My Week Using Natural Deodorant

In my steady crawl towards hippiedom, I decided to try using natural deodorant. I don't have any hard evidence that regular deodorant is harmful and the smell of Old Spice lights up the nostalgia part of my brain--But I also believe that a shorter, more wholesome list of ingredients is usually preferable to the opposite. I settled on the Charcoal-Magnesium formula from Schmidt's. It's kind of festive in a dark way, right?

 First impression: Yikes! This stuff has no glide! It feels really abrasive against the skin and is difficult to apply. The back label instructs to hold the deodorant against the skin for a moment to warm it before applying. I didn't notice a big difference after doing this but the label also said you don't need very much so I figured I would be fine.
Day 1 (evening): I was shocked that my armpits were essentially odorless after a full day. Usually I can smell the deodorant's fragrance and also some body odor, as if the two forces are dueling to see who wins for the night. My usual deodorant also gets a bit clumpy by evening and my skin can look irritated. I figured this was a product of my clothes rubbing but with the natural deodorant, my armpits looked clean and normal. 
Full list of ingredients
(Schmidt's natural deodorant)
I did some research to try to figure out what could have caused this difference. Schmidt's brand advertises that it is "free of aluminum, propylene glycol, parabens & phthalates" so I investigated these ingredients to try to figure out if one of them could be the culprit.  Aluminum is used to block the sweat glands, and I don't really have concerns in that area. Propylene glycol, however, can be a skin irritant and cause itching and/or small red dots on the skin. So I think eliminating that ingredient has helped but I am not 100% sure. 

 What I know is zero odor and zero skin irritation!

 Day 2: I shared my findings with Patrick and he decided to try the deodorant as well. It worked great! Reduced sweating and still no odor problems. 

 Day 3-5: Application is still rough (literally) in the mornings but I am pleased with the deodorant's performance. It seems to be a great fit for my body. I'm really surprised by this turn of events, which makes me consider another step in this direction. Dare I say...natural toothpaste? Until next time...

 XOXO,
Maria

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