Do you have armpits? Yes? Then today we have an important tale for you.
It’s the story of a self-confessed smelly cosmetic formulator with very sensitive skin who managed to create a deodorant that’s rewriting the natural deodorant rulebook.
It’s safe to say that most of us are self-conscious about something. One thing that’s shared by so many of us is the way we smell. It’s a sensitive topic, and a bit taboo, so this one doesn’t come up at the dinner table very often.
The way we smell can get you a little (or a lot) worried, and if you’re like our smelly cosmetic formulator your brain might start thinking crazy things like ….
‘What if I can’t smell my own stench?’
‘What if I’m offending people and I am not realising it?’
‘Could my smell be a reason why they didn’t talk to me?’
Well we don’t want you OR our smelly cosmetic formulator to have to be dealing with these sorts of worries.
Maintaining good personal hygiene is very important and deodorants play a big role in keeping body odour in check because they kill the bacteria that cause you to smell.
Back in Aaron’s Navy days (erm…. our smelly cosmetic formulator, that is!), they used the term ‘Hum’. Meaning you stunk so bad that you swore that you could not only smell it but hear it. After 4 hours on a foreign fishing vessel, there was a lot of humming going on.
The search for a deodorant that DIDN’T irritate
Back in his ‘pre-cosmetic formulator days’, when he was just Smelly Aaron, he always struggled with using deodorants as they caused irritation – usually uncomfortable redness and itchiness. There was only one brand that he could use but it was far from natural.
Being very health-obsessed, of course he ditched it and went searching for a natural deodorant.
Aaron’s experience was the same as most people looking for natural deodorants. They performed very poorly with all the usual complaints. They were wet and sticky, didn’t work long enough and didn’t smell that great.
In the end he had to go au naturale and be constantly self-conscious about smelling of B.O.
So the years passed and Aaron found himself as the owner and director and cosmetic formulator of an amazing skincare company (… ah I digress…) and the search for a non-irritating deodorant was still going on.
Aaron thought he was onto a winner we found out about deodorant pastes that used bicarb soda. They were really good at beating the stink so he tried every one he could find. But they all had the same disappointing result after a few days….
Red, irritated armpits with an itch that would drive you mad.
Aaron knew that he wouldn’t be alone. Surely there were other people out there who desperately wanted to go for a natural deodorant but were kept being let down by what was available.
It was time for to do something about it and we created our own deodorant paste, but not without a few (ahem many) epic failures first.
The problem with bicarb soda in natural deodorants
The problem with deodorants that use bicarb soda is the pH is way too high, so it causes irritation. So we worked on the theory of trying to lower the pH so you wouldn’t get itchy pits.
It sounds easy in theory but changing the pH of a waterless product like a deodorant paste was a massive challenge, even for a talented (and now smelly and itchy) cosmetic formulator.
He needed to add something acidic. Citric acid was all we could think of as it was a powder but what a mess! Think of sticky brown shea butter soufflé and you will have what we created. It was awful, back to the blank ideas board.
It took months of looking for another suitable ingredient but our smelly cosmetic formulator never stopped looking. Aaron wasn’t willing to compromise anything – it had to be cruelty free (more difficult to find than you might think!), vegan, and truly effective at the same time as being gentle.
Finally he found the silver bullet and work started on finding the perfect balance of ingredients that would create the most underarm-friendly deodorant the sensitive people of planet Earth had ever seen.
He knew he was on the final straight and nothing was going to stop him. Not even a week or two nursing irritated underarms. He eventually found the ideal balance and boy are we proud.
Aaron put it in a jar and called it the Woohoo! All Natural Deodorant Paste. And he was never smelly again.
It may look like a just a jar of deodorant but what’s inside is a result of 36+ years of deodorant frustration and 5 years of self-obsessed learning.
A few surprising things about the Woohoo! All Natural Deodorant
- It’s waterless. You might find that sometimes there are little grains of shea butter that need to be rubbed between your fingers to melt before applying.
- It works on feet. If you like the sockless look then Woohoo can save everybody some embarrassment.
- It can be used under the band of your bra if it causes chafing.
- One jar lasts ages. Usually 5-6 months if you’re using it once a day.
Shop the Woohoo! All Natural Deodorant Paste here (we’ve got sample sizes too!).
Epilogue: Aaron’s not really as smelly as this story makes him sound! He does have a normal amount of manly body odour, but we did exaggerate his body odour just a little for the sake of a good story 
We didn’t have to exaggerate how sensitive he is though … the Woohoo! is the only all natural deodorant he can wear and it does the all-important job of keeping him smell free all day long, day after day, with no irritation. We think it can do the same for you too
Our beautiful photos have been created by Renee Bell.
