Perhaps it's an oxymoron, but is there a safe and effective natural deodorant/antiperspirant out...

Hmm...yeah, that's a tough question.  It does seem kind of like an oxymoron, given that people are meant to perspire...as unfortunate as that is sometimes.

I found this on the Delicious Organics website:

In terms of straight deodorants...the two with the highest ratings in the deodorant category are Crystal Body Deodorant Roll-On and Miessence Roll-On Deodorant. My sister is 14 plays on a very competitive volleyball team....which means she sweats a lot.  She's really liked Lafe's Natural & Organic Deodorant Stick.

Quote:

Originally Posted by katiehmn 

 

I may have to see if my co-op carries either one of those roll-on deodorants -- I did see them at the top of the Skin Deep list. Thanks for the info!

 

I had forgotten that I also bought the Kiss My Face Liquid Rock roll-on, but I see that it has potassium alum in it. While it helped immensely during my workout at the gym tonight, I'm disappointed to see that particular ingredient in it. I also see it has a rating of 2 in the database -- not the best, but not the worst either.

Definitely keep us posted with what you find.  I'm going to check out what Whole Foods has today.  Not all of the personal care stuff they carry is 100% tip top but for the most part, it's better than shopping at the local drug store.

Quote:

Originally Posted by katiehmn 

 

The one question I have about the Skin Deep database is this: When you see a high percentage in the "data gap" column, is that a positive or a negative? I understand what the data gap means, but I can't figure out the meaning behind the percentage.

I think a high percentage data gap (i.e. a 67% data gap) is a bad thing.  I understand it to mean that there is more unknown about the ingredients, than there is that is known (not enough studies, analysis, etc. to come to a hazard conclusion).  For the example of the 67% data gap, I would guess that you might be able to say they only know 1/3 of what there is to know about the safety.

This comes from Cosmetics Database:

That's generally how I understand it too.  For example, a product with a 0 rating that has a 0% data gap is a safer choice than a product with a 0 rating and a 90% data gap - the 90% data gap product would be considered safe, based on the 10% knowledge base...but there's just a lot unknown.

Taking a look at Cosmetics Database, the first product they list is Solay Salt Stone (they call it a deodorant/antiperspirant) with a 0% data gap and a 0 rating...but the ingredient is just salt.

The next product they list is B+Drier Anti-perspirant which is just made with water and aluminum chloride (which as a stand alone ingredient has a hazard score of 2, but it also has a 67% data gap).

Now...in terms of not sweating...a while back, my dad mentioned doing some research for my step mom on that procedure where your sweat glands in your arm pits get injected with something so that you don't sweat.  He's been a research doctor for a long time so he tends to do pretty exhaustive research and he thought it was safe for her to get that done.  Of course, my gut reaction is to think that that CAN'T possibly be good for you.  But I'll ask him this weekend.

I just came back from Whole Foods.  Interestingly enough, I didn't see a single deodorant on their shelf that claimed to be an antiperspirant on the front.

The deodorants ranged from about $4 to $23 (that one was Dr. Hauschka); there were sprays, roll ons...there were a few salt crystal ones.  I actually just picked up a roll on salt kind, just to see what happens. 

For my $.02, I have asked this same question on a couple sites and the results were the same... all antiperspirants use a form of aluminum, which may be bad.  All the natural deoderants I have seen also are not antiperspirants - so basically I am coming in on this conversation a tad bit late, but want you to know that in the multiple attempts I have made as well, I came to the same results this thread has.  There currently are not really any "natural" antiperspirants other than some that contain some less concerning forms of aluminum.

in short, no. at this time there is no such thing as a natural anti-perspirant.

it is natural for our skin to excrete sweat. stopping that is not natural. and as of now, the only way to stop it is by chemical means.

if you want a natural deodorant, check out my Fakers / Not Fakers list that is posted in this forum. you can find some good guys out there that will at least stop odor.

Hi! So I'm new on here, today, and I know I'm a bit late in the convo but I had to give my opinion on the skin deep data gap and website. Here goes, The data gap is definitely a bad thing. They are basically saying they hardly have proof on a lot of their 'findings'. That could go either way... what they say is bad that generations have been using for everything before us may in fact not be as harmful as they're saying, or the other way, things they are giving a low hazard rating may in fact be very harmful to us. I think they are a bit fishy and that way to many people are quoting them as the "gospel truth". Especially since I found out that they are behind this new bill that is trying to pass right now. It's called the safe cosmetic act 2010, and it is the biggest bad idea I have seen perhaps. It will destroy the small, honest, natural cosmetic industry in America. They are the ones we can really trust because not only do they care about their consumers, but also themselves! It will assist in further destroying our economy and do away with what is really the back bone of our country! I am all for safe, natural, organic cosmetics, that is why I don't want this to happen. I want them to still exist in America. Check out this link that explains some about it and sign the petition to stop it; 

http://roberttisserand.com/2010/08/the-safe-cosmetics-act-2010/

Sorry for getting carried away. Any thoughts??

