I have been using a plastic free natural deodorant for a long time now. I find it is one of the easiest ways of creating eco bathrooms in everyone's home, without any effort at all. Natural deodorants, especially if made in the UK and locally, are such a great way to reduce plastic in your house and be a step closer to creating your dream eco homes!

If you are thinking about starting using a plastic free deodorant, here are some of my favourite tips to help you switch the easy way.

Deodorant vs Antiperspirant

There is no such thing as a natural "antiperspirant": The active ingredients in antiperspirants usually include synthetic aluminium-based chemical compounds that temporarily block sweat pores. Blocking sweat pores reduces the amount of perspiration that reaches your skin.

This is not possible with natural products. Plus, sweating is a very healthy way of the body to cool down and regulate its temperature  and should not be prevented unless in the case of specific medical conditions. Natural deodorants can only work on fighting the bacteria that causes bad BO.

The way perspirants or natural deodorants work is that they don't stop the body from sweating, on the contrary they let ‘good’ bacteria flourish while also fighting bad odour.  One of the things that happen while using natural deodorants is that the body eventually gets used not to be treated with aggressive ingredients and what many people report is that their natural body odour eventually become less unpleasant than before.

Natural Deodorant Transition

When you first switch to natural deodorants, there may be a transition phase, especially if you used antiperspirants before.

That may include mild rashes and increased sweat. Simply using natural fabric clothes, washing the skin with water and natural soap, avoid over applying too much product and a bit of patience can help ride this phase if that happens to you

How to apply a natural deodorant stick - with video

As these deodorants are only made with natural ingredients and don't contain any synthetic emollients, they can react to drops in temperatures.

1. If they are a bit hard due to the cold, simply hold the deodorant stick (or deodorant bar)against your pit for a bit, the heat of your body will soften up your eco deodorant and make it easy to apply!

2. You can simply soften the tip of your zero waste deodorant by rubbing it with your fingers for a few seconds!

3. For best and easy application, swiping your deodorant stick moving downwards can also avoid extra friction that can result in unwanted rashes.

4. Don't over apply too much natural deodorant. One or two swipes are usually enough, too much product may clog your skin pores.

5. If you just have a bit of deodorant stick left and cannot push it out of the tube anymore, or at least not enough to swipe it under your arms, simply use it as a deodorant bar and use the cardboard tube stick as storage container!

Deodorants for sensitive skins

if you have sensitive skins, avoid citrus-based deodorants, as they are richer in allergens. Choosing a floral-based deodorant or even better, an unscented one that is free from essential oils will make the switch a lot easier and avoid rashes, skin reactions or itchiness.

Reaction to bicarbonate of soda

Most natural deodorants contain bicarbonate of soda, regardless of the brand. If you have a very acidic sweat (due to hormones, diet, or general predisposition) this can sometimes cause a mild reaction at first, as bicarbonate of soda is very alkaline.

This is easily solved by using diluted apple cider vinegar, it can help to rebalance the skin's PH level and reduce the redness until your body gets used to it.

Simply add 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar with 2/3 cups of water and pat on your underarm of affected skin area using a gentle sponge.

Cotton wipes and cotton pads also work well, make sure to avoid synthetic materials though as they may irritate the skin even more.

All these tips have helped me love my natural deodorant and I have never looked back, hope they can work for you too and you can finally say goodbye to aluminium-based deodorants and antiperspirants!