Let me start by saying that our bodies (and hormones) are all different, and a natural deodorant that works for some may not work for others. Regardless, I wanted to share this post because I’m really excited about this very “natural deodorant” that’s been working for me lately, and may work for some of you. At least it may be worth a try.
I’ll preface by saying I have always had an underarm sweat problem. It’s all related to hormones, and I do tend to get sweat pits when nervous or stressed. I must have been very anxious in high school, because the daily sweat pits were outrageous. I used to get prescription-strength liquid roll on antiperspirant, which I completely cringe at now. 😣 I’d try anything back then to stop the sweat and embarrassment, but I do wish I knew back then how terrible that stuff is for our bodies!
Flash forward to my adulthood – the sweat has been less bothersome, but the smell has been a different story. I remember it being especially bad at the beginning of both of my pregnancies. The strong pungent smell was actually the first sign of something being “up” with my body, and led me to take a pregnancy test. More recently, it’s been the terrible morning b/o. I’ve tried a couple different natural deodorant brands… Schmidt’s smelled good but it burned my skin, and Native I’d have to apply multiple times a day and that strong morning stink was still sure to happen. 😳
By the way, this all feels like TMI to talk about, but I know it’s a common thing so let’s get to a solution…
What I’ve been using the last few weeks isn’t actually deodorant at all, but rather something you may already have in the refrigerator…. limes! Okay, it sounds super out there, but apparently this method actually works for a lot of people. I saw it come up quite a few times in a natural mom’s FaceBook group – women asked for natural deodorant brand recommendations, and several people recommended just straight lime juice. They swore by it.
So, with a lime sitting in my fridge and the need to do something different, I decided to give it a try. Within a couple days, I actually noticed a huge difference! I’m about 3 weeks into this little experiment, and seriously, I’ve been smelling fresh (or at least, not bad!) throughout the days with little b/o the following mornings. The early morning workout stench is not nearly as bad as it was previously when using an actual deodorant stick.
Something that’s gotta be said is that putting fresh lime juice on freshly shaven pits does sting… so be prepared for that if you’re going to apply right after the shower! I’ve found the longer I wait to apply it post shave and shower, the less likely to sting. So I’ll do hair, makeup, and get most of the way dressed before splashing on that lime juice!
At one point in the last few weeks I did happen to run out of limes, so I tried an alternative. I had some Young Living Lime essential oil, and decided to try a couple drops of that mixed with coconut oil. I thought, close enough, right? It was definitely not the same. I’m sure it was better than nothing, but after a couple days of that, I went to the store and bought some more limes! It’s the fresh juice that does the trick!
How to apply lime as deodorant:
Each morning (or as needed), I just slice a wedge out of a lime (about 1/5 a whole lime). I squeeze the juice out into my palms and rub it into my underarm skin. You could even just rub the lime wedge directly onto your skin, applying enough pressure to release the juice. Nothing fancy here – it’s really quite easy. Let the juice dry before getting dressed.
If you’re planning on exposing your underarms to direct sunlight, you may want to pass on the lime as deodorant. I have yet to try this “natural deodorant” in the summer, but citrus on skin has been known to cause more susceptibility to sunburn. ☀️
Honestly, this is working well enough for me right now that I may never go back… 🙃 we’ll see how well it works when it’s hot out. Maybe some time in the future I’ll be making my own deodorant sticks with ingredients like coconut oil, beeswax, shea butter, arrowroot powder and essential oils. For now, I gotta say, these limes are doing the trick.
Other natural deodorants:
If you’re not interested in applying lime as deodorant, or you tried it and it just doesn’t do it for you, and you’re interested in other natural deodorant options, here are some brands I’ve commonly seen recommended by others:
*Just a note: I have not personally used these, so I can’t speak on how well they work!
If you’ve tried limes as deodorant, or have other natural deodorant recommendations, I’d love to hear from you! Feel free to drop your comments below.