I got so involved in my last post I forgot to mention a good natural deodorant I found :)   It is in love with bodycare deodorant. It is all natural, no weird Alums or aluminum in it, no parabens!! It stops odor extremely well and it definitely seems to cut back on perspiration. They don't claim it's an ant-perspirant but I would say if you really want to go natural you should give it a try. They only have un-scented right now but I got a thing saying they are launching a collection of scented deodorants soon, which I'm really excited about! Their lip balms are awesome too :-)

If you are still looking for all natural deodorant visit http://www.Lavalina.com. I have been using their deodorant for a few months now and it keeps me odor free and dry. I also recommend them for their all natural lip butter and lotions.

There are some great natural deodorants out there. Just be aware of the greenwashing that is so abundant. My recommendation is to look for deodorants that are certified natural or organic by an independent 3rd party certification agency, such as BDIH, NPA, EcoCert, or NaTrue, to name a few. This article reviews dangerous chemicals in deodorants and antiperspirants, the studies and findings, as well as tips to avoid harmful ingredients. To comment on some previous topics and add my two cents I think it is important to note that potassium alum, also know as a mineral salt, does not clog pores or prevent sweating, as do antiperspirants. What it does is inhibits the growth of odor causing bacteria, which is the cause of odor. It is an antimicrobial mineral and when it is applied to the skin it leaves a layer of salt on the surface which adjusts the skin's pH level thereby creating an environment that prevents the growth of bacteria. And to be very clear, alum is not aluminum. Alum is a class of molecular sulfate compounds, and aluminum is metal element. 

I regularly review all sorts of natural and organic products and I have to be honest, deodorants are a tough one because many are not antiperspirants.

However, I have reviewed Miessence and Druide deodorants and they were quite good. You can read the detailed product reviews here

http://bit.ly/dbedQ4 . If you have any personal experiences with any of the deodorants listed here, please share with like-minded people...just rate & review the product you tried..it's very simple. i am certain that you will help someone else out there make a better purchasing decision.

And, in case you would like to learn more about the type of toxins that you may want to steer away from in traditionally branded deodorants, you can read this ... http://bit.ly/dpfBis

Enjoy!

Ravit, ECOMOMpreneur behind www.NaturesWizard.com

When you are looking at Skin Deep, you are looking for the LOWEST percentage- the product that is closest to 0% is the safest one because it contains the least toxins. 

On a side note about Skin Deep.... although it's an amazing resource, you have to be careful to still do your due diligence for this reason...once the product is reviewed by Skin Deep, if there are any changes to that products' ingredients, it DOENST GET changed on Skin Deep. So, you can continue to check for the rating and then i suggest you check the products ingredients and make sure no TOXIC ingredient was suddenly added to the list.]

Ravit

ECOMOMpreneur, www.NaturesWizard.com

Alum is probably your best option.  However, some experts are saying that it's unhealthy.  On the other hand, there are some experts who are saying that it's safe.  So exercise caution.

I too have reviewed Miessence deodorant - yes I am a distributor :) but its not an antiperspirant.

If you really sweat or have odor to combat try - Funk Butter - http://oyinhandmade.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=7

It's naturally fragranced and smells nice (black cedar fig) - only drawback is you can't overdo it on the application because it could start to feel abrasive under your arms. But it works just be light on the application.

So here's what I do, I make my own - using this recipe:  http://angrychicken.typepad.com/angry_chicken/2008/07/homemade-deodor.html

It really works!  The formula is similar to the funk butter, but I don't have the abrasive issue.

Hope that helps.

I'm sure you all already know about this, but 

http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/

lists all hazardous ingredients found in beauty products, and rates them on a scale of 0-10 in terms of toxicity! it also lists the side effects/potential health issues related to the hazardous ingredient.

-jen

ps: new to the site/forum, look forward to discussing all things green!

A unique option - organic raw cucumber juice and baking soda deodorant spray from Blissoma.  My recipe! 

No aluminum compounds of any kind.... no "crystal" deodorant ingredients.  Just cucumber juice, acacia and xanthan gums, several extracts, essential oils, etc. 

I had tried most of the natural deodorants in Whole Foods without a lot of luck.  And I really can't go without.  It gets bad quickly.  I even work from home and had tried just going completely without for a while to see if my body "adjusted".  It never did, and I was just miserable as I am very scent oriented.  For a while I had tried using the rock crystal as a first application and then some body powder.  I was always smelly by mid-day and could never count on it if I was leaving the house.

So, this formula is the result of about 40 obsessive test batches.....  it took a while but I finally got something that is mild on skin and really works.  I haven't used anything else since I finished the formulation.

Deodorant is one of those issues that is certainly challenging, especially when you really want to do the right thing for your body, the planet, and everyone else in the room with you. 

As another option, one of my very good green beauty blogger friends loves Soapwalla deodorant.  You can read her post on that here.