Hey Beauties,

Hope your day is going fab! Right now I want to discuss deodorant.. more specifically Crystal Essence Deodorant.

When I first heard of all the questionable things associated with the use of  conventional deodorants, my heart sank through the floor. I was annoyed that something I used every day could have such a negative impact on my body’s health and I said that’s it, no more of this crap for me! Time to go all natural, baby!

Related: Jason Deodorant Review: Best Natural Deodorant that Works?

The only problem with that was that I had tried natural deodorant on a few occasions before only to find that not only did they not work, they didn’t work times 10!

I tried both Nature’s Gate and Tom’s Maine and that was enough to convince me that natural deodorant was not prime for preventing odor :(. Then, one day, I happened across this purple- lidded deodorant as I was perusing the aisles of Walgreens, Crystal Essence was the name.

I was specifically steering clear of Propylene Glycol and other ingredients that I knew to either be harmful, toxic or unnatural. I looked at the ingredients on the back of the bottle and was pleasantly surprised at what I saw.

Crystal Essence Lavender and White Tea Deodorant Ingredients

1. purified water
2. potassium alum (natural mineral salts)
3. heptyl glucoside
4. essential oils and extracts
5. cellulose
6. glycerin
7. sodium bicarbonate
8. benzoic acid
9. zinc gluconate

Hmm I thought not bad, not bad at all! I did a quick web search on both the product and the ingredients that were listed and found it to be acceptable for use. So thus began my journey with the Crystal Essence line. Before I get further into this review let me explain, in more depth, why in my mind’s eye deodorant is NOT the business.

Conventional Deodorants are Filled with Unnecessary Things

So you’ve read a few of my posts and know that Manika- Nia is not down with the unnecessary toxins and harmful chemicals. And why? Because I find them to be completely unnecessary and harmful!

Ok, yeah well I suppose that’s pretty obvious, but the shameful part is that, considering the mass production and use of such products, it isn’t so obvious to the majority of consumers. And this, my friends, is why I do what I do! To spread some awareness and hopefully help others make more informed choices.

There was a massive scare some time ago (that ran rampant in the online world) about products such as deodorant being linked with breast cancer, Alzheimers, and other serious health problems.

Since that time many health professionals have come forward to say that there is no overwhelming evidence to support such claims. It is widely accepted that conventional deodorants pose no serious risk to users and that they are generally safe for everyday use.

Though this may be acceptable news to some, it doesn’t make me jump for joy. Generally safe is not the same thing as safe nor is it the same as good for us/ helpful to us.

Related: Homemade Natural Deodorant Recipe

Many ingredients found in deodorants are the same offenders that are found in other beauty products and despite what is “generally accepted” they are only adding unnecessary compounds to our body which is silly when there are natural, safer alternatives available. Remember that everything we put on our bodies, eventually ends up inside our bodies.

Negative Ingredients in Traditional Deodorants

• Aluminum Compounds- this clogs the pores thus preventing the body from clearing itself of toxins (this might also be found in Crystal deodorant)
• Parabens- this is used in so many commercial products as a preservative and parabens can act as estrogen which disrupts hormones. Many studies demonstrate how parabens are linked to certain cancers and various other health issues
• Triclosan- check out my post here about what it does to the body
• Propylene Glycol- click here for my post about this lurker in various products
• Steareths- additive that produces carcinogens and dioxanes
• DEA- full description of this ingredient above (I write about the dangers of this and a few other ingredients all in one post that you can click on above to find out more!)
• Artificial Flavors- any need?! Artificial flavors is a vague term and not fully disclosing what the artificial flavors are leaves consumers unaware of what is going on our skin

Regardless of if studies are conclusive or not, in my opinion, the risk that comes along with using deodorants with these ingredients, is not worth it. Why use deodorant with inessential ingredients that have the potential to cause harm when there are healthier alternatives?

Crystal Essence Deodorant

Price: $6-12

Cheapest Place to Buy: Ebay $6+ or Amazon $6+

Size: 2.25 fl. oz- 4.5 fl oz

My Rating: 8 out of 10

I have tried x3 of the deodorants on this line with my favorite being the pomegranate one.

The Good

It smells so sweet and would you believe it works like a charm! It is not an antiperspirant so does not prevent sweating but I am not a sweaty person so I did not have a problem with such (also antiperspirants prevent us from doing the very thing that is necessary for releasing toxins from our body, so its a good thing to sweat!).

This crystal gem does keep bad odor away and I only found that I would need to reapply when doing heavy physical activity, things outside of my normal day- to- day. The Pomegranate and Lavender White Tea scents are both roll on types and glide on very easily while the liquid within the vessel distributes on the pits.

For the crystal version (the original one), you must wet the deodorant with water before applying. Although it is scentless it stops any bad odor from occurring and I was stunned at how well this worked.

Between the three I felt that the original crystal one felt a bit more natural than the roll- on ones but still preferred the roll- on’s because of ease of application.

The Bad …and Possibly the Ugly Too

I used this deodorant religiously until about 2016, and only stopped my daily use because I am unsure about the processing of this product. The natural crystal that this product purports to be is translucent and odorless. The crystal is potassium alum and is found in Mother Earth’s crust and should look exactly as it does when it is extracted from her core.

The appearance of the crystal deodorant, however, is more of a white, opaque shade and shows that there might be some chemical processing involved.

I have read that this color change might be due to a manufacturing process that calls for synthetic ammonium alum, one made in a lab rather than extracted from Earth’s crust.

This might not be such an issue, especially considering the product’s are free from all of the no- no’s in the bulleted list above, however, such information was enough for me to lessen my use of the product.

All Natural DIY Alternative

I do, however, keep a bottle of this deodorant in my purse as a just in case measure, but now opt to make my own to wear on a daily basis.

For the most part I use a raw lime (sliced, I rub this on first) and then spray with a mixture of apple cider vinegar, witch hazel and lemon essential oil then finish off with a mixture of shea butter, honey, and coconut oil all melted together.

This may seem like a lengthy process, and I suppose it is compared to just spraying or rolling some deodorant on, but I’m used to it! It works well and helps me smell nice all day.

Still, Crystal Essence Deodorant remains in my purse for those times that I need it, for a reason- it is a very good deodorant in stopping BO in its tracks.

Final Thoughts

Overall I loved this product when I used it regularly and it was the very first natural deodorant that I tried that actually worked on the level of eliminating/preventing a bad odor. It lasts for hours and really smells superb, plus is free from the ingredients that I really endeavor to keep out of my life. If looking for a safer ingredient that really works, this DEO is a viable option. All in all, it is certainly better than conventional deodorants! You can choose from the Pomegranate, Original Unscented Crystal, Lavender and White Tea, Chamomile and Green Tea, Vanilla Jasmine or a spray in the same fragrances.

Choose your own Crystal Essence Deodorant by Clicking Here!

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• Smile and enjoy your day!