When you switch away from an antiperspirant to a natural deodorant, you are likely to experience a transition period. I’ll tell you my experience with it.
In my quest to lead a more sustainable life, I have turned my attention to my personal care routine. And after doing my research I found out that the deodorant I was using was bad for the environment.
Having used an aerosol antiperspirant for years, I was a bit shocked to find out how bad it was for our planet. So I decided to make the switch.
I opted for a stick deodorant that only contains natural ingredients. Because it’s not an antiperspirant, my armpits had to go through a transition process.
Let’s find out what a natural deodorant transition period is, what it involves and how I experienced it.
The Transition Phase Explained
When I first looked into switching away from my spray antiperspirant, I got a bit scared. I read horror stories about people starting to smell bad and giving up. After more research I discovered that their armpits were transitioning.
Once I understood what was going on and what to expect, I lost my fear and was ready to give it a go. So I want to start by explaining exactly what will happen and why, in the hope this will help you too to make the switch.
Antiperspirant Vs Deodorant
First we have to understand the difference between an antiperspirant and a deodorant. While they both help you to stop the smell of sweat, they work in different ways.
The former stops your armpits from sweating. No sweat no smell, simple. The latter, on the other hand, prevents the sweat from becoming smelly.
The way the antiperspirant stops sweat is by basically clogging up your pores on your skin to prevent sweat from coming out. The main ingredient used for this purpose is aluminium.
A deodorant contains ingredients that will stop the odour-causing bacteria that consume your sweat. Both keep you from smelling bad, but the antiperspirant also keeps your armpits dry.
Now that we know how both work, let’s move on to explaining why you might experience a transition phase.
What Happens Under Your Arms
When you first stop using an antiperspirant, the pores under your arms will continue to be blocked for a few days. But once the pores are free, your sweat glands will go into overdrive.
You will sweat more as your body starts to regulate itself to find a new balance between being stopped from sweating and sweating a lot. How much time this will take will be different for everyone.
During the transition period, two things will happen:
- You will sweat more
- Your sweat will smell stronger
As we have seen, the first is due to your sweat glands working overtime to find a new normal.
The second happens because the change of product causes an imbalance in bacteria that live in your armpits. With more sweat the number of bacteria will grow.
This leads to a stronger smell for a while. After some time, the bacteria will get into a new balance, which will reduce the smell again.
In a nutshell, that’s what a transition period is and why it happens. For me, knowing all this helped to persevere because I understood what was happening. How long exactly it will take will differ for each person though.
There will be people who won’t have to go through it at all. Generally, it will take around four weeks until your body has found its new balance. However, it won’t be four weeks of sweating like mad and smelling badly.
I will share my experience of my own transition period that will give you an insight into what it feels like.
There is also a lot of talk about armpit detox. The idea here is that your body sweats out toxins which the antiperspirant has locked into our body. However, I found that studies, like this study from 2019, have found this is a myth.
While some toxins might leave our body in our sweat, the main function of sweating is temperature control. So tips like having hot baths and doing more exercise to sweat more, as this will shorten the transition period, are based on a misconception, unfortunately.
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My Experience Switching To A Natural Deodorant
While I was a bit apprehensive at first, knowing what to expect prepared me for the transition phase. And I was determined to get through it because I wasn’t comfortable using a product that is bad for our environment.
I also wanted to stop using an antiperspirant, because it felt wrong to stop my body from doing what it’s supposed to do, sweating under the arms.
So here is how I got on…
At The Beginning
For the first few days I didn’t feel any difference other than that my new deodorant stick didn’t have such a strong scent as my old antiperspirant spray.
I knew this would happen, because the active ingredient in my antiperspirant would continue to block my sweat pores for a few days after I stopped using it.
Then I started to notice that my underarms were wet more often. This signalled to me that the pores were free, and I was sweating again. During the day, when I sat mostly on my desk working, my underarms might have been slightly damp, but I didn’t smell badly.
