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You are here: Home / Reviews / Review: Nuud, the carefree deodorant

Review: Nuud, the carefree deodorant

March 27, 2019 By Ellen Long-Common 11 Comments

It’s a game changer.


Update: 17 April 2019 – it’s been pointed out to me that Nuud’s tubes, while they’re not petroleum-based, are still plastic. The sugarcane packaging is 100% recyclable, which is great, but I know none of us is trying to recycle our way out of this plastic crisis. Because it’s marketed as sugarcane, not plastic, I assumed the tube would be biodegradable. That’s on me – I should have done more research. My husband is using Earth Conscious deodorant at the moment; it works well (he’s a gardener, so he really puts it to the test with his physical job!) and comes in a cardboard tube. Unfortunately, I’m super sensitive to baking soda, which rules out a lot of great brands for me.

I’ve tried making the switch to natural deodorant. So. Many. Times.

Some people make a seamless switch from conventional deodorant (which is loaded with questionable ingredients).

Others (me) end up scrubbing their armpits into an irritable mess, trying to smell nice for more than half an hour, and eventually switch back to chemical deodorants.

That’s why I’m so happy to tell you that I’ve finally found a solution – and it comes neatly packaged in a sugar cane tube and a biodegradable cardboard box.

Why bother to switch to natural deodorant?

I’m not a doctor or a chemist. But to me, smearing synthetics on my underarms has never made sense.

I already use natural shampoo, makeup and household cleaners. So why would I put a harsh, pore-blocking deodorant on such an important part of my body?

On the other hand, I don’t want to smell.

Does Nuud natural deodorant work?

Yes! Here’s my take on it.

It was with a sense of resignation that I embarked, once again, on the pit-product-switch.

Over the last six months, I’ve tried it all. I tried salt-based deodorants (again). I tried roll-ons (again). I tried beautiful balms that smell great, but for some reason, give me a rash.

I was smelly. I felt sticky. At times, I was bumpy. I was washing my underarms more than once a day.

I switched back to my standard brand, temporarily defeated.

I had some success with Salt of the Earth Spray deodorant, which does come in plastic but offers a refill option.

Then I found Nuud.

I was cautiously optimistic about its ‘no worries’ formula, and I wasn’t disappointed.

It works really, really well. I don’t have an underarm smell at all, and although the product is designed to let you sweat naturally, I haven’t felt sticky.

It’s a little bit like not having underarms

After obsessing over my underarms for so long, it’s nice not to think about them much at all now.

I’ve been using Nuud for just over 3 weeks. My pits feel drier than they did with the natural roll-ons and sprays, and I don’t really smell of anything. It’s like not having pits at all. And I kinda love it 🙂

Even after a just few days of using Nuud natural deodorant, the effectiveness increased and my underarms were fresh, even after exercise or a hectic day.

Here’s what I’ve done to test Nuud:

  1. Beastly workout courtesy of Claire at Fire Lotus Fitness (seriously, my thighs hurt for days).
  2. Danced for hours to Mad Dog McRea in a room crammed with their superfans (we all had a lovely time).
  3. Scary work meeting.
  4. Usual life stuff like going to work, cleaning the house and walking the dog up Dundon Beacon on a warm spring day.
  5. Deliberately not reapplied it on one of the days, but instead left my armpits nude (see what I did there?).
  6. Made my friends and my husband sniff my underarms. Like, really close.

Would I recommend switching to Nuud natural deodorant?

Definitely! I’ve been looking for something this good for years, and I have no intention of going back to chemical alternatives.

How do you apply it?

Just squeeze a small blob out onto your fingertips, and rub over your underarms. Application is really simple, and I haven’t noticed any white marks on my clothes.

Tips for switching

If you’re new to natural deodorant, be prepared for a few things:

  1. Your underarms are likely to get worse before they get better
  2. Your new deodorant will be more expensive
  3. Application won’t be what you’re used to

When I first made the switch, my friend Katy from Wild Rose Holistics advised me to:

  • Go without any deodorant as often as possible
  • Give my underarms a good rub to get things moving
  • Take occasional breaks from shaving.

I did all these things, but they still got worse before they got better. If I’d found Nuud sooner, I think the whole process would have been a lot easier.

Is Nuud natural deodorant more expensive?

Naturals do tend to be more expensive, which makes sense. They’re produced with better ingredients and more sustainable packaging – on a small scale. As you’d expect, there’s no comparison on the price of something from the supermarket or the chemist.

A starter pack is £12.95 including shipping, and lasts 6-7 weeks on average. Because of my history of failure with natural deodorant, I’m using Nuud every day after showering, which means my tube may run out more quickly. Still, I predict that the tube will last me at least 5 weeks
– I’m on week 3 already and still have plenty left.

Because of Nuud, I’ve pretty much forgotten that I have armpits. Far from stressing about whether I smell – all day, every day – I really do feel carefree about my underarms. That, to me, is priceless.

Nuud boasts sustainable production and CO2 neutral distribution, plus it comes in a plastic free sugar cane tube and a biodegradable cardboard box. Why not try it for yourself?


Have you used Nuud, or found something else that works for you? Let me know in the comments below!

