After three months of trialing natural deodorants, the wonderful testers from The Great Deo Trials have got their final feedback for you! Here they describe what kind of sweater/smeller they are, what kind of physical activity they do, what style of deodorant they preferred and finally, if they had a favourite(s) from the trial!
Please read my blog 'I tried 13 different natural deodorants and here's what I learnt' for the overall learnings from the trial, including:
how natural deodorants work
whether they stop you sweating
why different deodorants work for different people
why they don't generally have a strong fragrance
what the transition period is and how to cope with it if it happens to you
best options for people with sensitive skin
the pros and cons of the different application methods. (Blog coming soon)
A huge thank you to the testers for this awesome feedback, and also to the 13 amazing brands of natural deodorant who are all doing such cool things!
Some testers have chosen to use their names, others have remained anonymous. The testers were divided into two groups, so each tester trialed 6 or 7 of the 13 deodorants. Each deodorant was trialed for two weeks. The testers did not know which brands they were trialing - just a number.
Here's what they each had to say...
Hi, I'm Maz, a tester in the Great Deo Trials. I would describe myself as a light sweater with rare body odour issues. In terms of physical activity I walk 3km every weekday morning, do Aqua fit once a week and am getting back into running twice a week.
I also have sensitive skin the older I get and tend to react to products more so these days.
The main thing that I have learnt about natural deodorants during this trial is you have to give all of these natural deodorants a good try out before you can make a real judgement. And I don't say that lightly as I know how expensive trying these products is. What would be great is if these companies were able to do tester sizes at a reasonable price for those who would love to give natural deodorants a chance without the hefty price tags.
Of the different types of application styles in The Great Deo Trials, the one that I enjoyed using the most was the cream variety.
Now that the trial is finished the deodorant(s) that I am looking forward to going back to are Raw Nature and Green Goddess and also what I used before, which is B.Bold. I have hunted for a natural deodorant for years now and finally found B.Bold about a month before starting this trial. Misconceptions I had is that I had to put up with being a bit more 'smelly' wearing a natural deodorant and it's just not the case. Another great thing about having access to these products is that I've been able to try different application styles and 100% know that the cream products will be my go-to as it is such a beautiful excuse to give your pits a nice massage every morning after you jump out of the shower - something I'd never done or thought about before.
Hi, I'm Hayley, a tester in the Great Deo Trials. I would describe myself as a heavy sweater with some body odour issues. In terms of physical activity I am (currently) not very active day-to-day as I work in an office however I walk between 20-40 minutes most days, and try to get in a high intensity workout once a week.
I also have sensitive skin, semi-hairy armpits (shave about once a week), and sometimes if I eat strongly flavoured foods (like a curry) then my sweat can smell of what I've eaten.
The main thing that I have learnt about natural deodorants during this trial is...there's a massive range of them! Many work just as well if not better than non-natural deodorants. Before this trial I felt like I had barely any options and if I wanted something natural and cruelty-free I'd have to suffer for it by dealing with body odour. Turns out I was just trying the wrong ones and there are now multiple that work for me!
Of the different types of application styles in The Great Deo Trials, the one(s) that I enjoyed using the most were the tuuuubes!
Now that the trial is finished the deodorants that I am looking forward to going back to are Raw Nature and Aotea Road!
In the past I've had deodorants work for me for a time and then it seems my body gets used to it and I have to switch it up to something else for a while. Only time will tell if my favourite ones will work consistently over a longer period of time. I'm also interested to see if they work as well during summer when I sweat more.
Hi, I'm Emma La Rocca, a tester in the Great Deo Trials. I would describe myself as a moderate sweater with major body odour issues. In terms of physical activity I ride a bike to and from school pick up and barely sit still throughout the day until the kids are in bed. I don't shower daily.
I haven't been using so much deodorant in the last year before the trial as there was always too much plastic involved and it can be costly to buy eco deodorants plus I was very skeptical that they would work.
The main thing that I have learnt about natural deodorants during this trial is...that they really do work just as well if not better than normal deodorants but they tick all of the ethical boxes.
Of the different types of application styles in The Great Deo Trials, the one(s) that I enjoyed using the most were tube & cream. The tube because It's an easy application especially with clothes on and it's in cardboard packaging. The cream because I never pamper myself, so a 10second armpit massage each day was a blissful me moment. It felt good and nourishing.
Now that the trial is finished the deodorant that I am looking forward to going back to is/are Farmfolly!! I love the texture and the strong delicious scent.
I'm so grateful to have been chosen to take part in this trial. Mainly because I now smell delicious! but also because I've been able to encourage my friends to buy the eco deodorants. They can make an informed decision about which eco deodorant to buy without having to try them all. Plus I've passed some of the testers on to them so they're happy.
Hey, I'm Kelly from Reuseful.co.nz and I was super excited to be a tester in the Great Deo Trials. Especially as I've really struggled to find a good natural and zero waste deodorant.
I would describe myself as a moderate sweater with some body odour issues. In terms of physical activity I vary hugely on a day to day basis. Some days I do very little, other days, I'm constantly on the go, or spending hours doing some serious landscaping in the garden.
The main thing that I have learnt about natural deodorants during this trial is that they vary hugely from brand to brand, but that some of them do work! Another thing that amazed me was how my body odour changed over the three-four months of not using my usual antiperspirant. I stopped using my antiperspirant about three weeks before the trial began and didn't use it at all throughout the twelve week long trial, and by the end my body odour had reduced massively. I've gone back to using my antiperspirant again now, just to use it all up, and my body odour has gotten stronger again.
Of the different types of application styles in The Great Deo Trials, the one that I enjoyed using the most were the cardboard tubes. I loved that they could be applied without getting anything on my fingers and also loved that the tubes could then go into my compost at the end of use.
