It’s officially Summer in my neck of the woods! That means nice warm days, picnics at the beach, lots of flowers and… a need for a long-lasting deodorant to keep me fresh throughout the day. Tom’s of Maine brand has been on my short list for a while now, and I finally decided to try one of their famous aluminum-free deodorants.
There has been a lot of talk about the potential dangers of aluminum in personal care products. Aluminum salts are currently being blamed for many things: from contributing to Alzheimer’s to kidney disease and even breast cancer. While there is no definite conclusion supporting or disproving those accusations, it’s always nice to be an informed consumer and weigh in your options.
Personally, I decided to limit my exposure to aluminum-containing antiperspirants and switched to natural deodorants about two years ago. I didn’t completely ban antiperspirants from my routine, but I only use them in rare situations when I know I won’t be able to take a normal shower for 20 hours or something crazy like that [those super long flights across the globe with long connections are a good example].
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| Love buying products online, because you can do it anywhere! Here’s the shot of my latest Amazon shopping trip. |
As you can see, I picked up Men’s Long Lasting Wide Stick Deodorant in Mountain Spring . Since I needed other household supplies, I decided to buy it from Amazon using their Amazon Pantry service, and received my order in less than 48 hours! Why men’s deodorant? Personally, I think deodorants for men work better for me, since I always sweat buckets every time I worry about something. I choose ones that don’t smell too manly, and from the description, Mountain Spring sounded like it would be a good neutral pick. I wasn’t disappointed with my choice, because it smells very fresh, clean and a little sweet. The fragrance is hard to describe, it’s almost like a mix of fruit loops with a hint of lemon, if that makes any sense.
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| Some useful information and a short ingredient list on the back. |
According to the company, this aluminum-free and propylene glycol-free deodorant contains odor fighting botanicals with the power to be tough on odor and is clinically proven to provide 24-hour protection. We all want to be more conscious of the ingredients that we put on our bodies, but not everyone has the time to do the research, so here’s the ingredient breakdown for you, in the order they appear on the packaging.
Propanediol – This corn-derived thickener is used as an alternative to propylene glycol to make deodorants in solid stick format. It’s 100% natural, and created by fermenting corn sugar.
Water – A liquid we all know and love.
Glycerin – 100% plant-derived from soy, canola, corn, coconut and palm kernel oils, this substance adds moisturizing properties and also acts as a natural preservative.
Sodium Stearate – Obtained from coconut and palm oils, this natural thickener is used here to prevent the deodorant stick from crumbling upon application.
Organic Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice – Used here for its soothing and moisturizing properties.
Zinc Ricinoleate – It’s a zinc salt of ricinoleic acid, obtained from mixing naturally occuring zinc oxide with a purified fatty acid from castor seed oil. In this deodorant, this is the odor-preventing ingredient.
Glyceryl Laurate – Added here for emolliency, this ingredient is produced from plant-derived glycerin and lauric acid, which is made from vegetable oils.
Natural Fragrance – Depending on the scent you pick, the fragrance will be a blend of essential oils suspended in a coconut oil or glycerin base.
Hops Extract – Hops work as a natural preservative in beer, so Tom’s chemists used this property to inhibit the growth of odor-causing bacteria, making the deodorant more effective.
Organic Sunflower Seed Oil – Used for its moisturizing and soothing properties.
Ascorbic Acid – Also known as Vitamin C, it’s naturally derived from various citrus fruits. Used here as an antioxidant and for its skin brightening properties.
That’s it, those were all of the ingredients! Short list, isn’t it? EWG assigned Men’s Long Lasting Wide Stick Deodorant a pretty low toxicity score of 3, which should actually be even lower, because the “fragrance” part is what gave this deodorant most of the red points. EWG automatically assumes that “fragrance” on the ingredient list means a mix of chemicals, which is an uncharted and unregulated territory. Since Tom’s uses only used plant-derived oils and extracts, I’d say the score should probably be only 1 or 2.
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| I really like the packaging, that deep navy color is one of my all-time favorites. |
Unlike antiperspirants, deodorants don’t stop the body from sweating, and have to be reapplied 1-2 times throughout the day, depending on your personal body chemistry [I find myself reapplying once, six hours after the initial application.]. Sweating is a natural process that helps the body cool itself down and get rid of toxins, and preventing it can result in unpleasant skin conditions like clogged pores, uneven skin tone and acne. So far I have not found a deodorant as effective at making me sweat less as aluminum-containing antiperspirants, but I came to terms with that fairly quickly.
