Confession time: I have officially become a sweater. Not a soft chenille one that you wear on a cold day — quite the opposite, actually. This summer, I have become a sweaty mess in NYC’s consistent 90 degree weather. The very first day I noticed a bit of … moisture in my underarm area, I was quite surprised. I never considered myself to be a sweaty person. But after a few consecutive days of feeling wet and icky and noticing an unfamiliar (and unpleasant — damn this is hard to admit) scent radiating from my underam area, I knew I had a problem. I began my conquest to find the perfect antiperspirant/deodorant combo and I have finally settled in the land of (gasp!) aerosol deodorant. Before you kill me on the environmental harm I’m causing by using an aerosol product, just know that I believe offensive body odor is just as harmful to the Earth. Here are the top reasons I use it, and which brands I love and hate. Why Aerosol?
Fewer dreaded white marks on my clothes.
I find myself wearing a lot of silky (and dry clean only fabrics) and if you get a solid or (especially) gel deodorant on these fabrics, it’s a wrap. Your blouse (and morning) are ruined and you just might be late to work trying to figure out something else to wear. And that dry clean only thing: march right back to the cleaners and re-pay to re-clean your shirt. It’s not coming out–there’s not a baby wipe or baby powder in the world. I know this.
They really, really last.
There are even some 24-hour formulas (see below) that really do last all day. I mean, maybe not 24 hours, but at least 12.
It’s kind of cooling and refreshing to spray on.
Maybe it’s the aluminum, but this stuff stays relatively cool in the can. When I’m in a hot, steamy, just-turned-off-the-shower bathroom, the cooling spray is nice.
I think spray-on deodorant is–wait for it–fun.
Weird, I realize. (I’m really putting myself out there on this post, huh?) But there’s something about the spraying part that gives me a small amount of joy. I also like to watch the white-at-first foamy stuff turn completely clear. Maybe it’s my affinity for hair spray (and Lysol) that aides in my appreciation for aerosol deodorant, or again, maybe I’m just a big weirdo. Whatever.
The Best of the Best Brands
- By far, I like Dove’s Go Fresh Waterlilly and Fresh Mint the best out of every other deodorant I’ve encountered. It has been a game changer for me. The scent is a-mazing and I like the shape of the can–makes for easy holding and spraying.
- Suave Fresh Aerosol. This is the 24-hour one I mentioned above. It comes in powder scent too, which I despise, so you won’t be seeing any of that in my faves list. But for those of you that like to smell like babies, you do have that option.
- Degree Women Anti-Perspirant and Deodorant in Shower Clean. Smells great, lasts a good while, and it’s cheap ($3-$4 in stores everywhere).
- Secret Original Aerosol. I like this in both the Spring Breeze and Sheer Clean scents. I feel pretty confident using it since Secret has been around for a while. Their marketing campaign is great too. Troll around the Secret website–it’s actually entertaining. And it comes in a line for “girls” too (in comparison to women) for the teen scene.
Does anyone else use aerosol deodorant, or am I alone on this one? If I’m in a sisterhood of aerosol-users, which ones do you love?
Original by Kamilah Black
