Transitioning from Antiperspirant to Deodorant: Consonant Skincare Dealkalizing Deodorant

~ stashy

I’ve been wanting to make the switch from antiperspirants to deodorants for a while now. I’ve read so many opposing views about antiperspirants vs deodorants so I decided to find out for myself.
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I’ll be trying out 3 different deodorants to see which one I prefer, and if I can survive without antiperspirants.

The 3 deodorants are:
• Consonant Skincare Dealkalizing Deodorant – $14 for 75g
• Saje Peaceful Warrior Deodorant – 12.95 for 100ml
• Lavanila The Healthy Deodorant in Vanilla Grapefruit – $17 for 57g
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I won’t go into the technical aspects of antiperspirants and deodorants, but true to their respective product names, antiperspirants prevent the body from perspiring, whereas deodorants help to prevent odours.
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First off, I’m a sweaty beast. I think I was informed that I had Body Odour (BO) when I was around 10 years old. 😦   I’ve used all manner of antiperspirants from every brand you can think of – I even dabbled in the clinical strength stuff (CertainDri) that eventually made my armpits itch like crazy.  Soooo, I’m probably NOT the best candidate for deodorants, but I wanted to make an effort.  If you’re thinking of doing this, the winter months are the best time to make the transition.

First up in my trials is Consonant Skincare Dealkalizing Deodorant ($14 for 75g) in the Unscented version.  The other scent available is a citrus scent – I opted for the unscented since I normally prefer unscented antiperspirants as well (I don’t like my underarms to overpower my perfume).
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This product launched in November and I eagerly grabbed it after hearing the pitch about how the dealkalizing formula will neutralize sweat that causes BO.  This deodorant’s claims are:
• Silk Amino Acids: Hydrate and condition skin.
• Cocoa Butter: Helps prevent discoloration caused by shaving.
• Arrowroot Powder and Bentonite Clay: Helps absorb moisture.
• Sodium Bicarbonate: Adjusts pH and absorbs moisture.
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This deodorant comes in a traditional twist-up stick format. Even though this is Unscented, it actually smells like cocoa, which makes sense since one of the key ingredient is cocoa butter.  Upon applying on the skin, it feels quite wet and doesn’t seem to dry down completely. I can only stand around in my undies for so long before I have to get clothed and out the door! 😛  Another thing I noticed with this formula is that it’s quite crumbly:
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As I expected, I felt my armpits getting wet by around lunch time. I told my work buddy that I was trying to switch to deodorants and asked her to keep an eye (or erm, nose) for any funky odours I might be emitting. She assured me that I was fresh as a daisy. 🙂

By the end of the day though, I just felt gross. When I got home, I removed my top and inspected the armpit area – no visible white marks which is great. But the sniff test revealed a faint hint of BO on my clothes and underarm skin. 😦  I persisted though for the rest of the week by applying copious amounts of the deodorant. Let’s just say that every item I wore that week had to go to the dry cleaners.
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After a week, I gave up!  Then I took a visit to the store Saje and told them of my poor results with the transition from antiperspirants to deodorants and they advised that I should persist and try alternating between one day of the antiperspirant and the next day of the deodorant. I decided to give that a whirl (that’s also when I picked up the Saje deodorant).  I tried again for 2 more weeks in January but I finally gave up on this product – perhaps it’s just been so mild here that I’ve been extra sweaty?  I do understand that deodorants will simply NOT prevent sweating, but I had to stop using this deodorant due to the fact that I was smelling every day when I got home.
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I wanted to like this! In general, I’ve really enjoy Consonant Skincare products – they’re a Canadian company that I trust, but unfortunately, this product’s claim of “100% Effective. All Day Protection. Guaranteed.” just didn’t pan out.

This product didn’t work for me but it seems to work for many people! It has rave reviews online.  Besides the Consonant Skincare stores and online shop, it is available at Well.ca, and just recently, at Sephora.

Next up, I’ll be trying the Saje deodorant, which received thumbs up from Dominique of Style Domination – fingers crossed!  What do you use – antiperspirants or deodorants? What brand / type?

66 thoughts on “Transitioning from Antiperspirant to Deodorant: Consonant Skincare Dealkalizing Deodorant”

  1. It will take several weeks for your underarms to detox when you make the switch from antiperspirant to deodorant – and during that detox period you might reek. I made the switch – and I find that the ones with baking soda in them work better in terms of keeping you dry and not smelly, but that my underarms are sensitive to high baking soda content. The ones without bs in them don’t work as well, but if I’m working from home I use that one to give my skin a break. Also – because everyone has different body chemistry, a deodorant that works for me, might not work for you. For example, the blood orange and sage deo was horrible on me, but Al loved it, he thinks that it is the best one that he’s ever used.

