Finding the best natural deodorant that works, can sometimes be a long road.
So many people have mentioned to me how they've tried natural deodorants and ended up less than impressed. I've always liked deodorant in a soft cream, because it just worked better! I have no official proof, but I think massaging it into the skin makes it more effective than just spraying or rolling it on top. That being said, you want a deodorant with all natural ingredients.
Do you remember Tussy?
It was a cream deodorant, first manufactured in 1925. My grandmother used it, it came in a little red 2 oz jar. I loved it's consistency. Maybe because it felt fancy, but I swear it worked better because of the application. However, the ingredients weren't spectacular, so I started researching.
It made sense that if I could find a blend of oils and powders that were antibacterial, absorbent, and add in some skin-soothing components, I'd be on the right track. Here are the ingredients I choose, and what I learned about them:
☞ Arrowroot powder is a soft vegetable powder, made from a tropical root/tuber plant called the Maranta arundinacea. It's commonly used in bath and body formulations and it's a great replacement for talc in body powders, due to it's incredibly soft and silky texture.
☞ Aluminum-Free Baking soda is slightly alkaline, altering the natural pH of the skin just enough to make it impossible for smelly bacteria to live there. I think skin irritation can occur with the addition of too much baking soda. It's a fine balance, and I think I've found it in my tried and true formulation.
☞ Extra-virgin coconut oil is naturally deodorizing, as it kills both bacteria and fungi. Sweat itself doesn't smell, it's the bacteria that feeds on the sweat that produces odor. EV coconut oil alone would work as a deodorant, but it's below body temperature melt-point isn't really ideal for application.
☞ Kaolin Clay is gentle, naturally absorbent and purifying to the skin. It gives the product a silky feel and is commonly used in facial mud masks.
☞ Cocoa Butter is packed with vitamins and has many skin benefits. It moisturizes and soothes the skin.
☞ Candililla wax is vegan, and gives the cream a nice firmness for ease of application.
☞ Organic, ground chamomile flower is anti-inflammatory, packed with anti-oxidants and helps to calm skin.
☞ Zinc Oxide is a natural mineral, commonly used in diaper ointments because it possesses effective anti-bacterial properties.
☞ Lavender and Tea Tree essential oils are both naturally anti-bacterial, mildly antiseptic and smell fresh and clean.
Natural deodorants will never prevent you from sweating, only aluminum salts can do that, but stuffing pores with aluminum and parabens is what we're trying to avoid. Your body's got a perfect cooling system, and it's totally possible to smell good while it's doing it's thing.
Some users have reported they actually sweat less, after acclimating to a natural deodorant vs an anti-perspirant. 
"I've got a perfect body, because my eyelashes catch my sweat."
~ Regina Spektor
