There is a lot of movement over the past couple of years for men starting to use all Natural deodorants as opposed to their classic antiperspirants that they have always used. Much of the popularity of the natural movement was brought on by the perceived dangers of the aluminum compound that was found within antiperspirants.

To be a bit more specific, there was misinformation around the idea that antiperspirants were causing breast cancer – which is a pretty serious accusation. Needless to say, we did a bit of research to find out what we could dig up on this claim.

The results surprised us:

According to cancer.gov, they found that research at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) – a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), were unable to conclusively find evidence that linked the use of antiperspirants on your underarm and breast cancer. Now they did go on to further state that they found women in particular who shaved and applied an antiperspirant earlier may have found some correlation that was intriguing between antiperspirants and breast cancer – but it still wasn’t enough to fully substantiate a conclusive link.

Aluminum compounds aside, another important factor that men are making the switch to Natural Deodorants is due to the fact that they are made of all natural ingredients and therefore don’t contain chemicals like parabens, chemical based fragrances, triclosan, and a few other nasty ingredients.

While the use of parabens is largely on the decline within the mens personal care realm, they are extremely identifiable through the structure of their names. If you look at the ingredient label, you will simply want to look for anything with the suffix of “paraben” such as…

• methylparaben
• ethylparaben
• propylparaben
• butylparaben
• heptylparaben

…to just name a few.

The most common point of frustration when it comes to deodorants and antiperspirants are the expectations of performance.

Guys, listen here:

Deodorants and antiperspirants are two completely different things. Your typical stick of Old Spice, Degree, or any other huge brands are both an antiperspirant AND deodorant. This means that they will both block your sweat glands through the use of the active ingredient (aluminum compound that we covered earlier) and deliver a great smell throughout the course of a day.

The deodorants that we will be covering below are used to fight the bacteria that makes you smell, but you will still sweat. Therefore if you have a very active lifestyle, these sticks will not block your pits from getting moist. Now there are ingredients within the deodorants that act as an astringent on your pores (i.e. witch hazel), but they simply don’t block your pores altogether like antiperspirants.

nasanta® Magnesium Deodorant Men

One of the “cleanest” ingredient lists of any of the natural deodorants is this magnesium based roll-on by nasanta. This roll-on is free of parabens, baking soda, essential oils, ethyl alcohol, propylene glycol, talc, and triscolan ingredients. In addition if you are an animal conscious man, this product is animal cruelty free as well. This product only contains a total of 7 core ingredients. Most notably you will find water, magnesium hydroxide (which is scored 1 out of 10 on the hazardous ratings provided by EWG), glycerin (a natural humectant), xantham gum, and menthol. This natural deodorant comes unscented which is great if you are either adverse to scents in general or are looking to have scents provided by alternate products, such as an aftershave or beard oil. Lastly, the product is made in Australia which adheres to strict testing of cosmetic and beauty supplies.

Herban Cowboy Natural Deodorant

Available in three distinct scents (Mountain, Dusk, and Forest), this all natural deodorant by Herban Cowboy contains many of the marquee ingredients found in other brands including Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice along with a few varieties of leaf extracts. Most notably this natural deodorant is free of propylene alcohol, aluminum compounds (although it contains mineral salts which may further contain aluminum), and trisclosan.

However, one stand out product within this deodorant is that it contains “Fragrance”. As we briefly eluded to earlier, fragrance is an umbrella term that can actually contain upwards to 3,100 different types of chemicals. Generally speaking though this deodorant should do the job at keeping your smelly pits at bay.

Tom’s of Maine Natural Deodorant

Not to be confused with the shoe company TOMS, Tom’s of Maine is a manufacturer of several different types of products including oral, body, baby, and more. Specifically thought we are taking a look at their extremely popular natural deodorant for men. Tom’s of Maine deodorant has an incredibly stringent ingredient list that doesn’t leave ambiguity about what is in the stick. In fact right on the company’s website, they state where each product was sourced (how’s that for transparency?).

Most notably this deodorant contains propanediol (which is derived from corn), glycerin, organic Aloe barbadensis leaf juice (similar to what is found in the Herban Cowboy deodorant), a natural fragrance, along with hops and sunflower seed oil.

What is also great about Tom’s of Maine is that their products are extremely environmental and socially conscious, which of course is great for men out there who seek these types of products. This particular stick of deodorant is cruelty free and has not been tested on animals nor does it contain animal derived ingredients.

When it comes to performance, this deodorant should leave you smelling fresh for 24 hours. Also being that it’s completely all natural, it shouldn’t leave your shirt with yellow stains after prolonged use.

