Switching to natural and eco-friendly toiletries and cosmetics has been a breeze, apart from the underarm deodorant department, where things haven’t been breeze-like at all.  I just don’t seem to be able to find a natural product that does what it says on the bottle.  Are my expectations too high?  Most commercial deodorants available are actually anti-perspirants, while natural deodorants are just that, deodorants.  Is this why the one works and the other doesn’t work as well?  I’ve read that there may be a (as yet unproven) link between anti-perspirants and cancer, as well as a link between aluminium in odour control products and an increase in Alzheimers.  What to do?

I have tried both the crystal and liquid form of PitRok with disappointing results, Avalon Organics Peppermint Deodorant, Bionsen, Weleda and two different Tom’s of Maine flavours (these seemed to work best until I got a rash).   While I still have a few tricks up my sleeve, I seem to be running out of ideas and thinking about going back to using Dove anti-perpirant, which has been my old faithful for years.

Over the next couple of weeks I am going to be trying: drinking more water, baking powder and lemon mixed into a paste and plastered into pits, and a Lush deodorant.  I’ll report back on these, but in the meantime, if anyone has any foolproof, healthy, natural and eco-friendly eau de control ideas, I’d be very pleased indeed.