Best Natural Deodorant for Travel in Hot Sweaty Climates

This may seem like a strange topic for a travel blog, but once I learned the potential dangers of using anti-perspirants, I embarked on a personal quest to find the most effective, all-natural deodorant for our trip to Southeast Asia. I know our fellow travelers care about their wellness and might find my research useful, so I decided to publish my findings.

Updated: June 2020. Originally published: February 2019.

The problem with anti-perspirants

It was thanks to living abroad in hot climates that I first realized there might be an issue with the anti-perspirants I was using. I spent two summers in college as a volunteer in the Dominican Republic, a country in the tropical Caribbean. Both times, I developed sore bumps in my armpits. It was strange and uncomfortable, but they eventually went away.

More recently, we lived for two years in Jamaica during our Peace Corps service. The sore, swollen bumps in my armpits came back again!

I mentioned my sore armpits during a check in with our Peace Corps nurse, a native of Jamaica. She knew the issue right away and explained that the chemicals in the anti-perspirant I was using were causing blockages and swelling in my sweat glands. 

The nurse advised that I stop using anti-perspirants and switch to deodorant-only, or else go all-natural like the local Rastafarians do. I found some new deodorant and, sure enough, the swollen glands went away shortly after.

The only problem was: I suddenly had body odor issues.

At the time, I thought clogged sweat glands were the only issue. It was a minor but temporary annoyance that could be remedied by reducing my anti-perspirant use. But it seemed that I really still needed anti-perspirants to keep body odor at bay.

As I did more research later on, I realized that there are a number of concerns when it comes to anti-perspirant products. Parabens, aluminum, and other chemicals common in anti-perspirants can affect our armpit’s natural bacteria and may increase risk of damaging developmental and reproductive hormones when they enter our bloodstream. Aluminum alone is linked to a number of health issues, from seizures and alzheimer’s, to bone formation disorders and kidney problems. There’s also concern that using these toxic compounds could increase risk of certain cancers, as they can enter the bloodstream through the skin.

I determined that a little more sweat wasn’t worth the risk. (And I learned that sweat itself isn’t the cause of underarm odor anyway.)

Unfortunately, my first few attempts with all-natural deodorants fell short. I found that the under-arms of my shirt sleeves weren’t smelling too pleasant, even when I wasn’t sweating that much. I was constantly reapplying.

I knew there must be a better solution out there.

Finding a safe deodorant that works for our travels

Because we’re digital nomads, we tend to spend several months of the year in warmer climates. It seemed worthwhile to find a natural, non toxic deodorant that actually works for me.

My plan of action was:

1. Research the top brands of natural deodorants and get samples of each

2. Test out each deodorant for one week while in Hawaii (we were house-sitting and visiting family for a month)

3. Pack the strongest, most effective deodorant(s) for our 3 month trip to Southeast Asia for final evaluations

Best natural deodorant for travel - non toxic deodorant reviews for women travelers

Here are my criteria for choosing deodorants to try:

– Aluminum free

– Paraben free

– Cruelty free (no animal testing)

– Available in fragrances that don’t smell like cologne

– Preference for a stick-type applicator so I don’t get my hands messy

– Gets high reviews online from customers

I reached out to some of the top natural deodorant companies about my research project and Bali Secrets was kind enough to send me several samples. I want say a big thank you to them, but rest assured, all the opinions in this article are my own and are not swayed by this fact.

Deodorants that didn’t work

Long before my research project, back when I first quit anti-perspirants while living in tropical Jamaica, I was using a Tom’s of Maine anti-perspirant.

Tom’s is a household name in our hometown of Portland, where people are really into sustainability and natural products. They sell “all natural” deodorants and anti-perspirants, but of course, the anti-perspirant contains aluminum and was clogging up my glands.

I first tried sticking with the Tom’s brand. Unfortunately, the deodorants for women weren’t effective on me. I’ll admit that in desperate times, I would sometimes use my husband’s deodorant – Tom’s of Maine for men – and that did seem to be more effective.

(I understand now that there can be a transition period after switching from anti-perspirants, depending on your body chemistry. The underarm bacteria may need to “detox,”so that in itself can cause changes in sweat and smell for a while. Hard to say if this affected my experience with Tom’s.)

Natural non toxic deodorant reviews for women travelers

My second attempt was to grab the most affordable, natural-looking deodorant off the grocery store shelf. I walked out with Herbal Clear (Naturally!) Sport Deodorant. This one had a similar texture to Tom’s of Maine for men but a less cologne-like fragrance. It listed primary ingredients of tea tree oil and vitamin and advertised benefits like: hypoallergenic; aluminum free; and no parabens, alcohol, dyes, or artificial bactericides. “Utilizes botanical Lichen to prevent odor before it starts.”

Unfortunately, the Herbal Clear wasn’t totally effective for me either. After several weeks, I gave it up. I will say that when I examined the stick again for this article, I noticed these instructions: “recommend 6-8 circular swipes for maximum effectiveness.” I was probably doing closer to 4 swipes, so perhaps I just needed to lay it on thicker?

Next, I did my research. Schmidt’s Naturals: Charcoal + Magnesium Deodorant and Bali Secrets Natural Deodorant: Delicate Rose rose to the top in my first round of testing.

