I don't normally write product reviews, but after the sixth-month journey I've undergone in trying to find a new natural deodorant, I felt compelled to share what I've learned. After twenty-plus years of using Home Health's Herbal Magic, the product suddenly became impossible to find. My husband and I have both been using Herbal Magic since the early aughts. Luckily, we were able to stock up on the scent my husband uses so he has yet to go through the great testing of the new class of natural deodorants. Hopefully, my journey will help him when his time comes.
Remembering what we went through the first time we switched to natural deodorants, I went ahead this time and ordered several of the current top-of-the-class brands: Lume, Tom's, Schmidts, MegaBabe, Native, Weleda, and Dove's 0%. I skipped some of the closer to $20 picks, in the the hopes I could find something somewhat reasonably priced. Herbal Magic was a roll-on, which was nice because there was no residue. It also lasted all day. I did not have to reapply during the day. This was all I was looking for: no residue and could get me through the day. Big ask, right?
I don't sweat a great deal, but I guess I have a defiant funk, because this was, apparently, a tall order. I shower every other day, so I'm not going long stretches without a scrub either. I work an office job. It's not as if I'm out in the heat or even sweating most of the day. I haven't used an antiperspirant in two decades, so I was not looking to stop the sweat, just the stink! With natural deodorants though, it does all come down to your own body's special chemistry and mine is evidently a beast.
Lume failed by mid-afternoon. I was sitting at my desk, sniffing and thinking, "Oh, god, is that me?" Toms and Dove 0% too. No luck there. The upside, I didn't notice any residue with these.
Weleda roll-on won for the new residue category, but after a few days, I had to admit, it wasn't lasting all day either.
Schmidts seemed to be able to hold its own against the stink, but the residue left marks on my shirts that my husband, fortunately, pointed out to me before I left the house. Disappointing!
The two I used the longest were Megababe and Native. I actually got through an entire stick of Megababe early on and had sort-of resigned myself to having to scrub the white stains off my bras. I even reordered Megababe. But still, I had several other sticks I had ordered initially. I wanted to test them too, hoping I could find one to replace my beloved but long-lost Jasmine Herbal Magic.
My teenage son had stolen the first stick of Native that I had ordered and it seemed to be defeating one of the greatest heavyweights of the BO world, teenage boy. Hopeful, I ordered another and tried it for a few weeks. Some days Native worked and others it didn't. Originally, I'd ordered the sensitive variety, so I tried the non-sensitive instead. Again, it was hit or miss, which was too bad, because I loved the scents that Native had to offer and didn't notice any white streaks on my clothes.
Megababe seemed like it was my only choice, but defiant, I went back to the Amazon app and started searching again. I'll admit, my first search for Jasmine Herbal Magic, to see if, maybe, it had come back in stock in the last six months. Alas, it was nowhere to be found. (I tried to get it from the company itself, but had no luck).
In reading the millionth article about other people's recommendations, I decided to try Kopari. I'll admit, it was a few bucks more than I wanted to spend. Most of the deodorants I initially tested were under $15 and some were considerably cheaper than that. But I was determined not to resign myself to something less than what I'd had for the last twenty years, which was a no-mark-leaving, stink-defying natural deodorant.
Kopari arrived in June. When it did, I'll admit, my expectations were not high. I tested it on my forearm first, in a small patch test to make sure my skin didn't react, as I'd done with all the previous contenders. It was good to go there. What I first noticed from this was that Kopari goes on clear and it glides. Unlike Schmidts and Megababe, there was no white gunk gathering on the edge of the container rim or flaking off onto the bathroom floor.
But the real test. Summer in the Midwest. It is hot. It is humid. I have weeds to pull in the yard and a son to schlep about town, instant sweat, air conditioning, more sweating, air conditioning. Unlike the other deodorants, which had all been tested in the winter and spring, Kopari was coming in during the first real heat wave of the year and... no smell. Not in the mid-afternoon, not at dinner time, not before bed even. I woke up and thought, it's been 24 hours since I applied, surely now... but no. I went ahead and reapplied anyway but with a smile on my face.
Kopari was easy to apply, no mess on my clothes, and no reeking. After six smelly, disappointing months, it felt like one small miracle had happened. I wouldn't have to compromise. I had found a new deodorant that would get me through the day. Hallelujah! Thank you for small victories!
Kopari did not appear in a lot of my initial searches for "best natural deodorant" and so, I felt compelled to write this review. It would be devastating to have to switch again because Kopari isn't getting the attention that all those other brands are and like my old deodorant, it became unavailable.
Kopari is the only one that did everything I needed it to! And even though it's a few dollars more expensive than the others I tested, not having to reapply midday OR putting on a ton in the morning in the hopes that it will last, will surely save me money in the long run since I don't have to use as much as I would have with the others. It's also going to save me some time scrubbing white film off my bras.
A note on scent: I chose the Beach scent. It is very light and has a slight aroma of coconut. After what I went through to find one that would just stop me from smelling like BO, I didn't really care what it smelled like as long as I wasn't gagging on my own odor by 2 p.m. That being said, their scent options are more limited than some of the others I tested. If you like to switch up your scents, or maybe hate Coconut, then this probably isn't going to be great for you.
For me, though, Kopari is the clear winner. Thank you, Kopari, please never go away!
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