I’ve been attempting to wean myself off of the Secret Clinical Strength antiperspirant I’ve used since my teen years for a while now. Aside from the fact that aluminum — a key ingredient in antiperspirants— is quite possibly extremely bad for you, I’ve noticed that over the past several months my Secret — which had previously never caused me any noticeable problems — was giving me bad eczema flareups. And let me tell you: There are few things worse than being at work (or anywhere, really) with rash-y, itchy pits.
Here’s what I was looking for: a natural deodorant with clean ingredients that would keep me from smelling bad all day long. This, I knew, would not be easy. I’d tried other natural deodorants in the past (namely, Malin and Goetz’s and Kopari’s), and they’d somehow left me smelling worse than if I’d worn nothing at all.
Then I remembered an Allure article I read last year, about a new nontoxic, cruelty-free, vegan company called Megababe, whose deodorant had a 5,000-person wait list. A few days later, I saw Into the Gloss’s editor-in-chief Emily Ferber raving about the stuff on her personal Instagram — she wrote that she’d tried a bajillion natural deodorants, and it was the only one that worked for her.
A few days after that, I spotted a stick while at the Goop store in Santa Monica (don’t judge me). It smelled really good — a lot like Le Labo’s Rose 31 Perfume. And I was pleased with the ingredient list: It contains no baking soda, parabens, or alcohol (it instead relies on coconut for moisturizing and anti-fungal properties, vitamin E to prevent razor burn, antioxidant-rich green tea to promote healthy skin, and sage, sandalwood, and horsetail plant to fight bacteria). I bought it, obviously, and the day after I brought it home, I used it in place of my Secret. I should mention here that coming off an antiperspirant isn’t the greatest experience — your pits kind of double down, smell-wise, for about a week. And during that first week, even though I dutifully applied my Megababe every morning, I still smelled like BO. But remembering the rave reviews, I persisted.
After that first week, thing started to get better. And then they got much, much, much better. Now a month into my Megababe Rosy Pits journey, I’m completely obsessed. I no longer have irritation and redness under my arms, and I smell lovely and rosy, like a little garden, all day and into the evening hours. I still sweat: Natural deodorants are just not antiperspirants, much as we all wish they were (though it does lighten the amount I sweat — I’ve never stained one of my silk blouses while wearing it). But it makes those beads of sweat smell like literal roses. And not roses that are hiding garbage. I love this product so much that I sent one to my mom, a lifelong Tom’s person. She quickly thereafter disposed of her Tom’s, and has officially joined me in the Megababe cult.
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