Ok, so my journey through the world of natural deodorant is a long and winding road. I naively started many years ago with that crystal thingy when I was pregnant with my first child, in an effort to reduce the amount of chemicals going into or on my body. A friend said slyly, “prepare to be stinky” when I shared my new, natural adventure, and boy was she right. I mean, that thing did not even take the edge off. At least scented natural deodorants cover up the badness for a short period of time.
But, after the COVID years of really being able to try out different natural options with fewer people around me suffering the consequences (bless my husband and children for not complaining too loudly during this time), I have tried many variations and finally found “the one”. Yes, that natural deodorant that actually seems to work. It is called Wild, and it has the added benefit of being packaged in a reusable case. Every three months they send me three refills, and each one lasts about a month. You can also purchase refills at some supermarkets.
The refills are packaged in compostable card. I’ve now convinced my husband and eldest child to use it, too. Now, I’m not saying I’d go to the Oscars in this deodorant, but it survived my first return to a work conference in an un-air-conditioned hotel conference suite while I was wearing a suit. I maybe had to ask a co-worker to alert if I started to smell, and I may have reapplied before dinner to be safe, but all-in-all, it did the deodorant job, and did not prompt said “smell alert” from my colleague. Plus they really offer lovely scents.
We have been using Wild for over a year, now, and no one has told us yet that we stink. Now, you may be thinking that because we live in England, and British people are very polite, no one telling us we stink does not mean we don’t stink. This is a fair point. However, I even wore it in back in the sweltering heat of Georgia, USA this summer, and my family didn’t complain. Let’s be clear: anti-perspirant it is not. Natural deodorants are just that – they cover up smells and absorb some moisture, but they do not prevent you from sweating like a traditional anti-perspirant.
Runner up: Schmidt’s Charcoal & Magnesium Deodorant
I used this natural deodorant for about 6 months as well, and it fared pretty well in a British summer. It did, however, also turn all the armpits of my shirts dark grey (blergh). So, it ranks pretty high in performance, but required strategic undershirts which knocked it into second place.