I’ve been seeing natural aluminum-free deodorants everywhere these past few years. One brand, in particular, has been all over my social media, and that’s Native. I decided to see what all the hype was about in this brutally honest Native review.
Honest Native Review
In this review, I’ll be answering all your burning questions…
- Does Native really work? (Or do you just end up sweaty and disgusting by the end of the day?)
- Is Native deodorant really better than antiperspirant?
- Is Native a good brand?
- What scent is best?
I’ll get into all these questions and more! If I missed anything, be sure to drop your questions in the comments. I’m happy to answer anything I’m able to help with, based on my experience with this deodorant.
Disclaimer: I’m not a doctor and the information in this article is just based on my personal experience. It should not be used in place of medical advice from a doctor.
Shipping & Receiving the Order
My first impression of the brand was that it took a while to ship. It took slightly over 2 weeks for me to get my 3-deodorant order.
This isn’t the worst thing, just something to note if you’re already running close to the end of your current deodorant.
When I got the package, I was expecting nice, clean, aesthetic packaging (like how everything looks on Native’s website/social media). I was surprised that the inside of the box and the deodorants themselves were a little dirty when they arrived.
The deodorants had black fuzzies and strings on them 🤔 Again, not the end of the world by any means. I just thought it was interesting for expensive “nicer” deodorant.
Neither of these “issues” would make me not want to buy it again (if it’s a good product.) Just something to note for a first impression.
Scents & Packaging
My initial thoughts after opening the deodorants were that most of them smelled great! Fairly subtle and refreshing. The appearance was more similar to regular deodorant than other natural deodorants I’ve tried, but a little less powdery looking.
I liked the packaging too. Simple & minimal.
The 3-pack was a good decision. To have one at home, one for your purse/gym bag, and one for your car.
the 3 scents I bought
- Sweet peach & nectar: Smells fruity, feminine, and refreshing. Not overpowering at all. It smells nostalgic like a product I used when I was younger, but I can’t put a finger on what it was.
- Powder & cotton: Makes me want to stick my nose all the way in it and inhale deeply. It’s a soft, comforting scent and smells like clean laundry.
- Lavender & rose: Smells too much like essential oils for me. The lavender is overpowering and I don’t really notice the rose scent in it.
Initial Hesitations
Hesitation 1: I read some reviews and a lot of people said they broke out in a rash.
Hesitation 2: There’s a 2-3 week “switching period” where you apparently smell terrible. This is because your body is getting used to natural deodorant (vs. antiperspirant).
Hesitation 3: When I’ve tried other natural deodorants in the past, the initial “smelly period” lasted much longer than 2-3 weeks. AKA it never stopped and I just sweat through all my clothes and felt disgusting.
I actually have very low hopes that this deodorant will work. Like close to 0. I live in Florida and in the summers it’s disgustingly humid. The “real feel” is often over 100 F.
I’ve had no luck with natural deodorants in the past and don’t see why Native would work any better. But I’m hopeful I’ll be proven wrong because I’d really like to start using a natural deodorant.
Native Review: WEEK 1
I tested this out for 4 weeks and did a breakdown of my day-by-day feelings (most days). I missed a few days here and there, but you get the gist. Here we go…
Day 1: I went on a short walk in the morning and felt really sweaty. (More sweaty than I’d typically be without deodorant.)
After another longer walk in the evening, I didn’t feel sweaty or gross at all. But the weather was beautiful and 75 F, so I don’t know if it was due to the deodorant at all.
The deodorant smelled nice & peachy all day which was pleasant! I’m surprised that the scent lasted all day. But also I didn’t sweat much or work out, so we’ll see…
Day 2: I did an upper body workout and went on a walk in the 80+ degree weather. Honestly… I forgot I was wearing Native. It felt the same as wearing a normal deodorant and I didn’t notice any excessive sweating. I’m impressed! …so far.
Day 3: It’s actually working much better than I expected. I worked out, went on a long sweaty walk, and still smelled good after… Call me surprised.
Day 4: Starting to notice a bit of change now… You definitely feel sweatier wearing this. I can feel the armpit sweat when I go on walks outside. My armpits are wet and feel pretty gross.
It smells good though… In the morning. I started to notice that I was smelling pretty bad by the end of the day.