For the first month, I thought they were both great. I’ll detail the pros and cons below. Long story short, though: by the end of three months, I had developed blotchy red sores on the skin of one armpit (the sweatier one).

I wasn’t sure if it was a reaction to ingredients or chafing from being more sticky than usual.

So I kept testing for another year.

My next round of testing included these natural deodorants from the natural foods store:

  • Alfalfa Deodorant with activated charcoal and reishi. Scent: Refreshing Coconut
  • 24hr Crystal Invisible Solid Deodorant. Scent: Lavender and White Tea
  • Jason Deodorant Stick. Scent: Purifying Tea Tree

Best Natural Deodorants for Travel - effective, ethical, healthy deodorants for hot climatesI liked aspects of each of these, but none of them totally cancelled out odor. I had to reapply frequently. And they didn’t keep my one over-active armpit dry either.

With further testing in the following year, I did find a favorite natural product for odor-prevention straight off the grocery store shelves: Queen Helene Tea Tree deodorant. This one seemed to be the best for keeping me odor-free at home. However, it doesn’t have any absorbing properties, so it still wasn’t ideal for traveling to hot places where I’d get more sweaty.

I decided to go back to Schmidt’s, which has ingredients that help absorb wetness in addition to masking odor.

And I think I found a winner!

What is the best deodorant for travel to hot climates?

So which all natural, non toxic deodorant won a spot in my travel backpack?

Below you’ll find pros and cons of the top deodorants I’ve tried. But first, here are more details about my top deodorant choice: Schmidt’s Naturals – Rose + Vanilla.

Schmidt’s Naturals: Rose + Vanilla Deodorant

Best Natural Deodorants for Travel - effective, ethical, healthy deodorants for hot climatesI was first drawn to Schmidt’s Naturals because they feel like the traditional deodorants I’m used to. It comes in a stick, and the powder has an absorptive quality.

I also noticed that I didn’t need to reapply this deodorant as often as I do with the other natural products. And the fragrance doesn’t make my shirt sleeves smell funky.

The main down side is that it’s a bit more rough in texture than traditional deodorants, so it’s not the most pleasant thing to apply. I found this to be even more the case with the Charcoal + Magnesium one I tried first. Perhaps by the time I tried Rose + Vanilla, I was more used to it.Best Natural Deodorants for Travel - effective, ethical, healthy deodorants for hot climates

The directions specify that you should “hold product momentarily on skin to soften on contact with body heat.” Applying it slowly does seem to help. I found it a small price to pay for effective odor control.

Ingredients list for Schmidt’s Rose + Vanilla:

– Maranta arundinacea (arrowroot) powder
– Sodium bicarbonate (baking soda)
– Nucifera (coconut) Oil
– Butyrospermum parkii (shea butter)
– Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride (fractionated coconut oil)
– Cerifera (candelilla) Wax
– Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil
– Magnesium hydroxide
– Natural fragrance
– Tocopherol (vitamin E; sunflower-derived)

Schmidt’s Naturals also has other deodorant fragrances. The Charcoal + Magnesium is listed as their top seller. Carbo activatus (activated charcoal) is the only additional ingredient when compared to the list above.

Pros:

– Schmidt’s ticks all the boxes in terms of being safe and natural

– I’ve found it effective at preventing underarm body odor in hot climates

– It keeps underarms a bit more dry by absorbing sweat instead of blocking the glands

– I typically don’t need to reapply in the course of the day

Cons:

– The texture is more rough than other deodorants and application can be somewhat uncomfortable

– This product contains baking soda to help absorb moisture, which some people may be sensitive to. Directions specify that it should not be applied directly after shaving.

Top Natural Deodorants Comparison

Natural DeodorantBaseEffectiveness in hot climates
Schmidt’s NaturalsPowder stick with baking soda95%
Bali SecretsLiquid roll-on with ethanol, essential oils90%
Tom’s of Maine for MenClear solid stick with aloe, natural oils90%
Queen HeleneClear solid stick with tea tree oil and botanical extracts80%
Crystal 24 HrClear solid stick with essential oils75%

I hope my review of natural deodorants for travel has been helpful to you. Granted, everyone’s body chemistry is different, so what works for me may not necessarily work for everyone, but it’s somewhere to start if you’re on your own quest for the most effective non toxic deodorant solution to prevent body odor.

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What is the best natural deodorant for travel? This healthy non-toxic deodorant passed the test in hot, sweaty climates | Intentional Travelers

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4 Comments

  1. Activated charcoal is used for many of the skin care products and cosmetics. Charcoal Deodorant is one of them, If you’re looking to have a skin detox in your underarms, then you should go for natural charcoal deodorants. the natural charcoal deodorant works just like regular deodorants, it does even more to the skin and is an excellent antiperspirant.

  2. This is definitely an interesting article. In India you never really get anything that’s all natural when it comes to antiperspirants. Or i am not sure if I’m missing on something that’s available. I shall now dig out more info on this 🙂

  3. This is very interesting. My daughter has been trying to get me to switch to an all natural antiperspirant forever. She loves her Underarm Balm and made it all use it on a family trip. I wish it can in a stick and was less messy!

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