Does natural deodorant actually work?

I would guess that is highly individual. Those crystal deodorant sticks do work for me, and the advantage is that they last a very long time as well as that they do not leave those nasty white streaks on your clothes, but then again I am not naturally someone who perspires a lot. I would not be very surprised if I found out that crystal deodorant does not work for just everyone. It is meant to work by neutralizing the bacteria that cause body odor, I do know that. Whether it does in everyone, well, I don't know.

I have used the crystal and the crystal in a roller, dissolved in liquid with rose oil. I don't really sweat an awful lot so I don't know how these things function for a person who perspires a lot. I must say that I preferred the crystal by itself over the roller because it seemed to work a bit longer. I now use Dove because my crystals got lost and they are quite when you first acquire them and I need a lot of deodorant anyway. I don't know if the Dove is bad for my skin but I am certainly not noticing any side effects right now.

Man, I just lost a post. Hate it when that happens! Anyway, since you asked, I thought I should point out not only that not all people have the same antiperspirant needs, but also that not all natural deodorants were created equally. If you want one that works, you need to go for reputable ones. They include:

• Dr Hauschka fresh or floral deodorants. Expensive, but excellent. 
• Weleda's rose musk deodorant
• Aubrey Organics calendula blossom deodorant
• Burt's Bees natural deodorant

I would imagine that at least the first two are available in your neck of the woods? I'd go for one of those then.

I have very sensitive skin and underarms. Drug store deodorants often gave me irritated skin and even rashes, so I looked around and recently switched to Weleda Rose. Sure, it is more expensive than drug store deodorants, but it actually does a very good job despite being all natural. If I don't use deodorant at all (also tried this) I get sweaty and stinky really fast, but the Weleda deodorant actually works better than everything I used before. The perfume is only mild, but my t-shirts stay dry and my armpits don't smell all day. That's a thumbs up from me!

I read something about making your own deodorant the other day. The ingredients were shea butter, baking soda, coconut oil, cornstarch, and the essential oils of your choosing just for the scent. I thought it was fascinating. I'm quite happy with my deodorant so I don't think I'll go through the trouble of actually doing this, and it also sounds quite expensive since you have to buy all those things (though you probably get a huge batch), but it sounds like some people on this thread might be interested, so I'm mentioning it. The active ingredient seems to be baking soda. Cornstarch, too, absorbs sweat, I guess? You can't get much more natural than DIY-ing your deodorant!

I've been using Baxter Of California natural deodorant for... hm... around three weeks now? At first I noticed that it wasn't as good as the cheaper and less natural deo I was using before, and that I actually needed to wash my armpits and reapply a few times a day to prevent the body odor. Those were some very hot days as well, actually.

Well, I think my body has got used to the new deodorant now because I'm not stinking any more. I think other people might see the same thing happen to them, that their body takes a while to adjust or something. I'm happy with my deodorant and think it probably healthier in the long run, you know?