One of the first questions anyone has when they start exploring natural deodorants is ‘will I smell?’, which is an entirely reasonable concern.
The whole point of deodorants and antiperspirants after all, is to ensure you don’t make other people uncomfortable with yucky body odours (BO), or sweat through your clothes.
But you might be interested to know that chemical deodorisers are often making the likelihood of BO much worse.
In this article we’ll explore:
- Why do we sweat?
- Why you might smell when you make the switch at first
- What the key differences between deodorant and antiperspirant are
- What a natural deodorant is and how it works
- The benefits of natural deodorant
- How to make the switch to natural comfortably
- Why Odylique’s natural deodorants are a great choice for long-lasting freshness
Why do we sweat?
Whilst modern standards like to make us think of sweat as ‘dirty’ or ‘embarrassing’, it’s essential to the safety of our bodies.
We have around four million sweat glands. These can be found under our arms, our face, the soles of our feet, our hands, genitals, and several other places.
There are two types of sweat glands: eccrine and apocrine.
Eccrine glands exist all over your body and they regulate your temperature.
Apocrine glands live in your groin and armpits, opening into hair follicles and onto the skin’s surface.
Far from being an inconvenience, these glands help by working like air-con units, that regulate the body's salt production and ensure you don’t overheat (think dogs in the summer).
Initially that sweat is completely odourless, it’s essentially water and salt. But it reacts to bacteria on the surface of the skin, leading to that awful smell we associate with being sweaty.
We mostly sweat when we’re working out, but also when:
We’re anxious
We’re hot
We’re ill
We’re menopausal
We’re attracted to someone
So, you can see, sweating is completely natural. But nobody wants to smell, so it’s natural that we’d look for ways to manage the bacterial issue.
What the key differences between deodorant and antiperspirant are
Deodorant works by masking the smell and is safe to use across the body. It helps you feel more confident and ‘fresher’ but won’t stop the production of bacteria, so is less long-lasting.
Antiperspirant (which usually has deodorant added) works by blocking sweat glands temporarily to stop the smell forming.
The problem with this, is that the active ingredient in antiperspirant – made with aluminium - is toxic. It’s been found in the breast tissue of cancer sufferers. Read more about aluminium in deodorants on one of our blogs here.
It can impact the endocrine (hormonal) response of humans and stops the body doing something that nature, which is far cleverer than us, intended us to do to keep us safe and well.
Why might I smell when I first make the switch?
When you make the switch from mainstream deodorant to natural, it’s usually very easy, but switching from antiperspirant to natural deodorant takes some time; usually up to four weeks.
If you’re not expecting this, you might assume your new deodorant isn’t working, but it’s totally normal.
Firstly, your body still has aluminium compounds in it, which take time to leave. Then there’s a period of regulation whilst your body gets used to doing what it’s meant to again.
The Process of Switching
Day 1 – 3 – You won’t notice much here, as there are still a lot of toxins in your system.
Day 7 - 14 You might feel like you’re sweating MORE. This often isn’t the case, but you’re not used to the feeling of sweating after years of blocking the sweat glands, so it can feel uncomfortable.
This new sweat sitting on the skin causes an immediate response with bacteria and the smell can go into overdrive.
Some people find gentle cleansing every 3 hours helps ease discomfort. We also wouldn’t recommend starting this process in the heat of summer.
Day 15 -28 The process starts to balance out and by the end of the month you should be in a ‘normal’ comfortable place.
You might hear about ‘armpit detoxes’ and this kind of is what is happening, but you don’t need additional skincare to manage it, it’s not permanent. It really is just sweat.
The body exists in a state of homeostasis – balance – and if you’ve completely stopped sweating for a long time, it will go the other way for a little while whilst it re-balances.
What a natural deodorant is and how it works
The first thing natural deodorant is, is free from heavy metals like aluminium.
Natural deodorants may also contain a body, and earth, friendly ingredient to help manage the sweating in place of aluminium – often arrowroot powder or cornflour. Some natural deodorants also use sodium bicarbonate (baking powder).
If you’re sensitive-skinned, that might not work for you, so in our natural deodorants, we’ve specifically tested alternatives. We included triethyl citrate, a food grade ingredient that tackles the bacteria without impacting the skin.
Our natural botanicals are antiseptic, so naturally reduce the niffs, whilst also smelling lovely.
How to make the switch to natural comfortably
If you’re worrying about smelling during the transition from antiperspirant to natural deodorant, you can take steps to make it more manageable.
1. Take a shower daily. Don’t make it too hot and use a mild soap to wash and pat dry the area a couple of times a day.
2. Wear light, cotton clothing if you can. Nylon clothes aren’t breathable and often make the smell worse.
3. Choose darker clothing for the sweat patches and maybe wear an undershirt.
4. Drink lots of water.
5. Use a natural deodorant like Odylique's, to prevent and manage the smell.
Why Odylique’s natural deodorants are a great choice for long-lasting freshness
Odylique organic, vegan deodorants are suitable for sensitive skin and those who may be prone to eczema or psoriasis.
They tackle odour-forming bacteria, without blocking the body's natural perspiration process.
100% natural and certified organic, our unique, ultra-pure formulae are bursting with skin-nurturing botanicals and are free from aluminium, parabens, mineral oil & all petrochemicals, silicone, sulphates, triclosan, PEGs, wheat, soy, dairy or any artificial additives.
Choose from a spray or roll-on format, both have a unisex scent.
More questions about natural deodorant? Contact our product experts today
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