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    1. I really appreciate your input on this! I know you made the transition and so I’m going to persist. I am not throwing this deodorant out but I’ve moved onto the Saje one to try. The ingredient list between the 2 are really different so maybe I just need to find what will work for me. I will keep you updated! 🙂

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  2. I also gave up on anti-perspirants years ago… you can try the adidas with cotton technology to help your transition. It’s anti-perspirant but no aluminum if that’s what you are trying to avoid. I used to find it in select SDMs.

    My main go-to is Lavillin http://lavilin.com/products/48hr-fragrance-free-roll-on-deodorant?variant=3551005441
    but in the stick format. I get it at Noah’s.

    I also like the EO spray in citrus (it’s a misting product so if you don’t like wetness, this might not be for you but could be good for refreshing spritzing throughout the day to cover up your funk). I first bought it at the yoga ashram in bahamas but have also found it at ‘Essence of Life’ in Kensington Market.

    & I also use the Adama Clay Dry deodorant (original scent) but mostly because I LOVE the smell 🙂

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    1. I tried some sort of cotton technology from Addidas ages ago but it didn’t work:

      I think it’s discontinued now.
      I’ve put the Lavillin on my list of ones to try. I shall work through what I have and see… I’m determined to make this work!
      Thanks for all the recs! 😀

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  4. oh I was beginning to build high hopes on this oroduct on the beginning of this blog. Too bad it didn’t work well. I ‘ve read that it’s bad to suppress your sweat from using anti-perspirants because it can cause cancer and so I used deodorants from that day on. Mine is an Aloe Mineral Deodorant. I think I could bear the sweating, but not the bo. My main problem tho is the darkening of my armpits caused by the deo.

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    1. I still have to get used to the idea of sweating / feeling wet under my arms. I’ve gone so long without that feeling! Like I said, I’ve been wearing antiperspirants since I was 10! 😮 But yes, if you stop to think about it, it’s not healthy to suppress sweat, which is the body’s natural way to cool off and get rid of toxins. I’m going to persist and see how it goes.

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  5. You know I LOVE that you’re going down the natural route and away from the nasties that contaminate most major deodorants!! I agree with a previous commenter; as difficult as it is, you may need to persist and let your skin/body detox from the chemicals its used to. The less chemicals you apply, the less you’ll sweat because your body won’t be trying to force them out (remember, your body *needs* to breathe/sweat so anything that stops it entirely isn’t good…).

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    1. Thanks! I am making an effort… baby steps! Yes, it does make a lot of sense when you stop and think about it – the body needs to release toxins and cool the body, it’s very natural. But we’ve been conditioned to avoid it because it’s “gross”. I’m still getting use to the idea. I hope this will lead to improved overall health!

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  7. I’ve tried “natural” deodorants on and off for years, but almost ALL of them make me smell worse than if I just hadn’t used anything at all! Tom’s of Maine was the worst. Currently I alternate between Weleda’s rose spray and regular Secret anti-perspirant. Weleda’s is basically like a perfume – I wonder if just regular alcohol-based perfume would work the same! But I won’t get so stinky with the Weleda the way I did with “natural” stick deodorants. Secret’s for when I have to make sure I am not smelly. Generally, I’m not a big BO-offender, though, as long as I shower every other day.

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    1. I tried Toms of Maine ages ago and wasn’t impressed either. The Weleda one sounds interesting. I’ll have to keep that in mind. I’ll be alternating between Mitchum gel and the Saje one for my next trial – fingers crossed. I shower daily but I am just a stinker! 😦

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  8. Awe I’m sorry it didn’t work, and I don’t blame you for feeling discouraged! BUT, I think you’re supposed to try them for several weeks before they start working (like skincare). Try again, you never know!

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    1. That’s a great analogy about skincare, I have to remember that! I’m not tossing this one out but trying the next one to see how I get on with it. Maybe once I’ve adjusted, I can go back to this with no issues.

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  9. Darn, it’s too bad this one didn’t work for you 😦 Hopefully, you’ll have better luck with at least one of the other two! ‘Peaceful Warrior’ sounds awesome, haha.

    I’ve always used antiperspirants because I sweat, but oddly enough, it doesn’t smell much. However, I feel like I still sweat through the antiperspirant sometimes, and I struggle with finding one that doesn’t leave white marks.

