First, let me say that the Nature's Gate Herbal Blend Deodorant, $6.29, in tea tree and blue cypress is intense. It's like walking through a field of soaking wet Christmas trees. But I found that all that powerful fragrance -- which comes from essential oils -- was really helpful at blocking B.O. Plus, it mellowed out by the end of my run. In addition to a ton of extracts and oils, this natural deodorant contains vegetable enzymes to neutralize odor -- and the smooth solid glides on clear.
It's made with USDA certified organic ingredients, and the Fresh Fig scent is warm and sweet and delicious. Plus, the main ingredient is coconut oil, which has tons of benefits from killing bacteria to soothing irritation. This natural deodorant passed the run test with flying colors, and I thought it was going to be the winner -- and then I decided to wear it on a steamy Sunday afternoon while I cleaned my apartment. Can you guess what happened next? All that scrubbing and sweating was too much for it. I'm saving this one for the winter, or a nice, leisurely brunch.
Geodeo Natural Deodorant, $5.99, is relatively new, and the deodorant purportedly goes beyond tackling odor -- it also has a "detox complex" that "helps fight daily buildup of impurities." I was intrigued.
I opted for a stick in the island scent and put it to the run test.
When I took a halfway sniff, the fragrance actually smelled stronger than when I first put it on -- in a good way. And at the end of my run I couldn't detect even a hint of B.O. Bonus: I love that this natural deodorant goes on clear and contains nourishing vitamin E and skin-soothing bamboo. I'm still skeptical that a deodorant can help with detoxing, but this one doesn't clog pores so at least it's not making things worse.
Weleda Citrus Deodorant, $12.99, couldn't be more different from my next favorite, Lavanila (see next slide), but it works almost as well. It's a simple spray with only six ingredients (alcohol, water, lemon peel oil, and three other obscure-sounding essential oils), so if you're a spray-on deodorant fan this one's for you. The spray also makes it easy to reapply -- making it my new go-to for afternoons at the beach. One word of warning: Because it contains alcohol, it does sting a little (especially on freshly-shaven skin), but in a cooling sort of way.
As for the formula, it's a solid that glides on beautifully. It's made with aloe, essential oils, and corn starch to help absorb sweat and keep you from smelling like a construction worker. The packaging is also beautiful, unlike just about every other deodorant out there -- natural or otherwise.
As for a downside, it does leave behind some white residue, but I think that's a fair tradeoff for a natural deodorant that works really well.
As a beauty editor I'm game to try just about anything -- but when someone asks me to test a natural deodorant, I break into a cold sweat.
It's not that I don't love natural products -- I do. But when it comes to deodorant, give me my Secret Clinical Strength any day -- because in my experience, even the best aluminum-free deodorants don't do what they're supposed to. Namely, keep us stink-free.
Recently, however, I noticed a slew of new natural deodorants hitting the shelves. With hopes that they would be better than their predecessors, I came up with a way to test the aluminum-free deodorants without having to be publicly smelly. I wore them on my morning runs during the two hottest weeks of the summer. I did a mid-way sniff test as well as a post-run smell test to see how the formulas held up. And the ones that scored the highest got an all-day tryout on weekends -- when I would be seeing my closest friends.
Not surprisingly, they didn't all make the cut. But these are the 12 best natural deodorants that made it through to round two. They're ranked in order from my least favorite to my favorite, and I spell out what makes each one special. I recommend taking a few for a test drive -- and then letting us know about your experience by writing a review on their product pages.
