My mother died from breast cancer in 2016. The cancer was first detected because of lumps in her armpits and by that time, it had spread pretty extensively. A year after diagnosis, she died and I was left wondering what had just happened to my world.   A couple of things kept running through my head. Her oncologists told me to never do hormone treatment therapy (her cancer was estrogen dominant) and to change my deodorant. Immediately.   To that point in my life (I was 30), I’d never thought much about deodorant other than it was necessary to stay fresh and dry. I really didn’t know much about what toxins conventional deodorants contained, nor the connections they had to breast cancer. It was my mother’s cancer that put me on a path to be as clean and natural in all products that I can be, and it all started with my search for a clean deodorant that worked.   Then, there weren’t many options. But as more research continues to make us aware of the dangers of the chemicals in conventional deodorants, and the benefit (yes, benefit) of sweat to our body, we are seeing more clean and effective deodorants available.  

Smells Great, Still Wet

  The biggest thing you have to remember when using a natural deodorant that really works is that a deodorant is just that–a remover of odor. An antiperspirant is very different. Antiperspirants block your sweat glands and prevent them from producing sweat. If you don’t sweat, you’re not wet, and theoretically, don’t smell.   But there is where the problem starts. Sweating is important for our bodies to detox and maintain temperature control, organ function and so much more. Additionally, most common antiperspirants contain aluminum chlorohydrate or aluminum zirconium and those have both been linked to several diseases like breast cancer and Alzehimer’s. They have also been linked to gene instability, and more research is being done regularly as more women are being diagnosed with cancers and other diseases earlier than ever before.   So what do you do? Well, you have to just give several the old college-try. There are many ingredients natural deodorants contain that help prevent wetness and odor by killing the bacteria that is creating the odor and absorbing the excess wetness so you don’t feel so…pitty. Natural powders like baking soda, kaolin clay, arrowroot and corn starch are the main ingredients, but different bodies react differently. I have no issue with baking soda, but my husband definitely does. Our skins are living and breathing as well and you may have to try a couple to figure out what works best for you.   Don’t despair, though, as we’ve polled moms, reviews and tried them ourselves so we could find the best natural deodorants that really work. We don’t like having smelly, sweaty underarms any more than the next Mama, so you can relax since we’ve done the initial work for you. All you need to do is try them out to find out which is your best fit.  

Top 10 Natural Deodorants That Really Work

            In 2018, Chantel Powell picked her six-year-old son up from basketball practice and found he ‘smelled like a grown man!’ She didn’t find a single thing in stores that she felt was safe enough for his precious skin, or that smelled good enough and was fun enough for her boy. That’s where mama-ingenuity and love comes in. She created her own deodorant and her son, Kameron, loved it so much he told her she should make it for everyone.   She laughed that off at first, but after Kameron kept insisting his mama had a fab product under his arms, she offered it initially to other team moms and from there, word of mouth spread. Her Sonshine and Suga were so popular, she ended up creating products for the entire family, including the King and Queen line for adults. The best part is that each of the natural and vegan ingredients in Play Pits’ products was personally hand-selected, tested and molded with the love of a mother. Chantel only wanted non-toxic ingredients that were safe for everyone, so that means no parabens, synthetic fragrances or aluminum. Instead, Play Pits’ specialized formula is designed to kill odors, absorb bacteria and keep your whole family fresh all day and night. We love that this female minority-owned small business has taken the sweat world by storm!               We’ve always loved Earth Mama (what’s not to love?) and we adore this mini-deodorant set because you can get the best of all their deodorant worlds in one adorable box. Find your pit-fix and make it yours forever.   Earth Mama has worked super hard to make this the perfect deodorant for those with sensitive skin, and that INCLUDES baking soda. Yes, they know–they made it with just the perfect balance of magnesium and baking soda to make it work but not irritate. It’s formulated especially for sensitive skin, pregnant mamas or breastfeeding mamas and the only fragrance comes from organic essential oils. The only non-vegan ingredient is organic beeswax, but even that was of course ethically sourced in a bee-centric manner. There’s nothing bad like propylene glycol or parabens or aluminum and it’s so good it was NSF/ANSI 305 certified by Oregon Tilth.