What you ought to know before you buy!

Do you go with the deodorant that smells the best? Or the one with pretty leaves on the label? The one that's doctor-recommended? Or the one with the catchy advertisement? The one that your friend told you about? Or the one that's the most popular?

With so many choices, making your decision can be exhausting. But that's no reason to run back to your old deodorant! There are a few simple steps that you can take to choose the deodorant that's best for you.

1. Read the label, the WHOLE label.

Just because it says it’s natural, doesn’t mean that it actually is! As a matter of fact, here’s what the FDA says about natural cosmetics: “FDA has not defined the term ‘natural’ and has not established a regulatory definition for this term in cosmetic labeling. FDA also does not have regulations for the term “organic” for cosmetics.” Great… so then how do we know which are actually natural?

2. Find that ingredient list.

Can you read it? If your answer is no, move on! Truly natural deodorant will only use ingredients like coconut oil, arrowroot powder, and baking soda. Simple ingredients that you’ve likely heard of before. They will never contain funky chemicals like aluminum or propylene glycol. Nor will they contain "naturally-derived" ingredients like "natural" fragrance or fractionated coconut oil. Naturally-derived ingredients have been modified with chemicals and are NOT the same as natural ones!

3. Know how the ingredients are processed.

Did you know that even Certified Natural and Organic ingredients can be bleached, deodorized, and otherwise refined? Although ingredient lists can help you narrow the field quite a bit, they don't tell you about the quality of those ingredients. That means it's up to you to do a little research. Look at the company’s website to see if they offer any information as to how the ingredients are processed. Always try to find ingredients that are unrefined, unprocessed, cold-pressed, extra-virgin, or raw. (Hint: if they don’t have any information available, it’s probably for a reason!)

4. Figure out if you need a sensitive deodorant.

Most natural deodorants use baking soda, which is great because baking soda is fantastic at eliminating odors! The problem is that large amounts of baking soda can cause irritation for some people. If you typically have extra-sensitive or easily-irritated skin, you should look for a sensitive natural deodorant. This doesn't mean that the deodorant can't contain any baking soda, but it should be one of the last ingredients on the label. Look for natural deodorants that use diatomaceous earth as the main odor eliminator instead.

Curious to see what kind of ingredients we use in our deodorant? Check them out here!

Is this your first time using all natural deodorant? If so, we've got a few tips for you! Read through our First Time User's Guide to get started on the right foot.