Day 6: I just feel smelly and gross. It’s 85 and humid in Florida and I’ve smelled bad all day. I feel like I need to shower or hop in a pool. At this point, the deodorant is doing nothing for me.
I’m afraid to see how this plays out in the FL summer when it’s more humid and hot every day.
Native Review: WEEK 2
Day 8: I’m still getting used to the lack of antiperspirant. It’s weird having soaking wet armpits every time I exercise or go outdoors.
I knew going into this natural deodorant journey that I’d be sweatier (because there’s nothing blocking the sweat from coming out…) But it’s still an adjustment for sure.
I’ve used antiperspirant for my entire life (since I started using deodorant, I wasn’t using it when I was a baby lol). So adjusting to sweaty armpits is weird.
They still smell fine (& peachy!) most of the time, unless I get really really sweaty. (AKA going on an outdoor run when it’s 90 degrees and humid… not my best idea.)
Day 9: When it’s in the mid-70s or below, this deodorant works fine (because I’m not really sweating lol).
Day 10-11: I don’t notice the difference too much when I’m out & about. We went to Busch Gardens and to a Yankees spring training game this week. So we were outside walking around all day. The weather was nice though (70’s both days) so I think that’s the main reason I didn’t notice being too sweaty.
Day 12: I felt so gross at the gym working out. I smell fine, but it’s still a major adjustment getting used to my armpits being soaked the whole workout.
I wore a tank top so I wasn’t worried about it soaking through a shirt or anything. But that also means the sweat was just sitting there making my armpits slippery & wet the whole time. Gross. It smells peachy fresh though, even by the end of the workout.
You definitely feel like you need to shower right after you work out. Like immediately. I typically can sit around for a few hours afterward and not feel that gross (still sweaty, but not dripping sweat). But with natural deodorant – I need to hop in the shower immediately when I get home.
Day 14: At this point, I’m starting to get used to the sweaty armpit feeling…
Native Review: WEEK 3
By week 3, I felt that I was getting used to the natural deodorant. Or I just wasn’t as sweaty because I was in Illinois for the week and it was 40 degrees… Maybe a combination of both?
The powder & cotton scent smells great. Really subtle (much more so than the peach) but both are favorites so far. If you’re wanting this deodorant for a colder climate – I think it’s 100% a good choice. The question is – will it still be a good choice when I get back to the Florida heat?
Native Review: WEEK 4 (Final Thoughts)
By week 4, I’d adjusted to the natural deodorant situation. It took a while to accept that you actually feel really sweaty in your armpits whenever you exercise, go out in the heat, etc. But once you get used to that, it feels okay!
I actually like it better now (most of the time) for the simple fact that it gives me peace of mind not using an antiperspirant.
Note: Most of what I’ve found on the dangers of antiperspirant is inconclusive (there’s no scientific evidence to back up the claims that antiperspirant is dangerous). Some of the main concerns like antiperspirants causing breast cancer, or blocking you from sweating out toxins, aren’t scientifically backed (1). It’s up to you what you’ve researched or believe when it comes to this.
Anyway, the sweaty pits feeling simply doesn’t bother me as much anymore, after the initial adjustment period (which I’d say took closer to a month, not 2 weeks.)
The only time it really bothers me now is if I work out or go on a walk/run outside in the heat (wearing a shirt with sleeves.) When I’m just wearing a tank top or sports bra, the sweat doesn’t bother me as much. (It doesn’t feel like it’s soaking through my shirt and showing pit stains.)
When I get inside after working out or being out in the heat, I just wipe off some of the sweat with a towel and sometimes will reapply more deodorant.
Post-Florida-Summer Update 🥵
Throughout my week-by-week breakdown, it was springtime in Florida. Still hot (high 80s or low 90s with a 5-10 degree higher real feel from the humidity) but not as bad as the summer.
I tried to start off the summer using Native instead of antiperspirant, but honestly, it just didn’t cut it.
If you live in a hot/humid climate, it might be a hard adjustment to wear natural deodorant in the 100+ degree real feel. As soon as I went outside in the summer, I’d immediately sweat through the deodorant and feel disgusting.
If I went into the office for work, or out and about, I could feel myself sweating all day and see visible pit stains.
