I wore Salt of the Earth’s Natural Deodorant Crystal for 6 weeks, and here’s how I found it. Today we’re talking in-depth about sweaty pits and body odour. Lovely.
This is the first of a series of natural deodorant reviews, so first of all, why change to a natural deodorant?
Researchers have suggested that aluminium and paraben, the active ingredient in most antiperspirants, with cancer and Alzheimer’s. Though little evidence has been has found to substantiate this claim.
But personally I was more motivated by the environmental impacts of using typical spray and roll-on deodorants. My aim was to find a environmentally-friendly deodorant that used natural ingredients. Most importantly, it had to work!
Having researched the best eco-friendly deodorants, I’ve been compelled to give some of these a full user review.
To keep it equal, and hopefully to appeal everyone’s lifestyle, I’ve kept a fairly strict criteria and rating scale of how I’m reviewing these deodorants.
I may earn a small commission if you purchase via my link. Learn more here.
TLDR Review
Having been critical of other natural deodorants, this crystal deodorant exceeds every expectation! It prevents odour for up to 36 hours, the crystal will last for months, and is really budget-friendly. It’s a must have!
What is it?
The Salt of the Earth Natural Deodorant Crystal is made of Potassium Alum, a natural mineral salt. The crystal is Leaping Bunny approved and 100% vegan (approved by the Vegan Society.) The crystal stick is unscented, so it won’t form an unpleasant aroma if you also wear perfume.
The use of crystal deodorants isn’t a new discovery: according to historical texts, the Romans were well aware of deodorising effect of alum.
Wait… that sounds like the potentially harmful aluminium that you mentioned before? Nope- that’s Aluminium Chlorohydrate.
Potassium Alum, which is the ingredient in Salt of the Earth’s crystal deodorant, has much larger molecules that do not fully cover your sweat glands. Therefore it allows you to naturally sweat whilst preventing the growth of odour-causing bacteria.
Sweating is natural and actually helps to cool you down, so if you’re looking for an antiperspirant, this product probably isn’t right for you.
With that in mind, let’s dive into the Salt of the Earth Crystal Deodorant review!
My 2 Month Crystal Deodorant Review
Week 1 & 2 – Adjusting to a natural deodorant
My first impression after taking it out of the container is that it literally looks and feels like a large, smooth chunk of salt. I was admittedly apprehensive of how effective this would be.
Unlike a regular roll-on deodorant, a crystal deodorant is totally dry, so as per the instructions, the best thing to do is either apply the deodorant straight after a shower or run the crystal under the tap if you’ve already dried off.
It’s also important to use it after washing your pits as you would normally with deodorant.
One of the worries about switching to a natural deodorant is that it can take time for your body to adjust. Many natural deodorant reviews report that it can take up to 30 days to wean your body off of the ingredients of antiperspirants.
I was pleasantly surprised that it took just two days of using the crystal deodorant for me to get used to the new formula.
Everyday I applied it at around 8AM and having been to and from the office, walking the dog, and doing a 5k run I’ve gone to bed without even a hint of bad odour!
Week 3 & 4 – How does it fair during intense exercise?
So I’ve started training in pre-season with a new football team and I was intrigued to see if the I could get through the midday training session without showering and applying the crystal deodorant in the morning (sorry lads).
So essentially does Salt of the Earth’s crystals deodorant last longer than 24hrs?
The answer yet again is yes!
Sure, after a 2 hour session I was definitely ready for a shower, but again I was pleasantly surprised to find that I didn’t have bad odour.
The Salt of the Earth Deodorant Crystal is totally fragrance-free, so I’m finding that if I do sweat a lot during certain parts of the day I simply cool off and can still go about my day without smelling bad at all.
Week 5 & 6 – Can it handle a UK heatwave?
It’s now mid-late July, and the news has just landed that the UK is about to experience the hottest temperatures ever recorded. Whilst being very dispiriting that we still have climate-change doubters, it was a good opportunity to test out how the Salt of the Earth Crystal Deodorant handled humidity and 30°C+ weather.
Admittedly, I am finding that I am sweating more than I did when I used anti-perspirants, which makes sense. So out of a little bit of fear of being a sweaty mess in this unprecedented heat, I’ve been using the crystal deodorant a little more generously.
The deodorant can supposedly last up to a year if used sparingly (as in one-to-two glides per pit), but I thought I’d at least try to use it to ensure I’m set for the day.
It handled the humidity really well, and I’m feeling a lot cooler being able to sweat more now that I’m not using anti-perspirant.
I dropped the crystal!
Okay so a quick heads up: I dropped the crystal on my tiled bathroom floor and it chipped a small chunk out of the crystal. The crystal didn’t look too damaged, and the chip has smoothed out with use.
I dropped it from about waist height, so I would expect it to probably break up a bit more if dropped from a greater height.
Week 7 & 8 – I took it to a music festival
Here comes the real test: taking the crystal deodorant to a 4 day music festival.
A quick confession: I did have access to showers, the days of going a whole weekend without showers at festivals are done.
As we’ve already covered, I was able to do about 36 hours of dancing/jumping and being in sticky crowds without showering and reapplying deodorant, which was great!
The one inconvenience, which truthfully isn’t that bad, is that you need your pits to already be damp as you apply it. Or, a splash of water to wet the crystal.
It was a bit tricky to have to tip water on the crystal outside the tent in order to use it.
Salt of the Earth Deodorant Crystal Review Summary
Without a doubt the best natural and eco-friendly deodorant I’ve tried – Salt of the Earth have made it easy, budget-friendly and environmentally advantageous to move to a natural deodorant.
Pros
- 24hr+ protection
- Budget-friendly
- Long-lasting product
- Gentle on skin
Cons
- Need water for it to work
- Prone to breakage if dropped
The Salt of the Earth Natural Deodorant Crystal is without a doubt the best natural and eco-friendly deodorant I’ve tried. Not only does prevent bad odour for up to 36 hours, but it’s also easy to use and required almost no adjustment period.
My favourite feature that goes unmentioned is how long this product lasts. I’m nearly 10 weeks into using it, and it’s barely gone down. At this rate, the crystal deodorant is set to last me up to a year.
That means you’ll be spending less than £10 on deodorant all year! That’s far less than conventional roll-ons or sprays.
