With natural beauty products becoming more of the norm rather than the exception, it is no surprise that even products like normal commercial deodorants have natural alternatives. But what exactly are natural deodorants? How do they differ from traditional deodorants and antiperspirants?

There is a lot of confusion on the difference between deodorants and antiperspirants with some considering them to be synonyms. To set matters straight, deodorants and antiperspirants are different from each other. Deodorants help us smell fresh by masking the odour caused by bacteria “eating” sweat while antiperspirants reduce the amount of sweat formed by temporarily plugging the upper part of our underarm pores through the use of namely aluminum-based active ingredients.

But why make the switch to natural deodorants? There are a number of reasons why but two commonly cited reasons are: it is more skin-friendly and there are fears (whether unfounded or not) of the health risks posed by the traditional options.

Simply put, natural deodorants are deodorants whose ingredients are sourced from nature like coconut oil or shea butter. As a beneficial consequence, most natural deodorants are suitable for those with sensitive skin owing to the ingredients used being more skin-friendly. Finally no more irritation or itching! Well, almost - some natural deodorants do use alcohol to kill odour causing bacteria but this can cause irritation for some people.

Luckily there are other natural deodorants that are free from this potential irritant. People are also making the switch due to fears that aluminum or parabens used in traditional deodorants and antiperspirants might pose certain health risks like causing breast cancer. While there is little evidence to back these claims, there’s no harm in erring on the side of caution and using natural alternatives which are generally aluminum and paraben-free.

Here are some natural deodorants to choose from.

They are all made with blends of natural goodness like coconut oil, shea butter, apricot kernel oil, cocoa seed butter, jojoba oil, lavender oil, candelilla wax, vitamin E and arrowroot powder. It is worth noting that these products are also free of alcohol, aluminum and parabens along with other irritants!

Tips to switching to natural deodorants

The response to natural deodorant will vary individually. Some people will need to reapply multiple times a day while others do not. It depends on how much you sweat and how your body reacts to the deodorant.

Know that your body has to get used to the amount of sweat it's producing. As there is no aluminum blocking sweat glands, you will sweat more than usual. Fret not! Eventually, your body will find its equilibrium.

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Thinking of switching to natural deodorant? Find out more about our natural deodorant balm here