I made a huge decision recently. I decided to stop using anti-perspirant. Before you turn up your nose in disgust, hear me out.
I have long hated the deodorant and antiperspirant (AP) offerings at drugstores. No – I don’t want to smell like Island Margarita – who the hell wants to smell like tequila mixed with B.O.? I also got sick and tired of my expensive perfumes mixing with the pungent baby powder smell of my AP, the only AP scent I could tolerate.
In my effort to incorporate more natural beauty products into my beauty regime, I started doing a little research on the products I was using. I knew for years that using something that clogged your pores to prevent you from sweating wasn’t great, and I worried that smearing something laden with aluminum directly into a lymph node heavy area may be detrimental. That being said, is AP actually detrimental to your health? I wanted to find out so I did a little sleuthing.
APs contain aluminum chloride, aluminum chlorohydrate and aluminum zirconium to temporarily plug your sweat ducts. Decades ago, scientists found that exposure to aluminum was linked to dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease (since discounted). APs have a common component called parabens also, which have been linked to breast cancer, but the link has been proven to be questionable at best. Parabens (used as a preservative) are also known to be common hormone disruptors (chemicals which mess with either your testosterone or estrogen) and can cause a myriad of health problems. Now – it is extremely important to note that while many studies have shown a link between cancer, neurological diseases and APs, countless studies have also discounted this link.
When I told my sister about my decision, she screamed “FINALLY!!!!” and showed me what she uses: Saje Natural Wellness au natural Crystal Fresh Deodorant Stick and Saje Natural Wellness Exotic Crystal Fresh Deodorant Spray. I rolled my eyes when I saw the crystal deodorant. I remembered buying crystal deodorant from a health food store years ago and being sorely disappointed with its lousy performance. Erika implored me to try it out while thrusting the products into my hands and simultaneously sing-songing “I don’t stink! I smell GREAT.” She was right. Off to Saje I went.
The cheery and incredibly handsome “in a hippy sort of way” Saje sales associate promised me that it worked, but you had to give it 2-3 weeks for your body to “adjust”. He advised me to alternate using the Saje deodorant with your regular AP to ease yourself into it. Saje offers three different scents for its deodorant spray, but I felt Exotic smelled the best. I paid for the products and anticipated 2-3 smelly weeks ahead.
WELL – these two products are AWESOME. I couldn’t get over it! The adjustment period was much shorter than expected. In fact, I feel I never smelled, and I know since I was smelling my pits nervously every five seconds. What I’m going to say next is a huge statement: These are possibly the best beauty products I’ve bought in the last several years – wayyyyy better than this garbage which made me break out in a rash. The key feature of these products is that they fight unwanted smells by neutralizing odour-causing bacteria, instead of masking it like regular APs do. Best of all, I no longer experience any painful ingrown hairs that I directly attribute to APs pore-clogging “quality”.
After a week or so, I happy chucked my AP in the trash and never looked back. I no longer smell like Hermès perfume mixed with baby powder and I don’t have to scrub my underarms for 10 straight minutes in the shower to feel like I’ve gotten all of the AP off. Also, these two products do not leave any residue behind that I can see, and that’s huge coming from someone with dark skin. I have been using these products for about a month now and I’m still impressed.
So, how do you use these two products? Simply wet the crystal with warm water and apply to your underarms. For the spray, mist your underarms 2-3 times and voilà! You’re done. Side note: you don’t need to use both at the same time, but I thought I’d better for the fear of stinking to high heaven.
The only noticeable con of these products is that they go on quite wet, but that’s nothing a quick dab with a towel won’t fix. Both products are all-natural, free of harsh chemicals, non-sticky, do not clog pores, and do not stain clothing. Amazingly, the crystal stick is incredibly long-lasting – you can expect it to run out in about a year or two. Not bad for $10.95 CAD!
Exotic Crystal Fresh Deodorant Spray Ingredients: Potassium alum (liquid mineral salts); essential oils of pogostemon cablin (patchouli), cymbopogon martini (palmarosa), lavandula angustifolia (lavender), michelia champaca (champa), vanilla planifolia (vanilla), aniba rosaeodora (rosewood) and santalum album (sandalwood).
Crystal Fresh Deodorant Stick Ingredientst: potassium alum (liquid mineral salts).
Have you used these two awesome products? What do you think? Let me know in the comments! Check out www.saje.ca for more great products and support this awesome home-grown Canadian company!
xo,
Dominique is a Canadian-based fashion and beauty influencer with a strong voice in Ottawa’s black community. Since launching her blog Style Domination in 2015, she has amassed a global fanbase. Dominique shares her life through beautiful imagery and compelling story-telling that speaks to her fans on a personal level. She’s been featured in The Guardian, Flare, The Kit and Cityline. She also hosts events for Dress for Success, the Gem Conference, and has been named a United Way Person 2 Know for the past three years.
omg are you kidding me? I JUST discovered Saje and was planning a post on them! I haven’t tried the deodorants but now I might! 😀
Author
Great minds think alike! LOL! They have an awesome epsom salts bath soak and some immune booster that you add to beverages. Love all of it! The Saje location here in Ottawa does a ton of great seminars too. You should check them out at your location too! xoxox
Good to know! 🙂
For a long time I used Donna Karan Cashmere Mist (very expensive at $25). Six months ago I switched to Crystal (roll-on not the rock). It’s fragrance free, you can get it at Shoppers, it costs around $4.50 and it’s working for me. Someone also recently suggested trying Arbonne “Pure” which is apparently lightly scented. I haven’t tried it yet but it’s great that we are now having much better natural offerings than we had previously!
