Sweat Week: Natural vs regular anti-perspirant

July 12, 2012

The Discovery Channel’s got Shark Week; well, I bring you Sweat Week — a week of posts on surviving the heat waves this summer.

In a little battle I created (ie. I was the only test subject), I pit two new-ish antiperspirants against on another, one natural and one regular. Which one won?

The conventional contender: Dove ClearTone Anti-Perspirant. I was initially interested in the product because it’s designed to be gentle on the skin and helps prevent the discolouration that can occur in your pits from shaving. I’d noticed some discolouration (more on my arm, though) but I eventually realized it was from marathon-training chafing and not from shaving. Oops. (Note to self: pick up some Body Glide.)

The natural contender: Tom’s of Maine Naturally Dry. I’ve never used a natural deodorant. Let’s see how well this puppy would work.

The product testing: I put both products through the ultimate stink test — I ran wearing each product during a long training run for my spring marathon.

My findings: Dove ClearTone has a nice scent, and it didn’t leave me with white residue in my pits. Ditto for the Tom’s of Maine. (Note: I chose the unscented version of Tom’s of Maine as I was imagining anything naturally scented might be a bit too earthy-granola in scent for my taste — that’s how I’ve found the stuff from the T of M line in the past.)

Now while I don’t reek of BO after any run, I’m not exactly fresh as a daisy, and that was the case with the Dove ClearTone; it performed much like every other antiperpirant I’ve ever used. Tom’s, however, failed me. It was no match for my sweaty running. I was distinctly more smelly post-run that usual. I came to this horrible realization when in the grocery store after my run and thinking “What’s that smell? Oh, frig, I think it’s me!”

But T of M has been just fine for me on regular (ie. non-sporty) days.

So there you have it.

Have you found a deodorant or antiperspirant you swear by? Please do share!

Filed under: Beauty Swellness,Healthy Swellness

Tags: antiperspirant, deodorant, Dove, natural antiperspirant, Tom's of Maine