Ladies (and germs, if you can help) - Recommend me a deodorant

December 19, 2015 5:22 AM

I'm looking for suggestions for deodorant only (ie not anti-perspirant). Because a) women's deodorants are not exactly abundant, and b) online reviews tend to leave something to be desired, I'm hoping you MeFites can help. Details inside.

I've been using a few Old Spice scents for a few years because the sticks smell good, but I feel like they smell overly strong on me when I sweat. The other male brands at the store (like Axe) smell a little too fakey/chemically so I've never tried them.

There are no female brand deodorants at any of the local grocery stores (!) other than the gender-neutral Tom's, which I've tried one or two flavors of and didn't like. When I started to sweat, the good-smelling deodorant turned funky very quickly. As I recall this was a really common complain from other people, too.

I've tried Arm & Hammer deodorant in unscented and fresh scent or something like that, they irritated my armpits. Turns out this is a common complain about baking soda-based deodorants.

Stipulations:
1. must be a stick, not a spray
2. no baking soda-based deodorants
3. I don't mind ordering online/price is not an issue
4. I don't mind male deo but would love to find a female one for a subtler scent
5. please don't recommend "the crystal"

posted by atinna to Health & Fitness (27 answers total)

This one by Kiss my Face deodorant is my go to. I put it at night after I've showered.
posted by tilde at 5:38 AM on December 19, 2015

I've been using Kiss My Face Deodorant in Peaceful Patchouli for the past few years and I like it pretty well. It smells good and as long as I wash my pits and apply it freshly every day I smell good too.

I am female, sweat some from my pits but not heavily (probably because my sweat would rather come pouring out of my fucking head at the slightest provocation, for some perverse reason) and I can't vouch for how it works as far as preventing B.O. during a workout because I mostly swim for exercise.
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 5:43 AM on December 19, 2015

Where do you live? I have used the "lady" version of Degree for 10+ years, and it's available basically everywhere. I don't even shell out extra for the super invisible stuff, I just buy the basic shower fresh or rain or whatever light scent is there. It's not aluminum free, but it actually works for me, unlike all the Tom's/health store varieties.
posted by Maarika at 6:17 AM on December 19, 2015 [3 favorites]

Smell very soon after sweat breaks through isn't a deodorant issue, it's an issue with the clothes. I've got a few shirts that do that, and I've not worked out how to fix it. There's a thread about it here, but I've not tried anything from it.
posted by ambrosen at 6:48 AM on December 19, 2015 [1 favorite]

This stuff is the only thing that works for me; it has no smell and is all natural and doesn't irritate my skin but actually works (your mileage may vary). Also, it is the kind that comes in a little pot and you have to put in on with your fingers, and I can understand if that is a dealbreaker.
posted by ITheCosmos at 6:50 AM on December 19, 2015 [1 favorite]

Logona Pur Deo Spray is the only kind I can use (apart from Almay Sensitive Skin, which contains antiperspirant). Literally every other brand of deodorant gives me a rash. My partner had good luck making hers from coconut oil for a while but I think eventually it stopped working and she switched back to the commercial stuff.
posted by thetortoise at 6:54 AM on December 19, 2015

Seconding Toms of Maine—my daughter uses it, and it comes in several different scents as well as unscented.
posted by wisekaren at 7:00 AM on December 19, 2015

(Oops, I missed your note about no sprays. Sorry!)
posted by thetortoise at 7:04 AM on December 19, 2015

Best answer: I've had bad luck with natural deodorant - feels weird, still smelly, etc - but I've been using Lavanila deodorant for several months now. It's weird not having the antiperspirant component but it's still a winner. Feels like regular deodorant going on, no sticky residue, and seems to work. Also, it smells good.
posted by mlo at 7:29 AM on December 19, 2015 [1 favorite]

The only deodorant that doesn't make me break out is DERMAdoctor Total NonScents ultra-gentle antiperspirant (a roll on and unscented). It is an antiperspirant, but their claim that it is less likely than other antiperspirants to plug pores, aggravate razor burn or cause acne and shaving bumps holds true in my opinion. If the other recommended ones don't work, you might give it a try.
posted by gudrun at 7:34 AM on December 19, 2015

Best answer: I use Mennen Speed Stick -- they make a couple of deodorant-only sticks. They lurk in with the rest of the Speed Stick display, so you have to read the tube. The Fresh scent is quite mild, and doesn't smell weird when it gets wet, nor does it get into my nose. (Female, slight perfume sensitivity, but not real sensitive skin.)
posted by jlkr at 8:06 AM on December 19, 2015 [1 favorite]

This breaks the rule that you want a stick applicator (but one is in the works): Piper Wai. They were on Shark Tank (video).
posted by spock at 8:06 AM on December 19, 2015 [1 favorite]

My ex would very happily use my "male" Degree deodorant from time to time and you can find it practically everywhere, and as Maarika noted, they have "female" lines as well.
posted by Candleman at 8:47 AM on December 19, 2015

Best answer: Came to suggest Mennin speed stick as well, I went through this same issue a few months ago after giving up the ghost on Tom's. I've been very happy with it.
posted by telegraph at 8:54 AM on December 19, 2015

I've tried quite a few natural deodorants, and my favourite is this Meow Meow Tweet Baking Soda Free Deodorant Cream.
posted by toby_ann at 9:04 AM on December 19, 2015

Read the reviews on homemade deodorant on makeupalley.com. Leave out the baking soda (though I wonder if it isn't an irritant when combined with ?? in the commercial stuff, as it gets no complaints at all in these reviews?), load up on coconut oil, cornstarch, etc; add whatever scent you like. I add aluminum and make an anti-perspirant with the same base ingredients.

