No Stink with a Salt Stone! #crystallinesalts

Press Sample.  All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

I admit, I was a little nervous about testing a natural deodorant.  I had a friend in grad school that used natural deodorants, and she always smelled awful.  So, before I switched from my 'extra strength' deodorant/antiperspirant to this, I did some research on crystal deodorants.  And, I picked a week when I was off from school and wouldn't be seeing as many people!

Our bodies sweat to cool themselves down.  Sweating is good! We're supposed to sweat.  Natural deodorants don't stop us from sweating like antiperspirants do.  Sweat, in and of itself, is odorless.  Where we get into stinky territory is the breeding of bacteria in that wet environment.  Crystal Deodorant is a natural anti-bacterial that stops the growth of that stinky bacteria.

Everything about crystal deodorant was foreign to me.  First of all, it's a man-made stone - hard, solid, and dry.  It doesn't get used up the same way a traditional deodorant does.  The stone only leaves a thin film of salt behind, so one stone can last a year or more.

I also had to change when I applied my deodorant.  In order to activate it, it must be lightly dampened, or used on damp skin.  It's recommended that it be used straight out of the shower, before towel-drying. This kind of deodorant only really works if it's applied to clean skin - it works better at preventing bacterial growth rather than stopping the smell of an already thriving colony.  It also works better if the area is hair-free, because the hair traps bacteria.

Instead of applying a quick swipe to the immediate armpit area, crystal deodorants take a bit of effort.  You need to rub the stone until it's not wet anymore in order to lay down a film of the deodorant.  It also needs to be applied to a larger area.  It dries quickly, and doesn't have a scent or a texture on the skin.  It looks and feels like there isn't anything there at all!

No armpit pix! Just a shot of my hand, after I rubbed the deodorant stone on it.

So.  I did all the things - applied it wet, to clean skin, rubbing until it was dry, and covering a larger area.  Did it work?  I think it did.  My husband said it did.  No one wrinkled their nose when I was near.  Was it weird to sweat?  Yeah.

I found that I felt more comfortable using this method on areas that sweat less, but still need help, like under my bra.  Some people use this kind of stone on their feet, too. 

I created this double-framed, textured nail art by layering China Glaze Diamond In The Rough with Dashboard Dreamer and UV Meant To Be.  The frames are China Glaze License and Registration, Pls and Sally Hanson Salon Dark Knight.  The logo is License and Registration, and Glitter Gal Big Smoke.

Trying a natural deodorant really made me think about how social norms - how much we're programmed to think about what natural body functions are not allowed in polite society.  As far as I could tell, this deodorant worked for me, and yet, it's still a mental block to overcome.

If you're thinking about using a natural deodorant, you might enjoy using this one.  The salts are pure mineral salts, harvested from the mountains of Thailand, never tested on animals, and free from synthetics, alcohol, parabens, fragrances, and aluminum and aluminum chlorohydrate.  It retails for $14.99 on Amazon.

Have you ever tried a natural deodorant?