A couple of years ago, my husband (let’s call him Bob) learned about the potential harm of aluminum in deodorant and suddenly decided to stop wearing it altogether. It happened with no warning, no time for me to fight it, and I felt like this probably should have been a decision we made together. Cuddle time became a little less appealing - I no longer wanted to crawl into the crook of his underarm at the end of a long day. On a good day, Bob smelled like nachos (to which he proclaimed, “but you love nachos!”) and on a bad day he smelled…worse. I begged, I pleaded, but Bob insisted he wanted a deodorant for men that was 100% non-toxic. And until he found one that he liked, he would be going au naturel.
I admired the fact that Bob took it upon himself to learn about which deodorant ingredients are potentially toxic, and I loved that he was taking better care of himself (that’s what we all want for our partners, isn’t it?). But I knew there had to be a deodorant for men that would fit all his needs (and mine). Bob has sensitive skin, so any deodorant he uses would need to be non-irritating. He also, like most men, has more underarm hair than I do – so he wanted something that wouldn’t tug at his skin or hair. And last, but definitely not least, he wanted a deodorant without aluminum that would protect him against BOTH odor and wetness.
While a powerful deodorant should be able to work hard on sweat from any gender, there are differences between the two sexes that make men’s deodorant needs somewhat more specific. Men tend to have more underarm hair than women and underarm hair tends to trap more wetness. Dark, damp underarms are an ideal breeding ground for odor-causing bacteria, which is why men might sometimes smell a little funkier than women. Also, little known fact, men have different bacteria than women which makes them smell different than women. Men’s underarms are more likely to smell like cheese (so I was onto something with that nacho comment!), while women’s underarms are more likely to smell like onions or grapefruit. And, speaking of underarm hair, traditional stick deodorants are more irritating to men’s underarms because the sticks literally “stick” to underarm hairs and pull them out (ouch!).
As Bob started to experiment with different natural deodorants, I started to miss my place in the crook. This went on for some time, until a few months ago when he got offered a new job. As he transitioned into his new role, my mom pulled me aside and said, “This is serious, you’ve got to tell Bob to wear deodorant. People get fired for these types of offenses.” Now I don’t believe this to actually be true, but it seemed like the right opportunity to insist he find a deodorant for men that was both non-toxic, non-irritating AND high performance. Coincidentally, around the same time I also started a new job, working at an aluminum-free deodorant brand that checked all those boxes 😉
When I brought The Visionary home to Bob, he took one sniff of the clean, crisp citrusy smell and decided to give it a shot. And, success! Bob would leave for work at 7am and come home from work, 12 hours later, smelling great. He liked that, unlike traditional stick deodorants, Type:A deodorant’s cream formula goes on smoothly and didn’t irritate his skin or pull out his underarm hair. Added bonus – when Bob uses Type:A deodorant, he doesn’t leave those unseemly little underarm hairs all over the applicator.
It took some experimentation, and some trying nasal experiences, but Bob finally found an aluminum-free deodorant for men that had everything he was looking for. So now Bob is happy because he has a deodorant that works for him, and I’m happy that Bob smells great. And, finally, I’m back in the crook of his underarm where I belong.
Looking for the best aluminum-free deodorant for your man? Head on over to our shop.