Now that the trial is finished the deodorants that I am looking forward to going back to are Aotearoad and B.Bold. Aotearoad comes in the cardboard tube and works. The only downside for me is that it seems to leave a film on my armpits, which then clogs up my razor when I shave. B.Bold also worked amazingly. But the downside of this one was that I needed to use my fingers to apply it, and on busy mornings I haven't got the time to spend time washing my hands after applying it. Once my antiperspirant has finished, I'll go back to using only these two natural deodorants and pick and choose each morning which one I grab. Probably based on whether I'm in a rush or whether I'm due to shave!
Hi, I'm Teresina a tester in the Great Deo Trials. I would describe myself as moderate sweater with rare body odour issues. In terms of physical activity My jobs require me to be in constant movement and a certain type of physicality. On top of that I try to get to work, cafes, supermarket, etc by walking or biking and I do exercise about 3-4 times/week. I also have sensitive skin. The main thing that I have learnt about natural deodorants during this trial is... most of them work but if you want to find your perfect match it really depends on your specific needs. It’s
good to be open and give them a go, even by doing one yourself it is unlikely that the first recipe will suit your needs 100%. Trial and error will help you to find the right one. Of the different types of application styles in The Great Deo Trials, the one(s) that I enjoyed using the most were cream and bar. But I'm still not 100% happy with the cream’s packaging - regarding what to do with them at the end. Now that the trial is finished the deodorant(s) that I am looking forward to going back to is/are Raw Nature, Farm Folly and Green Goddess.
Hi, I'm a tester in the Great Deo Trials. I would describe myself as moderate sweater with body odour issues. In terms of physical activity I don’t do any.
The main thing that I have learnt about natural deodorants during this trial is that they worked a lot better after I have two (awful) weeks to detox off my old deodorant. Of the different types of application styles in The Great Deo Trials, the one(s) that I enjoyed using the most were tube and cream applications. Now that the trial is finished the deodorant(s) that I am looking forward to going back to is/are B Bold and Dirty Hippie.
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Hi, I'm a tester in the Great Deo Trials. I suffer from hyperhidrosis - or excessive sweating – with no body odour issues. In terms of physical activity I take a moderate amount of exercise, which includes commuting by public transport and walking to work from the bus stop, walking the family dog, and taking an exercise class around three times a week.
I also have fairly sensitive skin, and in particular have experienced skin irritation when using some deodorants.
The main thing that I have learnt about natural deodorants during this trial is that they are not very effective at managing body odour, as I have experienced body odour while using them, when ordinarily I wouldn’t. I have also learned that natural deodorants come in various forms and application types. Of the different types of application styles in The Great Deo Trials, the one(s) that I enjoyed using the most were the pouches because they were easy to apply. Some of the stick / cream / paste versions were too solid which I found difficult and sometimes painful to apply.
Now that the trial is finished the deodorant(s) that I am looking forward to going back to is Mitchum roll-on, as I have always found this to be a reliable product. I have enjoyed being a part of this trial, as it has opened my eyes to the variety of natural deodorants on the market – many of which I haven’t heard of before.
Hi, I'm Caitlyn, a tester in the Great Deo Trials. I would describe myself as a heavy sweater with some body odour issues. In terms of physical activity it changes from day to day. I have a toddler who's VERY active, but we also have plenty of days lazing around doing nothing. No matter what I do physically, I still sweat a lot. Some days the sweat levels were due to excessive layers of clothing, which is eczema related and only being able to wear 100% cotton..
I also had rather hairy armpits for the length of the trial. I have severe eczema which is mostly gut related, however I do react to a lot of environmental things too, soaps, deodorants, all sorts.
The main thing that I have learnt about natural deodorants during this trial is, that I don't react as badly as I thought I would, some actually worked, and some even with hairy armpits! Standard deodorants, never worked with hairy armpits so I constantly shaved which cause more irritation. Throughout the trial I didn't shave, absolutely no irritation in the armpits except for 1 which was minor and likely a flare up that just extended to the armpits.
Of the different types of application styles in The Great Deo Trials, the one(s) that I enjoyed using the most were the tin/jar, mainly because by the time your finger had gone through it, it
was warm enough to apply easily, whereas the tubes weren't brilliant (I realise that's because of winter).
Now that the trial is finished the deodorant(s) that I am looking forward to going back to is/are, probably all of them! I've recently shaved and am waiting a few days just in case of irritation from my razor (haven't got an eco razor yet!), then I'll basically be doing the trial again on my own. Before I shaved and after the trial, I went back to the B.Bold simply because I had the most of it and still needed something to tie me over, plus it worked fairly well.
Hi, I'm a tester in the Great Deo Trials. I would describe myself as light sweater, other than when playing sport - and then I'm an average sweater. I don't have sensitive skin. I exercise a couple of times per week, and do a lot of walking to/from school, and biking too.
The main thing that I have learnt about natural deodorants during this trial is, that they absolutely work for me! I actually found every single one that I trialed to work perfectly well, and didn't have any problems with irritations or clothes-staining. I also learnt that natural deodorants are not anti-perspirants, which was ok for me, but for heavy sweaters this might be an issue.
Of the different types of application styles in The Great Deo Trials, the one(s) that I enjoyed using the most were the tubes, the spray and the pouch - really just because I can't be
bothered getting deodorant on my fingers and then having to wash them afterwards! But of these I would definitely choose the tubes, because I love that I can compost them afterwards.
Now that the trial is finished the deodorant(s) that I am looking forward to going back to is/are, honestly, all of them! I guess once I've used them all up I will go for tubes in the future, and the one(s) that I choose will just be price dependent.
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