I Tried Acid as My Deodorant
As a podcast junkie Forever 35 is a forever favorite. The friendly banter between the hosts, Doree and Kate, about all things beauty and other topics is the best kind of conversation; informative and enjoyable. The Forever 35 Facebook group takes it to the next level.
As someone who signed up for The Facebook when it was a cool secret between college kids, I don't really scroll through it much anymore. I found the Racked article about using acids as deodorant in the Facebook group. The idea shocked me and seemed to good to be true like many things on the internet. But I clicked anyway. I'm curious and love a good topic to research.
Why Use Alternative Deodorant?
There are many reasons to use alternative deodorants like, no aluminum, how effective they are and not wanting your white shirts to turn yellow at the armpits anymore. I haven't been completely satisfied with any of my options yet.
I tried out Native deodorant a few months ago. I'm not sure if the scent I purchased, coconut and vanilla, is to blame or if it doesn't work for me. I felt self conscious about how I smelled while using it.
Which Acid to Use?
I was looking for a new deodorant so why not try a product already in my bathroom in a new way. I've used a BHA lotion on my face for a couple of years and it significantly improved my skin's texture and keeps my pores clear. If you have combination skin that easily clogs like mine I highly recommend a BHA.
Paula's Choice is the queen of BHA lotions so I started there. I use the 1% lotion on my face every night and when my skin is extra unruly I will spot treat with the 2%. Since I don't use the 2% on a regular basis my bottle is pretty full. It was the perfect candidate for the alternative deodorant experiment.
In the Racked article The Best Natural Deodorant is Acid the author and several different people tried this new method with varying levels of success. They all tried different acids so definitely experiment with any acids, for your face or body, available in your bathroom.
This method doesn't stop you from sweating completely, only stops your sweat from smelling. With no guarantees but plenty of excitement I jumped right in. The worst that could happen is smelling not great for one day. I also made sure to try this out in the winter when I would not be sweating profusely.
My Experience
After dabbing on my acid in the morning, I went to work and tried not to be self conscious. I wanted to blurt out my excuse if someone crinkled their nose but no one seemed to notice. At the end of a long day in the office I smelled my armpits in my car.
They smelled like nothing. Nothing. A miracle! I didn't miss the fragrant aroma coming from my underarms since the teen years. The only source of fragrance coming from me is shampoo and conditioner. After working out in the evening a little bit of a smell came up but nothing compared to going without any deodorant. The real test will be in the Texas summer.
Another upside of this method is if you’re lazy about showering. I left this on overnight on Saturday and the next day my underarms still didn't smell. I haven't had any weird skin issues yet so we'll see how this method holds up long term but so far I love it!
It's like having a great piece in your wardrobe that goes with everything except this one goes on your skin. I'm going to stick with this method as long as my skin stays happy and my pits stay fresh.