When I went to the gym to work out, I could visibly watch the sweat shooting out of my armpits onto the floor around me. TMI? But that’s the reality of it.
I’ve decided to keep using Native during the cooler months, but stick to a good old antiperspirant during the hot months here.
I love the idea of only using a natural deodorant. But as long as I live in Florida, it’s just not going to cut it year-round.
I’d recommend trying it out for yourself (wherever you live) and seeing what works for you. If you live in a cooler climate, it might work just fine for you year-round. Or even if you live in a hot climate, you might not mind the sweaty feeling during the summer. This article is just based on my experience, so you might have a completely different one.
Scent Ratings
- Sweet Peach & Nectar is the best by far. It smells so bright and fruity (like summer). I LITERALLY feel like a peach 🍑 when wearing it. Lol. Jk (kinda) but it smells amazing. 10/10 from me because I love peach taste/scent. It’s very peachy though so if you’re not a peach fan, you should avoid this one.
- Powder & Cotton is so fresh and clean smelling. Like laundry just out of the dryer. It’s much more subtle than the peach and you don’t smell it as much throughout the day. You wouldn’t mistake it for perfume, like you might with the other two scents. Still lovely and my second favorite. 8/10.
- Lavender & Rose… TBH at first I hated this one. When I smelled them all initially straight out of the box, I thought it smelled overwhelmingly like essential oils. I’ve grown to like it more because it’s less aggressive when you’re actually wearing it. I do like the scent of rose generally, but you can’t really smell it in this. The lavender scent is overpowering. I’m not a big fan and probably wouldn’t buy this one again. 4/10 for me, but if you love the scent of lavender you’ll like it.
Overall Pros & Cons
PROS:
- The scents are really nice and they have a lot of fun options (like these cupcake scents)
- You have peace of mind not wearing antiperspirant. *Note: I haven’t found any actual scientific backing for the claims that antiperspirant is dangerous (1). I’m in between believing it’s a fad, and actually being cautious about using antiperspirants. It’s up to you what you’ve researched or believe when it comes to this.
- You can put it on right after the shower or before bed
- The packaging is nice/aesthetic and easy to carry around with you in your purse/gym bag
CONS:
- It goes on a bit clumpy and you have to rub it into your pits with your fingers. (It says in the box instructions to do this, so it’s a known thing). Otherwise, you’ll have clumps throughout the day
- You will be SWEATY. Or at least you’ll feel extremely sweaty with soaking-wet armpits most of the time. Especially if you work out often or live in a hot/humid climate like me, you’re going to notice the wet pits. And if you’re not used to it, you’ll feel pretty gross.
- If it’s hot out and/or you exercise at all during the day (even going on a 10-minute walk when it’s warm out) – you’re going to smell. If you put it on in the morning and expect it to last through a full day (with any sort of movement or heat) you’re in for a rude awakening. You’ll smell like B.O. halfway through the day and there’s nothing you can really do about it. If you’re at home or somewhere you can wipe off your sweat (or shower!) and reapply deodorant, you’ll be okay. But if you’re at work, at an event, or out and about, you’re going to feel/smell gross by the end of the day.
Tip: If you’re going to be out and about all day, bring an extra tube of deodorant with you. Also, make sure you’ll have access to a towel or something to pat down your sweat with. Don’t make the same mistake I did and show up to an all-day event (in the FL heat) with just a morning application of deodorant… Assuming I’d be perfectly fine throughout the day. Remember, it’s deodorant, not antiperspirant.
Final Thoughts
Would I buy Native again? Yes, but not for everyday use.
I think Native is a great-smelling deodorant choice if you’re looking to switch over to natural deodorant instead of antiperspirant.
However, I won’t be using it daily, especially not in the summer heat. I’ll stick with my antiperspirant for that. Maybe one day I’ll adjust and decide the benefits of natural deodorant outweigh the cons. But as of now, it’s definitely not worth it to be a sweaty disgusting mess all summer.
I’d recommend trying it for yourself to see how you like it. The scents are great, and natural deodorant is getting more & more popular for a reason.
If you try it out, let me know your experience in the comments! I’m curious to hear from people who live in a cooler climate and don’t deal with the Florida heat and humidity. It might be a great 100%-of-the-time option for you.
Thanks for reading! 🙂
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