Nobody likes to smell of sweat and certainly not inhale someone else's. If you want to be fresh, use a deodorant. What's a good deodorant? What about aluminum in deo's? And are there also deodorants with ecological packaging? We figured it out for you.

What is the difference between an antiperspirant and deodorant?

Fresh sweat in itself is odourless. The bad smell comes from the bacteria on your skin that multiply in the warm, moist and nourishing environment of your armpit sweat.

An antiperspirant is designed to reduce sweating. It contains substances that seal off the sweat glands, such as aluminum. As a result, there is less moisture, fewer bacteria and less odour. But sweating is a natural process that our body needs to regulate its own temperature.

The effect of aluminum in deodorants on our health is still uncertain. What is certain is that they can cause a lot of skin irritation because the sweat under the skin can't escape. Therefore, choose a natural deodorant without aluminum.

A deodorant prevents bacteria from creating a bad smell by killing them or neutralising the smell of sweat.

Sodium bicarbonate or baking soda neutralizes odors

dedorant stick in paper tube en open

Sodium bicarbonate or baking soda is a natural substance that has a deacidifying and antibacterial effect and neutralizes bad odors. It is therefore very popular to make your own deodorant. But if you have sensitive skin, this can (after a while) cause skin irritation.

So it is important to combine bicarbonate in a balanced way with coconut oil, shea butter and some essential oils. The Ben & Anna brand was able to perfect this and made a range of colourful, deliciously fragrant deodorant sticks in recyclable paper tubes. Sweet for your skin and for the environment!

Alum stone as an odourless deodorant stick

alum stone deodorant with pile of towels Another way to keep your armpits dry and odorless is alum stone. Alum is a natural mineral that has an antibacterial effect and can easily be applied wet. Alum contains potassium aluminium sulphate, making it comparable to ordinary anti-perspirants. But this natural aluminum binds into larger molecules that remain on the skin, do not block pores and do not cause skin irritation like aluminum can in ordinary anti-perspirants. 

Go with the moist alum stone over your armpits, leaving a thin layer of mineral salts that won't clog pores. These salts lower your skin's pH level, preventing bacteria that cause a bad odor of sweat from surviving. Alum stone is therefore an odourless natural deodorant.

Deodorant with prebiotics

If you know that bacteria create the smell of sweat, it's not so crazy to use a deodorant with prebiotics. It adds good bacteria that stabilize the moist environment under your armpit and reduce bad body odor.

Green People combines prebiotics with other proven ways to create effective deodorants that work in different areas. With alum, sweating is tackled in a natural way. Zinc ricinoleate from castor oil fixes sweat odor at the moment of bacterial breakdown and before it gets into the air.

Which deodorant to choose? At least a natural deodorant!

Choosing a deodorant is important. Once you have found a good one for your body's needs, you will often stick with it for years. Think about this when you have children or teenagers in the house. Protect their sensitive armpits and be the first to give them a natural deodorant without chemical additives. Explain to them why and they will thank you for it later.

Fortunately, the range of natural deodorants is already very extensive today and there are more and more deodorants with fancy zero waste or sustainable packaging!