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  10. Awesome post! I stopped using antiperspirant 2 months ago bc it was making me real itchy. I Found the first 2 weeks was a big transition time for me, I felt sweaty and smelly but after my body adjusted I felt like I was sweating less than when I first starting using antiperspirants. I purchased a roll-on deodorant
    from Yes Rocher that I really like. I’m lookong forward to your thoughts on sage – ive been interested in that!

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    1. Good to know about your recent experiences! That’s so good to hear that you’re finding yourself sweating less! I hope I’ll get there too! I didn’t even know that Yves Rocher did deodorants but I guess that makes sense! I’ll update on my experiences with Saje in about 3 weeks!

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  11. Haha I use Secret but I forget to put it on like 90% of the time. I remember when I first started using it in high school and my mom would say, “I don’t use it and I never smell!” because she didn’t want me to use it. She also didn’t want me to shave my legs.

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    1. So you don’t really need it then! That’s good. Haha funny about shaving legs – I think it was a rite of passage. I had (and still don’t have) leg hairs but I really wanted to shave my legs just because all my friends were. Oh those were the days! 😛

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  12. Sorry this one didn’t work out! Really, really hope the Saje one works for you! My girlfriend and I bought the Lavanila together. I had no problem with it (I think it’s quite good) but it gave my poorl friend a terrible rash! I was so worried, I threw mine out.

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  13. Ugh I sweat like crazy too. I’ll be following these posts closely because I don’t think I could ever go without wearing anti-antiperspirant. I’m always so jealous of people who don’t sweat…and people who don’t sweat a lot DO NOT understand the struggle. I’m sweating just writing this post….kidding. Sorta. 😉

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  14. I guess I need to give mine another try lol, after reading several comments I guess it’s a transition and not an automatic it’s gonna work the next day type of thing lol

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  15. Great post! It’s definitely a hard transition, I haven’t fully converted yet, and honestly i’m not sure if I will! haha The Summers can just be too brutal, and I don’t want to risk it. So it’s half and half for me 🙂

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  17. Luckily I’ve never had any problem in finding deodorant or anti-perspirant.. But what I’ve been using growing up is Calamansi that’s our Philippine version of lemom.. It kept my underarms dry and helps even out discoloration too.. And imagine how hot it is back home.. We’ve also used “Tawas” or Alum (Potassium Alum) they come in powder or crystal formed and it’s natural no chemicals or other artificial ingredients to it. They worked well too.. But currently I’m using Dove (Advance Care Clear Tone) I love it coz the smell doesn’t linger compared to other deodorants out there. Here is a link of the “Alum” that I mentioned earlier. http://www.medicalhealthguide.com/articles/tawas.htm

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  18. I feel like an ignoramus, because I didn’t even know there was a difference?? Yikes. I should probably switch, but my nickname as “Smelling One” and “Stinky” as a child is making me doubt that… guess I’ll try it in winter. 😛 Thanks so much for the post!

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  19. I made the switch to Lavanila deodorant for daily use but I have to admit I still use antiperspirant when I know I need that extra “boost” if you will for stank protection. lol I heard aluminum is linked to cancer so I’m kind of trying to avoid that. 😉

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    1. I suspect that once I get through the adjustment phase, I’ll still need to rely on antiperspirants when I need a boost like you said. But I’m fine with that… if I’m 95% deodorant and 5% antiperspirants, that’s a huge improvement!

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      1. Absolutely! Let’s face it everything gives you cancer these but if you can minimize the impact then why not? lol 😉 I compared Lavanila to Tom’s of Maine, it was so much better, the higher price is worth it.

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  20. Once again – amazing review 😃 you would think that in 2016 this issue wouldn’t be so complicated! I use a deodorant because my skin prefers it, but I’ve never found the perfect one!

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    1. We do have Mitchum but it’s hardcore antiperspirant. In fact, that is my current choice for when I’m alternating between antiperspirant and deodorant. I do one day of the Mitchum, then 2 days of the deodorant.

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  22. I couldn’t do it because I have my right armpit that is sweat mess ! I need a prescription alcohol type product to keep my underarm dry and smelling like roses ! I even considered Botox ;(

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    1. Why is one armpit more sweaty than the other? I’ve heard of botox for excessive sweating! It’s supposed to be really effective but you have to maintain it regularly. Ugh why were we created this way! 😛

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      1. I don’t have a clue why it’s this way, but it’s a pain in the a$&%* in summer 😦 No deodorant for me on the right side !!!
        I’ll pay for some Botox in my face before putting the big bucks for my weird armpit 😛

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