Author
Thank goodness, right Patti? I really like the Arbonne one. It smells lightly of mint. I will be reviewing that too (have a backlog of product reviews to do). It’s really too bad about the Cashmere Mist as I loved the smell.
Thanks for reading! xoxo
LOVE! Hysterically written and SO TRUE. Spread the word honey! I stopped using AP about 11 years ago when it caused a clogged sweat duct that scared me beyond belief. I’ve been using Tom’s Lavender, which I like. But I’ll give this a try…..Great article. I hope a lot of women read this.
xoxo
http://www.quintessentialjill.com
PS Have you ever noticed that men’s deodorant costs less than women’s?? And also- they (the mainstream producers) don’t make straight deodorant for women anymore! Only AP but they DO make it for men. Whats up with that????
Author
YES – I have totally noticed that. Men’s deo costs less and they also get more for their money. The last time I went to the drugstore to my deo, out of the 50 or so antiperspirant options, there were only about 4 deodorants – one of which was an ineffective crystal deodorant, Adidas baby powder deodorant that turned me off because it was grey, Tom’s of Maine and some other one that looked sketchy. I am absolutely thrilled with these Saje products, I can’t get over it. You know when you find a beauty product that is sooooo good that you hold on to it for dear life? Well, these two are it! As for your clogged sweat duct, the EXACT same thing happened to me. I was scared sh*tless, especially after a close family friend was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma which originated in his armpit. From that moment on, I swore to find a better option. Have you tried Lavanilla deodorant (at Sephora)? That’s supposed to be a good one too…thanks for stopping by! xoxox
I might have to make the switch, myself! I recently stopped using AP from the store and was making homemade stuff that was all-natural. Unfortunately, after a couple of weeks it started giving me a terrible rash! I sadly switched back to AP, but I can’t stand those ingrown hairs you mentioned. I’ll have to give this a try and hopefully my skin plays nicely with it!
Author
Yes! It can’t hurt! Sorry to hear about the rash! Mine looked awful – I was so upset. So yes, I’m really enjoying these two products and wholeheartedly endorse them! Good luck! xoxox
OK. So this post is easily the greatest and most resourceful post I have read all week. And just like that I am completely DONE with using that horrible junk from drug stores. Thank you so much lovely for this post and review on Saje’s deodorant spray and stick; funny thing is my mom uses both and she’s been on my butt for YEARS to stop using the crap I have been and incorporate these babies into my beauty regime. Not to worry now though; its going to happen this week! Thank you again!
Xo. http://www.sonamnaiducreative.com
Author
Hey Sonam!! So glad you liked this post! It really has been a game changer for me. I’m thrilled that I found a healthier alternative to antiperspirant. Hope you like it as much as I do! Another option that everyone likes is Lavanila, sold at Sephora. Smells really nice!
Thank you so much lovely! I will definitely look into both this week 🙂
I will have to try!!! I have tried deodorants from the health food store as well – nothing but disappointment and stench…
I just recently got into Saje – I got the Nebulizer air purifier and I LOVE it!!!
Author
Oh awesome! I think you’ll like this deo! Good luck!
I just discovered Saje but didn’t think of trying the deodorant…But I might just give it a go after reading this post! Thanks for the awesome review 🙂
Author
You’re welcome! I encourage you to give it a go! I really, really like it!
I’ve always wondered about these and thought they would be rubbish…I might give one a go now! 🙂
Great product review. Saje deodorant is great. I stupidly switched to something else and got the worst rash of my life. I switched back to Saje two days ago and my poor, sore, itchy, swollen (yes, swollen) pits are finally feeling better.
Also, if you are looking for a little scent, a single drop of lavender oil on the crystal will give a mild scent without being overpowering. You can buy some at Saje as well and its okay to use a drop without a carrier oil (or so they told me). I havent tried it yet because I want my armpits to heal completely first.
Author
Ahhh Maegan! Thank you so much for your tips! That sucks that you got a rash from switching. Glad you are on the mend though!!!
Agree 100%! I made the switch “three bottles ago” and am totally in love and kinda surprised at how great the sprays are. I had my doubts! But they totally work. I recently bought another brand of spray deodorant (for the different smell) and nope, it isn’t doing the same thing.
I went back to Saje for the crystal salt stick and am feeling so relieved! Haha. I haven’t tried the crystal salt yet but the active ingredient is the same just the stick has no essential oils.
Author
I really, really like the crystal stick! And yeah – Saje is so on point with their deodorants. They are the best of any kind I’ve used. So happy you are happy with them!