Stay Fresh This Summer With Tom’s of Maine Deodorant

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #CollectiveBias #FreshNaturally

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].

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.

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.

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.

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.

Have you tried using an aluminum-free deodorant? What are some of your favorite natural personal care products?


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