When I initially switched, my body took a few weeks to adjust, and I just kind of let it be. I felt like I started sweating 10 minutes after applying the deodorant, but I read somewhere online that it’s a normal reaction, because the skin was deprived of its natural function for too long, so it went on a hiatus the moment I stopped clogging it with aluminum. Two weeks later my precipitation stabilized and my skin has been aluminum-free since.
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| The formula melts into the skin like butter without leaving white streaks. |
So you might be wondering, how did Tom’s of Maine Men’s Long Lasting Wide Stick Deodorant work for me? I’d say it’s one of the better natural deodorants that I tried, and I would consider purchasing it again. I applied it to towel-dried skin in the morning after taking a shower, and it helped me feel clean until lunch time. To freshen up on the go I normally use a wet wipe, and then re-apply the deodorant the second time, which lasts me through the rest of the day. If you are one of the lucky people that don’t sweat much, you probably won’t even need to reapply.
Great post! I’m really considering making the switch to natural deodorant so I appreciate reviews like this.
Thank you, I’m glad you found it informative! I was very skeptical about switching at first, but now I don’t even miss aluminum antiperspirants. The body definitely takes a few weeks to adjust though, so it might seem that you suddenly sweat a lot more. For me this “phase” lasted two weeks, and after that it was back to normal again.
Years ago, I had a friend who only used natural deodorant..and she smelled. BAD. It’s made me leery of trying them, but it sounds like natural deodorants have improved since those days. Might be worth getting rid of extra aluminum I don’t need.
Hmm, I wonder if she never noticed the BO because she got so used to it? I don’t know how natural deodorants used to be back then because I made a switch only 2 years ago, but the products I use seem to work pretty well for me without making me all smelly.
I liked it too! I will be getting it again after I use it up as well!
It’s pretty nice, isn’t it? And the fragrance is definitely unisex, and not one of those super-manly Old Spice kinds.
I love Toms and started using it after my doctor told me that it doesn’t contain aluminum.
Your doctor gave you some good advice! Have you tried any other good aluminum-free deodorants?
Thanks for your post. I just can’t handle all the excessive sweating that happens if you don’t use an antiperspirant. This sounds great otherwise.
You’re very welcome, I hope it was informative. I know what you mean about excessive sweating, I couldn’t handle it at first too, but I feel like my body actually sweats less now that I let it “breathe”.
Sounds like a good product. Since I don´t sweat that much then it would probably last all day on me.
Lucky! You are the perfect kind of person to use aluminum-free deodorants, they’re healthy and won’t cause you any discomfort.
Sounds great for those who don’t sweat a lot (I unfortunately do lol).
Yep, deodorants are very individual, it’s something that you have to try and see if it works for you. I used to be a heavy sweater too, but after I switched I swear I actually sweat less now.
Awesome review! I, too, love men’s products for myself – razors, deodorants, etc.
Thank you, Noelle! Aren’t men’s products just the best? Their deodorants have always been more effective and razors sharper, I thought it was just me that thought that. Glad I’m not alone!
I tried Toms of Maine and I liked it although in warmer climates, I had to re-apply a lot. This one sounds great though maybe I should re-visit.
I’m currently in Michigan, and it seems to work well in this northern climate. I’m not sure I’d bring it with me to Florida though.
I got Tom’s of Maine deodorant for my son 🙂
Nice! Does he like it? Did you get the same fragrance or one of the other two?
I wanna pick it up for BF!
You’re such a good girlfriend, Miranda! It would make a thoughtful little surprise, I hope he enjoys it 🙂
Unfortunately natural deodorants don’t seem to work for me.
I understand, this kind of product is just too individual to hope it would work for everyone.
I love Tom’s of Maine!
Good to know! I’m sort new to the brand still, and only tried their toothpaste and soap before sampling this deodorant, but so far I think I like it, too. Which products would you recommend for a Tom’s newbie?
I don’t wear deoderant at all – it’s good to know there’s an alternative!
Love how informative this post is! I’d def try this out but in less sweatier of months lol
I haven’t had much luck with natural deodorants… because they seem to not mix with my body chemistry. This sounds cool though
I have been loving this deodorant !
We don’t have the brand in Australia but it sounds like a good product.
Toms really is awesome!
Toms makes such good products!
I just started switching my personal care products over to more natural products. It’s changed the way I look at things! #client