I like using natural products as much as possible.

I also don’t like to smell like a sweaty armpit.

I know, I know, it’s natural. Doesn’t mean I have to like it. I had a favorite eco-friendly deodorant from a regional company, but it was discontinued. So, over the past few months I’ve tried a few different brands with a wide range of results.

My criteria:

No aluminum. (Scary!)

No parabens. (Also scary!)

No phthalates (essential oils instead please!)

Smells nice. (Otherwise…what’s the point?)

The contenders:

Tom’s of Maine Long-Lasting Deodorant in Beautiful Earth

Pros: Easy to find (really…pretty much any grocery store in the U.S. carries Tom’s products), inexpensive, long lasting scent.

Cons: This particular scent, which is a great unisex clean scent, gave me a horrible headache. In my case, the long lasting scent was a bad thing!

Verdict: I wouldn’t repurchase.

Soapwalla Deodorant Cream

Pros: Smells great in the jar, awesome Brooklyn-based Etsy company, helped with dryness.

Cons: I wasn’t too sure about a cream deodorant at first. Then, a few days after using I started smelling this odd smell. Umm…it was me. Since these are made in small batches, maybe I got a bad batch or it was older and went bad?

Verdict: I had high hopes, and will try to use up the rest of the jar (on days I don’t care if I stink!).

JASON Purifying Tea Tree Deodorant Stick

Pros: Inexpensive, easy to find, great fresh tea-tree oil scent.

Cons: Stings and itches! I have not had this problem with a deodorant before—eco or not.

Verdict: Might be a good fit for anyone with less sensitive skin.

The Body Shop DeoDry Dry Effect Fresh and Floral Deodorant

Pros: Though they aren’t as eco and animal rights oriented as they once were, I like supporting The Body Shop. They source many of their ingredients through a community trade program. Also, a pro about the product itself, it did help with underarm dryness.

Cons: Scent was awful. I smelled it in the store and it seemed to be the better of the two offerings. The other was something called “Chilled and Breezy” and smelled like whatever ubiquitous men’s cologne they are pumping into the malls these days. “Fresh and Floral” quickly morphed into rancid bouquet.

Verdict: Effective product but the scents weren’t for me.

Nature’s Gate Tea Tree & Blue Cypress Deodorant Stick

Pros: Awesome over-all. Great product, scent, price and availability.

Cons: Slightly too unisex for my taste.

Verdict: It’s a great basic product. I’m sure I’ll buy again, but sometimes I like a more feminine scent.

Lavanila Healthy Deodorant in Vanilla Lavender

Pros: Wow. Great company, beautiful scent, amazing lasting power, love it.

Cons: Expensive for such a small product and only carried in specialty stores/online.

Verdict: This is my winner of the bunch.

I may look at some of the other Nature’s Gate scents to find something lighter (once I have used up this huge collection of deodorants) simply to find something less expensive and more widely available, but the Lavanila Healthy Deodorant is definitely my favorite.

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