I've been trying natural products for a while now! One of the products I was particularly interested in checking out was deodorants; they're an essential everyday product for the majority of people. But there's been a lot in the news about how it could potentially be harmful, as our skin absorbs what we put on it. Queue the invention of the "natural" deodorant - an antiperspirant with no baddies in. But can a natural antiperspirant do the same job? I wanted to find out!
So I've been trying out PitRok Berry Burst Deodorant, and Eco by Sonja Coconut Deodorant!
First, let's talk about PitRok Berry Burst.
So upon reading the back of the bottle, it says to apply this straight after showering. Which is all normal, except does that mean it wont work if I, say, have a shower in the morning, but want to re-apply deodorant after work when I go to the gym? Well, essentially, yes, yes it does. This stuff works not by masking or preventing odour, but by neutralising it at the source. Which means that, if you've gone a couple hours and want to reapply before a bit of heavy sweating, it's not gonna be able to do too much from the sounds of it. Hmm! So anyway, I put this on in the morning and went about my biz as per! On contact, this stuff feels far fresher, colder and more watery than a normal deodorant. It comes out clear and smells a bit... alcohol-y? Wel, it does to me, anyway! It didn't leave any stains so if you hate marking clothes, this is a good call. During the day, I tried to see whether this was working. I'll be completely honest... I didn't feel fully protected by this product. I can't really say why... maybe because it doesn't feel as thick and nourishing as the ones I'm used to? I couldn't smell myself particularly, but I did feel a bit worried and conscious that I might smell!
The Eco by Sonja deodorant I was looking forward to trying; I'm a serious advocator of using coconut on the hair and body! It's also vegan and organic, always a win! The first thing I noticed about this was it has more in (60ml) than a normal roller, which on average has 50ml. Not a massive amount of difference, but it's still worth mentioning! The second thing I noticed is the smell. You can definitely smell the coconut, but again it has that alcohol-y scent to it. The third thing I noticed about this is... it hurts to apply! I know, I wasn't expecting it either, but the roller on this has sharp edges which rub against the skin if you're not holding it perfectly vertical! Maybe I got a dud roller, but they definitely need to look into sorting it out as it's such a simple error! This, for me, didn't work quite as well as keeping smell at bay as the PitRok one did. I did go to the gym wearing this one and, before even working out, I felt it necessary to add a coat of non-natural deodorant, which kind of defeats the point of even having a natural deodorant if you're trying to prevent nasties from going onto the skin, but having to use a non-natural deodorant later anyway to get rid of smell anyway. This has the same rules as the PitRok deodorant - apply after showers - so maybe that's why! I really like the idea of using a natural deodorant but, for me, these didn't deliver on the level I thought they would. I would use them straight after the shower, and for everyday use if I wasn't exerting too much physical activity into anything, but for hot climates or working out, I'd feel the need to apply something a little more heavy duty! I'm definitely sold on the premise, though, and want to keep a natural deodorant for every day use to at least decrease the amount of rubbish being absorbed by my skin on a daily basis. Out of the two, it's really hard to decide between! I guess it would depend on which one I felt like using, as PitRok is fresher with its berry scent, whereas Eco by Sonja reminds me of holidays with the coconut scent. Meli X