Pit Paste in the Jacked-Up Jasmine fragrance. I loved the way it smelled. It worked perfectly. But then my skin started to get dark in my underarms, and my skin became scaly and flaked, and then it became leathery and I knew I had to give it up. I made a spray on deodorant using a recipe I saw previously on the Thrive Market blog, and used all the skin nourishing oils I knew of. I used Caster Oil, and Avocado Oil, and Aloe Vera Gel, and Vegetable Glycerin and essential oils. My skin healed and I had to spray repeatedly everyday. I wrote to PrimalPitPaste and they very graciously offered to send me two free samples to see if one would work for me. One regular strength unscented-to see if it were the essential oils that my skin was sensitive to, and another unscented one with light strength to see if it were the amount of baking soda in the deodorant that had irritated my skin before. (Which is what I suspect was the culprit, but I am willing to try both to see for sure.) I really hope they work because I am so weary of the search and smelling like a dirty hippy around the house (I'm sure that may sound offensive to someone, but let's be honest here right? No need to be offended by the truth, let's own it, even laugh about it if we can.)
Has anyone else with sensitive skin like me found a natural deodorant that actually works, is comfortable to wear long term, and doesn't require reapplication several times a day?
I'll keep you posted if I find anything myself.
Update 2017:
The unscented Light Pit Paste turned out to be the winner - I did eventually start experiencing the rash when I was trying just the unscented sample. So, no surprise, it's the baking soda I'm sensitive to and I have since read how many others experience the same result.
I did find a fabulous recipe for deodorant that really works all day unless its a particularly hot or otherwise grizzly day whether I'm already sweaty and stinky or just got out of the shower. If it does turn out to be a particularly sweaty day I usually only have to reapply once in the afternoon. Here's the recipe: https://www.mommypotamus.com/how-to-make-deodorant/
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