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: eco deodorant, natural deodorant, natural organic skin products, natural skin care products, nuud, plastic free deodorant

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Carolina Magalhaes says

    July 13, 2019 at 6:02 pm

    Hi!
    I tried nuud and it definetly didn’t work for me. I live in a warmer country – maybe that’s the problem. But they should state the problem. After I have found some others (in reddit I believe) stating it didn’t work at all on them either and that they were thankful for knowing there were others like them (in whom nuud didn’t work) because ALL reviews are great!
    And here it goes – I left my review after 1 month of following all their instructions (ALL, including buying brand new cotton shirts). Honest review of 1 star, because it really didn’t work on me and I don’t even sweat (I do but compared to most people I know I sweat a lot less).
    Today I got curious because I read another person complaining and…
    Decided to go read the reviews on their webpage.
    AND…. My review isn’t there! They deleted or never published it!
    This is lying and os soooo wrong!
    If you go check for yourself you’ll find out the have only posted 5 star reviews, some 4 and max 3 of 3 star (where people justify its their fault and not nuud’s)
    I have and email that attests to the fact that I left the 1 star review and their answer to it. Where did it go??
    I am sure mine isn’t the only. They are only publishing the reviews they like and this is dishonest.
    Thought you should know.

    Reply
    • Plastic Free Spirit says

      July 14, 2019 at 8:22 am

      Hi Carolina,

      Thanks so much for this comment – this is really useful. I’m really shocked that they would delete your comment! That’s just not good practice at all.

      I’ve also been concerned about their bio plastic tube. Really, I don’t want to use a product in a plastic tube, bio or not. So I’ve been trialling a few things in the background. I really like Fat and the Moon’s Sensitive Pit Cream.

      A friend of mine has been getting on well with the Earth Conscious deodorant, but I’m hampered a bit by my sensitivity to bicarbonate of soda. If you find anything you like, please feel free to share on here – I’d love to hear your thoughts.

      Part of my mission is to save readers money by testing stuff myself, so that you don’t have to buy multiple products. But in the case of deodorant, I think it’s probably just a very unique and personal thing for all of us. Any insights on hot country-proof deos that work for you would be greatly appreciated – it could really help someone out 🙂

      Take care and stay in touch,

      Ellen

      Reply
    • Anabella says

      August 1, 2019 at 10:01 am

      I ended up here just to see if this hasn’t work for anyone else, because after a week of trying it every single day it has made my smell even worse!!I could go on for a few hours after having a shower but now with nuude my armpits start smelling after litteraly 1 hour. I read Carolina and feel so identified with what she says. I can’t believe they pretend to work and lie to us. Specially considering their price and motto. it’s so unethical.

      Reply
      • Plastic Free Spirit says

        August 2, 2019 at 7:12 am

        Hi Anabella,

        How disappointing! Such a shame that you’ve had a bad experience. I’ve been trialling some different deos – mainly because I’m not happy with the packaging of nuud. Some made me smell worse than not wearing anything! I’ll write it up soon, but the best I’ve found is Fat and the Moon Sensitive Pit Cream. I’ll let you know when there’s a review to read 🙂

        Ellen

        Reply
  2. Katie says

    August 2, 2019 at 7:15 pm

    I bought it about a month or so ago and I am loving it. I was using natural deodorant prior to this so possibly my success rate increased from that? I used it every day because I didn’t trust that I wouldn’t have BO. Then, I decided to try on a Saturday just washing my pits with soap and nothing else. We happened to go camping that day so I loaded a hot car, moved equipment about, ran around and was outside for the majority of the day. No stink! We went kayaking the next day. No stink! I have been able to go about every other day. I can use soap on my pits in the morning and that is it until I re-apply.

    Reply
    • Plastic Free Spirit says

      August 2, 2019 at 7:21 pm

      Hi Katie,

      This is really similar to my experience with it. I think you could be onto something – using natural deodorant before you started with nuud might well be what made the difference. I just don’t know if there’s a way to avoid that stinky transition period! Thanks for sharing your insights.

      Looks like we’re each unique and no one thing likely works for everyone. Such a shame, as I’d love to be able to say “Use this, it’s excellent!” But of course there are no guarantees, which is why comments are so useful 🙂

      Ellen x

      Reply
  3. Maria says

    August 7, 2019 at 4:02 pm

    Hi Ellen! I have used nuud for a little bit more than tree months now and I am very happy with it. I went from chemical deo to this one and have had no problems at all. I did have troubles with chemical ones before I run into nuud and I am so happy with it. Im still on my first tube so it lasts a long time for me. To bad about the package but I’m going from all bad to partly bad, that’s something.

    Reply
    • Plastic Free Spirit says

      August 7, 2019 at 5:25 pm

      Hey Maria,

      That’s great news! Thanks for your comment. So glad you had a smooth transition and that nuud is working out for you. I totally agree with you – progress, not perfection! Please let me know how you go, and if you find anything else that you like (deo or otherwise).

      Take care,

      E 🙂

      Reply
  4. Herbert S says

    September 23, 2019 at 11:11 am

    I wrote to Nuud to find out more about their packaing.
    Why?
    A lot of people are falling for the “made from sugarcane” label. While it’s a good first step to produce it from a carbon-neutral source instead of oil, several things are missed.
    1. It’s still plastic (polyethylene) and will stay in the environment for many many years if not recycled. Just it being made from sugarcane doesn’t make it biodegradable. It’s just PE (made by Braskem).
    2. The sugarcane is grown in Brazil. While I don’t know more details about which farms, there is a probability that this could be on farms which used to be former rainforest.

    Reply
    • Ellen Long-Common says

      September 27, 2019 at 10:44 pm

      Hi Herbert,

      That’s really interesting, thanks for sharing. Did you hear back from them? I’d be interested in what they say about the origins of their sugarcane. Have you found another natural deodorant in packaging that you feel more comfortable with?

      All the best,

      Ellen 🙂

      Reply

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