Why Doesn't Natural Deodorant Work For Me?

So you’ve made the switch from conventional deodorant to an all natural deodorant, but it’s just not working for you. Now you’re left wondering why doesn’t natural deodorant work for me? There could be several reasons why natural deodorant isn’t working out the way you had hoped.

Argh! My pits are so itchy! 

If you’ve got itchy pits or even a rash starting to develop under your armpits it could be because your body is sensitive to the sodium bicarbonate or Bi-carb. This can be a common complaint by those with more sensitive skin. This is because our skin is naturally acidic whereas bi-carb is alkaline. So when you apply a natural deodorant containing bi-carb the difference in pH can cause a reaction…. queue itchiness and rash! So before you try out any new product, such as Wild deodorant, it’s a good idea to do a small patch test 48 hours before using it. If you think you might be a little sensitive to the bicarb, you could just skip straight to a low bicarb or bicarb free natural deodorant. We only use a small amount of bicarb in our natural deodorant for this very reason. Instead we opt for gentler ingredients such as Magnesium Hydroxide to minimise reactions.

Another possible reason for the case of the itchy pits is when natural deodorant is applied straight after your morning shave. Shaving can leave your skin irritated and more sensitive than usual. So if you can, we’d recommend you shave your armpits the night before applying your natural deodorant. 

 You could be breeding the wrong bacteria - seriously

A small study in Belgium showed that the use of conventional deodorant and particularly antiperspirant can alter your underarm microbiome. Microbio-what?! I hear you ask. It's actually pretty cool - your underarms have their very own colony of bacteria. Some of these bacteria are good and some are, well just plain smelly! The study found that when someone went from using no deodorant to using a deodorant or antiperspirant the addition of the antimicrobials (aka aluminium) and fragrances etc from these deodorants started messing about with the armpit environment by reducing good armpit bacteria which made way for more odour producing bacteria. If this is the case, you may need to spend the time detoxifying your pits before you can enjoy the full benefits of natural deodorant. 

Stronger body odour 

So, you’ve detoxified your lovely underarms but you still find yourself wondering why doesn't natural deodorant work for me? The truth is that some of us just have a stronger body odour than others … or if you’re like me you have one armpit that smells more than the other. Annoying. If this is the case, it could be that you simply require an extra strength natural deodorant. Try a few different formulations and you will find a natural deodorant that works for you.

Different ingredients work for different bodies

Based on anecdotal evidence it seems that different natural deodorants work for different pits. Natural deodorant ingredients and their quantities vary between different brands, so finding the one that works best for you can be a case of trial and error. For example, Native deodorant it a highly popular brand that a lot of people love, yet others find it irritating. Many people seem to try a variety of natural deodorants before settling on their holy grail. Whilst most are unisex, some men prefer using natural deodorant for men. So if you’ve tried a variety of different natural deodorants and are still left wondering why natural deodorant doesn’t work for me, it simply could just be a case of that particular formula of ingredients just doesn’t work very well for your body. We suggest that you give another natural deodorant brand a try and see how that goes for you. 

See our medical disclaimer

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• Five benefits of switching to natural deodorant.