You can look at ingredients on any deodorant you happened to like and play around with your own recipe until you hit on the perfect one for you. There are loads of recipes with variations on the basic idea on-line. I notice the Meow Meow Tweet stuff linked above "uses dietary magnesium and arrowroot powder to help control moisture and odor," and has a lot of shea butter -- easy stuff to play around with at home. Corn starch is the 3rd ingredient in the Lavanila. Pretty much any ingredient that piques your curiosity can be found at a larger health food store if "natural," or on eBay or in a cosmetic chemistry shop on-line if not felt to be "natural."

I saved my old antiperspirant containers, ran them through the dishwasher, and briefly microwave my homemade stuff before pouring it in. I like it loads more than anything I've ever bought in a store. It's incredibly effective, way more so than store stuff, even though I'm using a pretty small amount of aluminum. It goes on nicely and it washes off easily, unlike a great deal of weirdly glued-on-feeling store-bought stuff. It's cheap, it's environmentally friendly, and it's a huge plus to pretty much never run out and need to go to the store.
posted by kmennie at 9:30 AM on December 19, 2015

Best answer: Thirding Mennen Speed Stick, not only because I've used it happily for years, but for the charming way each scent describes itself. (I found that Musk was fine on this lady, too, but then again, I remember the seventies. YOPMV.)
posted by maudlin at 9:41 AM on December 19, 2015

The only deodorant that works for me is a combination of Aromaco and Teo from Lush. Teo is patted on top of an Aromaco layer. It has an pleasantly gender-neutral herbal/woody smell that is not smellable unless you're right up by my armpits. It's the only thing that doesn't make me smell sweaty and doesn't give up in four hours like Tom's of Maine did.

Depending on where you are, you might have to get it online, but unless it's hot where you are (the Aromaco will melt) it'll be fine.
posted by blnkfrnk at 12:05 PM on December 19, 2015 [1 favorite]

Aromaco is effective, but it does contain baking soda and it did irritate my skin, so just a warning.

I'm currently using a Nivea "Sheer Comfort" deodorant in a Jasmine scent, which is subtle but pleasant and feminine. I find it's not super-long-lasting (I will put it on in the morning and then reapply when I go out at night) but it's better than Tom's and my very sensitive skin likes it.

When I lived in the UK I loved the Bionsen stick deodorant - I only stopped using it because I moved back to Canada.
posted by SoftRain at 3:05 PM on December 19, 2015

Pretty sure Degree is an anti-perspirant. (It is great, though, it's what I use regularly... but it is not a deodorant-only.)

The only deodorant-only I've ever liked is Thursday Plantation's tea tree deodorant. Fine for my sensitive skin, goes on wet and you have to let it dry a bit, and lasts all day reasonably well.
posted by snorkmaiden at 6:03 PM on December 19, 2015

I like Le Couvent des Minimes, which I get at Ulta. Smells kind of citrusy. I would describe the smell as feminine, but not extremely so. It doesn't leave white marks or anything like that.
posted by sepviva at 7:05 PM on December 19, 2015

Dove works great - no antiperspirant. And it comes in interesting scents like "cucumber".
posted by Toddles at 7:40 PM on December 19, 2015

I used to use Secret and Dove and the like, but I don't like the scents. A friend told me she'd been using men's Arrid extra dry unscented for years and loved it. i started using it about a year ago and love it to. Easy, cheap, no weird smell, works.
posted by Miko at 7:45 PM on December 19, 2015

Unscented Tom's user here. I just wanted to add that I recently bought the baby powder variety, and it was a totally different (goopier) consistency than the unscented, so there appears to be some difference between the flavors.
posted by natabat at 10:25 AM on December 20, 2015

Best answer: I also break out from pretty much every deodorant on the market, but I live in a very warm climate where it's not really an option to skip it. Lavilin is lifechangingly good. It lasts several days on the skin, even with exercise, and has never made me break out. It's expensive, but really worth it. I've tried most of the suggestions in this thread over the years and never found anything that was both effective and comfortable until Lavilin.
posted by judith at 7:06 PM on December 20, 2015

Secret Scent Expressions Cocoa Butter Kiss has an antiperspirant as well as deodorant, but the scent is wonderful and it goes on very smooth.
posted by irisclara at 9:40 PM on December 20, 2015

I use a mixture of hydrogen peroxide, witch hazel, and essential oils. Some oils I use, like tea tree, lavender, lemongrass, and cedar, are antibacterial. The others I use are just to customize the fragrance. I apply via spray bottle, but one can get empty roll-on bottles and apply that way.
posted by cross_impact at 12:59 PM on December 22, 2015