Every Man Jack Deodorant

Based out of California, Every Man Jack delivers a plethora of natural products geared towards men. Whether you are looking for a shampoo, beard oil, body wash, bars, or shaving products to just name a few, Every Man Jack is quickly making its mark in serving this particular market segment.

Their natural deodorant comes in many different scents. Their current lineup includes the following:

• Eucalyptus Mint
• Cedarwood
• Citrus
• Signature Mint
• Sandalwood
• Fresh Scent
• Fragrance Free

Every Man Jack largely depends on extracts and juices from several different plants to help bolster its ability to naturally rid you of smelly pits that will ultimately leave you smelling fresh through any one of their scented sticks. A notable point is that in addition to their natural essential oils that are found within their products, they do rely on fragrance/parfum as well. Therefore if you are looking to avoid this ingredient all together, we would recommend sticking to the fragrance free option.

One point of distinction that sets Every Man Jack from other natural deodorants is that they do offer a travel size as well. You can find Every Man Jack at popular drug store chains, supermarkets, supercenters, and of course online.

Green Tidings All Natural Deodorant

One of the most popular natural deodorants that you can find online will be this unisex stick by Green Tidings. Generally speaking, this product is about as natural as you can get. From the BPA-free packaging to the development of the product and its claim of being non-toxic, organic, aluminum free, paraben free, fragrance free, soy free, corn free, and the list goes on with several more!

This natural deodorant is scented with the use of lavender essential oil. Initially men may feel that this scent seems a bit to feminine, however, rest assured gentleman, its completely a gender neutral scent. Scent aside, a few other notable ingredients within this natural deodorant include both coconut oil and shea butter which should allow for easier spreadability for the stick. With virtually all natural deodorant products, this one will allow you to perspire, however the ingredients should do a terrific job at preventing any foul odors from creeping up on you.

Green Tidings does offer their deodorant in two different sizes (1 oz. and 2.7 oz.) giving you the opportunity to try the smaller stick for starters or simply if you are headed out on a business trip.

Primal Pit Paste Stick

Known usually for their paste deodorant that comes in a form that is a bit more liquid which requires application via your finger or a wooden stick (i.e. popsicle stick), this product by Primal Pit now is in a more convenient solid stick form. To help solidify the solution for easier application, Primal Pit added beeswax to the ingredient list. Found in several products such as beard balm or mustache wax, beeswax not only acts as a primary ingredient to keep hair in place, but is also critical to being an all natural protectant for your skin.

The primary ingredient in this stick to knock out nasty body odor is going to be an aluminum free baking soda (sodium bicarbonate).

Scents for this deodorant are naturally derived from the use of essential oils rather than a chemical based fragrance that is found in other more popular natural deodorants. Primal Pit’s lineup contains the following scents:

• Lavendar
• Orange Creamsicle
• Royal & Rouge
• Coriander & Sage (geared towards men with sensitive skin)
• Tyme & Lemongrass
• Unscented

Crystal Body Deodorant for Men

While not necessarily “man” specific, this deodorant has about the cleanest ingredient list that you can possibly find on the market. It only contains one ingredient – potassium alum (i.e. natural mineral salts). This deodorant stone/stick just simply requires a few drops of water prior to use, but will provide a protective barrier on your skin that will help to ward off the bacteria that causes your pits to smell.

The biggest concern that folks have about this product is that potassium alum does contain aluminum, of which they are trying to avoid in the first place. However, even as noted by Tom’s of Maine, potassium alum is not an antiperspirant and is considered safe for application (it’s even found in food products as well and was rated by the FDA as safe for consumption per EWG).

Natural ingredients aside, the biggest selling point for this deodorant is the value. Retailing for $7, this deodorant will last you an entire year! It comes unscented and should be a great deodorant to try if you are looking for the cleanest possible label out there.

Schmidt’s Deodorant

This highly rated natural deodorant uses arrowroot powder along with coconut oil to help combat the bacteria that festers up in your pits. Not only that, this product also contains several carrier oils and essential oils that will deliver a well balanced cedarwood and juniper scent. Other scents in the Schmidt’s lineup include lavender and lime.

Like many of the other deodorants featured, this product is made in the USA (Portland, OR) and is free of propylene-glycol, parabens, phthalates, and aluminum. Secondly it also adheres to a socially conscious manufacturing process by being both vegan and cruelty-free.

The post Natural Deodorants That Won’t Leave You With Smelly Pits appeared first on Tools of Men.