Smell test: Do natural deodorants really work?

Image: supplied.

In the spirit of bringing you fine people the truth about natural deodorants I’ve been road-testing 5 different types over the last few weeks.

And I’m not going to lie, it’s been kinda rough.

There was the time I attempted to wash my armpits in the office bathroom sink for fear of stinking out my co-workers. I’ve also I’ve been caught out by friends and strangers attempting to surreptitiously but not-so-surreptitiously get a whiff of my own pits. And then there were the times where I just plain smelt bad and tried to disguise it by OD-ing on perfume. Which completely backfired because people would lean in closer to smell my perfume and I’d be terrified that they’d be able to detect what I was trying to cover up.

This road-test basically made me temporarily socially awkward, but it’s not all bad, I did find a few gems in the products I tried. Read on to find out what worked and what definitely didn’t.

 1. Lemons.

What is it? Lemons.

How much? $0.80 each.

How do you apply it? Swipe a sliced lemon over your armpit area. Word of warning, do not vague out and apply it immediately after shaving. Sweet Jesus, it’s painful.

Does it work? Apparently, the citric acid in lemon juice is supposed to kill odour-causing bacteria, which is what leads to stinky pits. I have friends whose mothers have been using lemons under their arms for decades and swear by it. But friends, this did not work for me. I felt fresh and lemony for about an hour, and then gradually throughout the day my elbows became glued to my sides for fear of anyone getting a whiff of my bad body odour. I have heard this is something you have to build your body up to in order for it to work, but I tried it for five days. I know a lemon when it’s staring me in the face.

2. Crystal deodorant.

What is it? Crystal body deodorant

How much? $4.95

How do you apply it? Wet it, then roll on.

Does it work? If I was an X-Factor judge it'd be a no from me. I feel like I must be a slow learner when it comes to crystal deodorants because I keep on trying them, and despite none of them ever working, I persist. This didn't even give me two hours of freshness. Skip it.

3. Deodorant paste.

What is it? Axilla deodorant paste by Black Chicken Remedies

How much? $15.95

How to you apply it? Dip your fingers into the jar and rub it on your pits.

Does it work? Look, I really wanted to like this, I really did, but I couldn’t get past the messy application. The pleasant and fresh coconut fragrance was pretty good at masking any stench. I’d love to tell you how this one went under exercise conditions but full disclosure here: I didn’t do any exercise this week. *ducks*

4. Coconut deodorant.

What is it? Eco Tan Organic deodorant

How much? $14.95

How do you apply it? Spray it on.

Does it work? I’m a huge fan (along with Mia Freedman) of Eco Tan’s Winter Skin organic tan, so when I saw the brand had branched into deodorants I wanted to try it straight away. Despite thinking that this was going to turn my armpits orange (it didn’t), I was really won over by the smell of this one. It’s deliciously coconutty and even spraying it on makes you feel healthier. Best bit is: I reapplied this before I did a spin class (I sweat a lot) in the evening, and it passed the sniff test.

5. Stick deodorant. 

Does it work? YES. This was by far my favourite deodorant of all that I trialled. It’s converted me to drop my usual commercial roll-on and use this one everyday instead. The smell is pleasant - sweet but not overpowering, but when this one runs out (which will possibly be in a year’s time, you use so little) I’m keen to try the Vanilla Summer fragrance next. It lasts all day, is workout-proof and after a hectic day I still felt fresh at 11pm at night. The real test will be if this one lasts all day in summer – I’ll keep you posted.

Have you tried any natural deodorants? Which ones do you find work?