I never thought I'd be someone who turned my nose up at traditional deodorants. If everyone else is packing their pits with aluminum-filled gels and sprays daily, they must be fine, I thought. But one day, some aluminum-free deodorant came across my desk and I decided to give it a try. That's when something changed for me. I can't put my finger on exactly what it was (probably my rampant anxiety), but I started looking askance at the chemical-packed deodorant stick standing atop my dresser.

There is, of course, no evidence that deodorant containing aluminum and other chemicals is harmful to your health — and specifically no evidence that deodorant containing aluminum causes cancer, as some have previously suggested.

“There isn't any evidence to suggest that wearing aluminum-based deodorant has long-term health effects,” Honore Lansen, a family practitioner at One Medical, told Teen Vogue. “That said, there isn't any research that dismisses a link either. We know that aluminum at high levels is toxic to humans. What's unclear is whether antiperspirants expose people to high levels of aluminum. Currently, it doesn't seem that way.”

There also isn’t evidence to suggest that certain natural deodorants stop sweat or odor, Dr. Lansen said. So I put that to the test in my own, very unscientific way.

As someone who sweats a lot — and I don't mean the cutesy-sweat-beads-on-a-warm-day type of sweats a lot; I mean the shirt-drenched-and-sweat-streaming-down-my-face kind of sweats a lot — finding a good natural deodorant that actually worked wasn't a quick and easy process. What I quickly discovered about natural deodorants was that they aren't antiperspirants, which help you stop sweating; they are just deodorants, and they mask the scent of your sweat as it dribbles out of you. That's the consequence of eliminating aluminum from your pits.

My first foray into natural deodorant was Tom's of Maine. I opted for the wild lavender scent, which seemed to work at first — but it also might have caused me to break out in an underarm rash. It seems that I'm not alone in thinking that; there's a whole Reddit thread dedicated to the dry, itchy, and painful rashes some people claim to have experienced from using this deodorant. I'm not totally sure what the problem might have been — and it might not have been the deodorant at all, but instead a reaction to the more-damp underarm environment I was cultivating, or to the fragrance, as Allure writer Emily Barth Isler previously discussed. In a statement to Teen Vogue, a Tom's of Maine representative noted that everyone's skin has different reactions to different products.

"We’re so sorry to hear about your experience with our deodorant. It’s rare we hear this and difficult to say which ingredient may have caused the rash or if it was a combination of ingredients," the statement said. "As with any skincare product or deodorant/antiperspirant, be it natural or conventional, irritation can result among some people. Tom’s of Maine offers 21 different underarm protection formulas, including unscented options, as we know everyone’s body chemistry is unique. Your readers may appreciate knowing we have a 100% money back guarantee."

I tried a few different products after that experience; Kopari's coconut natural deodorant wasn't a fit for me, and it left me feeling like I smelled intensely of body odor slicked in coconut oil. My own mix of arrowroot powder, coconut oil, and some other pantry items had a similar result. I'd just about given up on my natural-deodorant hunt when I stumbled across a deodorant crystal. That's right: a crystal. And, get this: The crystal actually worked. It turned out to be the woowoo stuff of my chemical-free pit dreams.

I used CRYSTAL's mineral deodorant in the stone form, which looks very much like a crystal you might put on your healing altar. It contains only one ingredient — mineral salt — and is applied by wetting the stone or your underarm and rubbing it on (CRYSTAL recommends swiping 20 times per pit). There's no scent and no residue, and it won't stain your clothes. Also, did I mention it's literally just salt? As far as smell, it pretty much eliminates it. I definitely have an, ummm, earthy odor when I use this, as opposed to my traditional, scented antiperspirant. But it's more like me, just toned down (and typically masked by whatever fragrance I'm wearing that day).

When I'm looking for something scented, I've also started opting for Old Spice deodorant (not antiperspirant). It's not natural and it doesn't stop you from sweating, but it is aluminum-free, and it smells pretty great. This Old Spice option is a good one if you want to slowly transition away from antiperspirant but don't want to abandon your traditional perfume-y scent.

Ultimately, how you smell is a personal choice. The obsession we have with smelling “nice” is absolutely a social construct; our bodies' natural scents should be fine, but this is one social construct that I still subscribe to. And of course, what works or doesn't work for me might not have the same result for you. You can stop using deodorant altogether, or you can stick with whatever antiperspirant you've used forever. And, if nothing else, a mineral stone might be a nice decoration in your bathroom.