I THINK I FOUND MY HOLY GRAIL DEODORANT

I've been looking for a natural aluminum-free deodorant for years because my sister and I, unfortunately, inherited our father's BO genes. I started wearing deodorant in elementary school; my mom would purchase one, and if I remember correctly, I would share it with my sister... GROSS! The deodorant was and still is part of the morning routine for 15+ years.

Sweaty and smelly pits and weird, oily armpit stains on clothes have plagued me, too.

When the movement for clean and natural products started, and possible kidney disease scare from my PCP, aluminum antiperspirants were my nemesis. 

"My kidneys are doing a lot already. Let's eliminate the aluminum salts to lessen their burden."

When I'm not lurking on Reddit for the next deodorant to try, I'm reviewing them on this blog. Reviewing deodorants was part of the reason why I started this blog. 

And after a year of trying deodorants that didn't work and ignoring the most popular, I finally purchased Lume.

I didn't want to try this deodorant for a couple of reasons:

1. Users complained of a musty/musky undertone. Someone even said it smells like booty... BO + Booty = Nightmare Fuel.
2. My sister developed a rash after using it. It worked odor control-wise.
3. It's expensive at $18 on Amazon. You can purchase it at a slightly lower price point on the Lume website, but there's a shipping cost for purchases under $25. Shipping is $5. 

When I first used it, I was blown away. The scent, Minted Cucumber, packs a punch. At first, I would apply the deodorant after showering and when I got dressed in the morning because I didn't know how it'd perform. At the end of the day, the scent was just as strong as when I applied. Later, I realized I only needed it after showering to last through the next day. 10/10 performance with a long-lasting, clean scent. No complaints about the mustiness. The deodorant does have a weird, indescribable undertone, but it's not as offensively musky as other deodorants I've used. Doesn't smell like booty. 

I haven't noticed any weird staining at the underarms. There are white transfer marks on clothing, but you can avoid this by applying deodorant after changing. The cartridge is a thin plastic that scrapes and collects product build-up. The bar of deodorant moves around inside the tube, but hasn't broken or fallen off, at least, not yet.

Would consider trying the deodorant cream, but squeezing it out and rubbing it onto my pits seems fussy. Relatively more sanitary than the bar, though considerably less convenient. 

I've used this deodorant daily for the past month, and it consistently performs well. I've tried not applying it every day, opting to apply it every other day, and, to no one's surprise, my clothes and pits smelled a little musty, but not to a biohazard degree. 

The deodorant continues to provide exceptional odor protection. I'm unsure whether to be elated or disappointed that it no longer sucker-punches me with cucumber at the end of the day.