So clearly, my new natural deodorant stick was doing a good job. However, when I exercised, I sweated a lot, and I did notice that it smelled quite strong.
Not that this bothered me, after all, I would have a shower afterwards anyway. But I would definitely say that my armpits smelled stronger. If I didn’t know why this was happening and that it will pass, I would have probably given up, because it wasn’t a nice experience.
However, as it only happened when I was sweating a lot, like during a workout, it wasn’t that big of a deal.
After Two Weeks
About one to two weeks into the transition phase, I noticed that I was sweating more. My armpits were wet, even if I was just working on my desk. Due to the increase in sweat, the deodorant wasn’t able to keep me smelling fresh, which I understood.
To deal with this, I washed my armpits at around lunchtime and changed my shirt. This way, I could keep on top of the sweat and smell. It helped me to feel more comfortable and less embarrassed.
I work out mostly in the evenings. And to reduce the impact my personal care has on our environment, I started not to use deodorant after I shower in the evening. And I kept this after switching to my stick.
This meant that during the night and in the morning I noticed the stronger smell the most. Before I stopped using an antiperspirant, I would wake up still smelling fresh in the morning most times.
That’s probably because even if I didn’t put any new antiperspirant on in the evening, my pores were still blocked.
But two weeks in, and I did smell in the morning. I dealt with this by having a quick wash after getting up, which solved the problem.
After Three Weeks
Around three weeks after the start of my transition to a natural deodorant, the smell from my armpits became less strong again. I guess the bacteria under my arms started to reach a new balance.
I did still feel like I sweated more, but it wasn’t every day any more. The morning and lunchtime washes became less frequent, and I felt more comfortable.
The transition I was going through seemed to be coming to an end, to my relief.
After Four Weeks
When I reached the four-week mark, or thereabouts, I was sweating an amount that felt normal. Normal for me that is. I didn’t need to have a quick wash during the day any more.
The smell of my sweat and its strength has also changed. During the transition period, I did, at times, find my own smell repulsive. And I have to admit, I was worried that it would stay like this and that I would have to go back to my antiperspirant.
However, after about four weeks my armpits started to smell normal. Still a sweaty scent, but not so strong that I felt put off by it. Even when I exercised, sweating like mad, I didn’t smell as bad as after a week or two.
I reached a new balance regarding the amount of sweat and the strength of smell that feels good to me. And that’s what matters in the end, right? You have to feel comfortable in your skin and being happy when you are sweaty is a big part of it, at least for me.
Since Then
So how did I get on since the transition phase has ended? Absolutely fine. My armpits do sweat, as they should, but not excessively, unless I’m doing something more strenuous.
I also got more accepting of my sweat. I have to admit, that I hated sweating. When I was younger, I avoided doing anything too taxing, such as exercise, because I didn’t want to sweat.
As I got older, I was less bothered, but still didn’t feel particularly comfortable with it. However, since I switched away from using antiperspirants, I appreciate my sweat.
I have learned a lot about why it happens and how it’s vital for my body. I know that using an antiperspirant won’t harm you, but I feel happier knowing that I allow my body to do what it needs to.
And, knowing that I also made a choice that is better for our environment is the icing on the cake!
Verdict – The Natural Deodorant Transition Period Isn’t That Bad
Transitioning from an antiperspirant to a natural deodorant is not as straight forward as you might want it to be. It’s very likely that you will have to go through a transitioning phase.
It’s the time it takes for your body to find a new balance in terms of sweating. The bacteria on your skin under your arm also needs to find a new balance.
The result of this is that you will sweat more and smell stronger than usual. However, it won’t last forever and, in my opinion, isn’t that bad.
For me, it took four weeks, but for you, it might be the same, shorter or longer. But don’t be put off by it. With a few tweaks, like having a quick wash at lunchtime or changing your shirt more often, you can get through it.
And at the end of it, you know that you have done the right thing for yourself and our planet. So why not switch away from your antiperspirant to a natural deodorant today? You won’t regret it.
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