Over the past few years, I have tried to move from traditional anti-perspirants to natural deodorants. Frankly, I had been using heavy-duty anti-perspirants for so many decades, that I don’t know if it will make a difference at this point. But as time has gone on, I have gotten a little concerned about some of the ingredients in antiperspirants, e.g. triclosan, aluminum, parabens. If I can avoid those ingredients, I figured it was worth a try.
When I was a teen and in my younger days, I sweat a lot. In junior high and high school, I even needed dress shields in some of my clothes. I became a loyal user of Mitchum because it promised the most serious wetness protection.
Fast forward a number of decades and I don’t perspire very much anymore. I guess losing those hormones has had one or two positives. As a result, I felt more confident that I could switch from Mitchum or Secret antiperspirants to a natural deodorant. Just to clarify, a deodorant helps mask odor, but it doesn’t stop you from perspiring. If you perspire quite a bit, a deodorant, natural or otherwise, won’t be for you. You might smell OK, but it won’t stop the wetness.
So on most days, I wear a natural deodorant. However, I keep a tube of antiperspirant in my medicine cabinet for super hot and humid days or for times when I know I’ll be nervous about something.
I have tried three different brands of natural deodorant, and I have reviewed them all (click the links below for original reviews):
Although I still own and use all three, Crystal is the one that I turn to most often because it is the lightest weight solid. It’s not thick or waxy but instead it’s almost sheer. It’s not sticky, and it doesn’t stain. Crystal says that it “absorbs wetness” on the front of the package, and for me, I seldom feel wet when using it.
But I’m writing this post because I got a message from my cousin last night. She had purchased a 3 pack of 3 different scents from Native Deodorant for $30 after seeing a post of mine on Facebook about the brand.
Maybe she didn’t realize the difference between antiperspirant and deodorant, or maybe she just wanted to see if natural deodorant would be effective for her. At any rate, she found that Native Deodorant didn’t work for her because it didn’t stop wetness. She used the Native Deodorant for 2 weeks as recommended by someone at the company who responded to her email, but found it still didn’t work for her. She wrote to the company and asked for a refund and was turned down.
I was annoyed to hear that, so I just went back and checked Native Deodorant’s return policy. Here it is:
“We love the deodorants we make and think you will, too. If you don’t enjoy your first package from Native, let us know so that we can help you return or exchange your products within 30 days of receipt for a full refund.
In fact, we’re so confident that you’ll love Native that we’ll even cover the cost of return shipping if you choose not to keep your first package.”
My cousin’s emails to the company fell within the 30 day period, so I hope she will prevail in further communications with them. Unfortunately, they don’t have a customer service or any published phone number, so she has to communicate with them via email. Ugh. Native is a brand I discovered via an ad in Facebook, and I purchased it myself. So I don’t have a PR contact at the company that I could contact on her behalf.
While I was looking up Native Deodorant’s return policy, I also checked Crystal’s return policy. Here it is:
To do so, send your unused portion to: Crystal Customer Experience Team, 1301 Courtesy Road, Louisville CO 80027 along with a note telling us why you were not satisfied. Make sure your full name, address, and email and/or phone number are provided in your replacement request and that they are easily legible. We will contact you once the product is received to help you select a replacement product from our website.
If you are requesting a refund, these will take 6-8 weeks for processing. Refunds must be post marked within 30 days of original purchase date and be purchased through an authorized retailer, thecrystal.com or our storefront on Amazon. Return the unused portion along with the original and dated cash receipt with the purchase price circled, along with a note telling us why you are not satisfied. Make sure your full name, address, and email and/or phone number are provided in your note. Please know that products purchased on eBay or unauthorized Amazon retailers will not be accepted. (Limit 1 refund per household). Please send your refund request to the same address as above.
