Last August I purchased Salt & Stone deodorants with an unboxing + mini first impression in this post. After six months of using them pretty much exclusively, I can officially say that they're the best "clean" deodorants I've found so far. In 2023, trying out and searching for clean deodorants that actually work was both a mission + heavy topic of conversation here on the blog. I've tried countless brands over the past year or two with cleaner, more natural formulas + no aluminum.
The main issues I always seem to run into with the majority of them is that they either don't work at all, they wear off, do no favors when it comes to aiding sweat or more often than not, break me out in an itchy rash. In regular deodorant, aluminum serves as an antiperspirant to prevent sweating. When you take that away, it's not a surprise that you'll have some sweating. Most of them even have other ingredients to help target some of the sweating, they just don't really work. Until trying out Salt & Stone, I was almost to the point of just switching back to good ole fashioned deodorant.
Between working in retail and exercising, I have a pretty active day to day. I'm constantly running around in an environment that puts my deodorant to the test when it comes to movement and activity. I think some of the cleaner options out there are fine if you aren't as active or prone to working up a sweat, however for me that's not realistic on most days. I love having cleaner, non-toxic products but I still need them to perform for my life. Especially when it comes to deodorant!
Trying out Salt & Stone has actually become a game changer for me- here's why:
+APPLICATION - The actual application + formula of the deodorant is a dream. The formula and consistency is more slick so it glides right on to the skin, dries down quickly + never leaves any kind of residue on my clothes. Because it's slick, there's also no chalkiness or residue left on your skin either.
+LESS SWEAT - Although these too are aluminum free and not antiperspirants, they do such a good job at keeping sweat under control. Pretty much every single other brand I've tried would leave me feeling super gross and icky once I started to sweat. I also feel like that mixed with your clothes makes the entire underarm situation a hot mess express. I can deal with being a little sweating at the gym, but not at work or during the regular part of my day. I'm not sure what it is about these that makes such a difference but I swear they are so much better.
+GOOD SMELLS - Let's talk scents. So far I've tested out the "Santal & Vetiver" and "Bergamot & Hinoki" scents in the deodorants + love both. They smell unique, a little sexy + sophisticated and most importantly, keep any unwanted scents away. I'm sure a large part of that is the formula itself but regardless, a win is a win here.
+PACKAGING - A little added bonus is the packaging + vibe. The containers are sleek + visually pleasing. I would definitely still use an "ugly" deodorant if it worked, however having nice containers is a little extra cherry on top.
All in all, I'm a huge fan + just did a reorder for all new full-sizes. I grabbed the same two sensitive skin formulas I've already tried + this extra strength formula in Neroli & Basil. I'm a little nervous to try out a non-sensitive formula but I've been curious to see if it will work even better than the sensitive. Seems like a good gym option!
Because I've had a lot of the itchiness and rashes, I try to stick with more sensitive formulas and no baking soda, etc. The sensitive formulas have also done pretty well for me here + I haven't had much issue. I think I noticed a little bit of itchy/bumps once or twice throughout my time using them but it wasn't until months later. In this case, it's been hard to pinpoint exactly where it's come from. I haven't been ale to tell if it's the deodorant, a shaving irritation or something else entirely. I do know though that once I ran out of the S&S, I switched to another brand I'd tried previously and I had an immediate rash/itching show up from that one. I think fragrance can be a common culprit but sometimes you don't have any issues with a product until months after using it either.
I'm definitely going to keep an eye on that to make sure but all in all, they've been amazing + work so well. I'd highly recommend if you've also struggled to find a good natural deodorant that works.
What's your go-to deodorant?
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