5 Reasons Why You Cannot Use Coconut Oil As a Deodorant

Can you use coconut oil as a deodorant?

The expert opinion is that coconut oil can be used on the pits, but more as a treatment rather than as a permanent deodorant replacement.

Coconut oil is hailed as the holy grail of skincare for everything from dry skin to thinning hair.

However, a new trend has become natural deodorants, one of which many claims can be coconut oil, for various reasons.

Let’s see what the research has to say about these claims.

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Coconut Oil As Deodorant: Can It Work?

Coconut oil should not be used as a daily and permanent replacement for your underarm products (deodorants and antiperspirants).

While coconut oil has many skin benefits, and it is also anti-bacterial, it will not be effective enough to work as an actual deodorant would.

5 Reasons Coconut Oil Cannot Be Used As Deodorant

1-It does not prevent sweat and odor

The theory behind using coconut oil as a deodorant is that it has antibacterial properties which are supposed to help kill and prevent the build-up of odor-causing bacteria.

While it is true that coconut is antibacterial, there is only so much it can do.

The antibacterial properties of coconut oil are simply not strong enough to adequately manage underarm odor in the long term.

Coconut oil is also not sweatproof and might even cause you to overheat and sweat more.

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2- It can clog pores

Coconut oil is heavy and considered to be one of the most comedogenic oils on the market. This means that it has the potential to block pores.

Therefore, if you are acne-prone, already have oily skin, or suffer from breakouts, you may want to stay away from coconut oil.

This is especially important for your underarms where there is also sweat and dirt building up daily. The combination may very well cause you to break out under your arms. How uncomfortable would that be?

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3- It may cause ingrown hairs

When pores get blocked, hair becomes stuck beneath the skin due to sebum, dead skin cells, or other debris.

Ingrown hairs are more prone to occur if you have coarse, curly hair since it is more likely to grow back into the skin and produce razor bumps.

Because coconut oil-based deodorants are high on the comedogenic scale, they are more likely to clog your pores and create ingrown hairs. This is especially true when the qualities of coconut oil are present in a wet, dark area such as your underarms.

4- It stains

When coconut oil emulsifies, it transfers onto your clothes and many people have reported a yellow stain forming that is very hard and sometimes impossible to remove.

While this may sound trivial, having armpit stains on all your blouses and shirts every time you raise your arms is rather embarrassing.

5- It can be messy

When coconut oil is heated (and body heat is higher than room temperature), it melts and becomes runny.

Can you imagine having coconut oil running down your sides from your underarms? Imagine mixing that with baking soda. Then you’ll have coconut oil and baking soda running down your sides.

Uncomfortable? Itchy? Messy? Clothes stains? Yep.

Alternative Natural Deodorants

If you are looking to switch to natural deodorants, and you agree with the experts and me that coconut oil alone is not the effective choice, here are a few natural deodorants that you can use:

1-Ursa Major Natural Deodorant

Ursa Major won’t block your sweat glands with aluminum. Instead, their deodorants work with your body to naturally control odor-causing bacteria.

Click here to check out the Ursa Major Natural Deodorant On Amazon.

2-Lovefresh – Natural Super Strength Deodorant

Lovefresh deodorant is ideal for individuals who sweat a lot. It is aluminum-free and contains a wide array of great natural ingredients such as fractionated coconut oil.

The coconut oil in this works with the other ingredients to provide the best results. Keep in mind that it contains baking soda, which may be irritating if you have dry skin.

Click here to see the price of Lovefresh – Natural Super Strength Deodorant on Amazon.