Postage and other related costs of returning the product to us are your responsibility. Refunds will not include sales tax or shipping costs paid to authorized retailers and we cannot accept returns of products that are empty, have been purchased on sale or have been discontinued.“
Thus, it appears that both Native Deodorant and Crystal Deodorant will refund your money within 30 days of receiving the product (Native) or within 30 days of purchasing the product (Crystal). However, Crystal Deodorant is sold at Walgreens, and Walgreens return policy would apply. When I bought LaVanila, I bought it at Sephora where there is more latitude on returns. FYI, there is no customer service phone number for either Native or Crystal Deodorant.
In sum, I felt that it was worthwhile to publish this addendum to the reviews of the three natural deodorants. As much as we all might prefer to use a natural deodorant instead of a traditional antiperspirant, the natural deodorant may not work as well as an antiperspirant because deodorants address odor but not wetness. Natural deodorants may not be as inexpensive as most traditional antiperspirants, so it makes sense to be aware of the return or exchange policy in case it doesn’t work out.
Have you had good experiences with natural deodorant? If so, which ones do you like?
Loving Schmidts! the rose and Vanilla is my go to.
I haven’t tried Schmidts yet, Tia, but I’ve heard good things. Rose and vanilla scent sounds divine! Thanks for weighing in xo
So far, I’ve tried Tom’s, Schmidts and Crystal stick. I’m not as concerned about staying dry as I am about odor. They all seemed to work for awhile but it’s like they hit a wall and my body got used to them. I didn’t mind trying them because they’re pretty cheap. I’ve heard good things about Lavanilla but haven’t it yet. Partially because of the price. Thanks for the heads up about all the return policies. I’ve never considered returning deodorant.
I started out with LaVanila, Lynne, and it is very stiff and a bit hard to apply as well as more expensive than some of the others. I’m quite happy with the Crystal stick so far, and I hope my body doesn’t get used to it as you have experienced because I really love the consistency. The Rose and Vanilla Schmidts really appeals to me because of the scent so I’ll probably try it at some point. I think my cousin wanted to return the Native Deodorant because she bought so much of it, not quite sure why, and it ended up costing quite a bit for something she won’t use. I like to start out with a travel size, if possible (unless the deodorant is not expensive like Crystal) because then if I don’t like it, I’m not out much. Thanks for weighing in!
I’ve only tried 2 brands of natural deodorants and one made my arm pits get a rash, where the skin peeled off and the 2nd was so dry, it hurt to apply. I’m still looking for the diamond in the rough. I’ll have to try these brands especially if there is a return policy. 🙂
I’ve honestly never thought about returning a product like deodorant. That type of product is something where I feel like I just have to suck it up and try it and see if it works for me. Although, that could be why I’ve used the same one for years and I’m too chicken to try a different one.
Trying a natural deodorant sounds like a good idea! Like you, I used to suffer from excess sweating as a teen/early 20s but in recent years it’s got a lot better. I have the odd day where it’s bad but generally it’s under control. I use Sure anti-perspirant roll on – not sure if you have that brand in the states?
Yes, we have Sure in the U.S. In fact, many years ago, my friend who was a well known American copywriter wrote an award winning ad campaign for Sure called Raise Your Hand If You’re Sure that ended with Lady Liberty holding her torch in NY harbor. 🙂
I’m not embarrassed to admit that I sweat A LOT just existing, and deodorants just don’t cut it for me. What a shame that Native is refusing to honor there own policy! Thanks for spreading the word so customers can spend their money with a company that stands by their policies.
Jen, I am going to add an addendum or revise the post. My cousin just emailed to let me know that they are going to refund her money. She emailed Native again with the dates of her purchase and the date of her first complaint, and she specifically asked for a refund and they agreed. Actually, it was a nice second email that she received. All’s well that ends well. But still important to follow the rules – both customer and company. I still wish that both Native and Crystal had customer support phone numbers though coz it would have made this so much easier for my cousin.
Very interesting post, Allison!
I found your post while searching for natural deodorants.
I have tried several natural deodorants, one of my favorites is PurelyGreat, from Canada. I tried the cream deodorant, and it did reduce wetness. Unfortunately, I can’t find it here at local markets. Mostly, they sell commercial anti-persparants, and I dislike them, even those which claim they don’t stain clothes because they sure do!