15 Best Deodorants for Men Who Sweat a Lot

This article was published in partnership with Blu Atlas.

While most of us may not find it pleasant, it’s perfectly normal to sweat—sweating is nothing more than our body’s way of cooling itself and excreting certain chemicals. And it’s normal for some guys to sweat more than others. Excessive sweating can be due to a variety of factors, including body size, age or certain health conditions.

However, men who sweat heavily shouldn’t necessarily go running for an aluminum-based antiperspirant, which works by plugging sweat ducts, thereby reducing the amount of sweat that reaches the skin’s surface. Thankfully, there are a variety of natural deodorants available. These new-generation products employ effective sweat-blocking ingredients like volcanic ash, cornstarch and arrowroot powder to get the job done.

Regardless of the reason why you sweat heavily, we’re sure there’s a deodorant made just for you. We tested a variety of products to come up with the following list of the 15 best deodorants for men who sweat a lot.

Whether you lean toward going natural or sticking to a tried-and-tested aluminum-based antiperspirant, read each entry carefully to select the best one for you and your lifestyle.

Deodorants for Men Who Sweat a Lot: Final Words

Though you have just read through our detailed guide to the best deodorants for men who sweat a lot, you may still be unclear on the differences between a deodorant and an antiperspirant.

And even if you have some idea of how the two are different, you might be unsure of which product type to buy to curb your excess sweating. If that’s the case, read our concise explanations below.

Deodorants attack odor-causing bacteria and mask body odor.

Contrary to popular belief, deodorants don’t actually reduce the amount that you sweat; rather, they attack the odor-causing bacteria that give sweat a bad name. They also mask or neutralize your body odor with a pleasant smell. Apart from this dual action of a traditional deodorant, newer, all-natural deodorants commonly contain an ingredient like bentonite to soak up moisture in your underarm area. We find that an all-natural deodorant with some antiperspirant-like effects may be the best of both worlds. More on that below.

Antiperspirants reduce the amount that you sweat, generally through chemical ingredients.

Unlike deodorants, antiperspirants actually reduce the amount of sweat that you produce. Antiperspirants can rely on both natural and chemical ingredients to achieve this, but “true” antiperspirants will always employ chemical substances to block your sweat glands.

This is not necessarily a good thing; after all, you’re effectively using a product to alter the way in which your body naturally functions. Due to this, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) treats antiperspirants as a drug and mandates that active antiperspirant ingredients be included on product labels.

Aluminum is, of course, the most common chemical found in true antiperspirants, and you might see it on a product label in one of various forms, including as aluminum salts, aluminum compounds, aluminum chlorohydrate or aluminum zirconium tetrachlorohydrex GLY. Regardless of its form, at the end of the day you’re using an ingredient to control the flow of sweat from your sweat glands by creating an artificial barrier on the skin’s surface.

A natural deodorant is a safer, eco-friendlier alternative to a chemical antiperspirant.

While nothing is more effective at stopping sweat than an aluminum-based antiperspirant, you might have legitimate health concerns about using one. Claims that the use of aluminum-based deodorants is linked to cancer have largely been debunked, but there are still a variety of understudied health concerns associated with the regular application of an aluminum-based product directly to your skin.

If you want to play it safe, there are a variety of natural antiperspirant alternatives, some of which we included in the above guide. Some of the most popular natural antiperspirant ingredients are cornstarch powder, arrowroot powder, baking soda, vegetable glycerin and aloe vera. All of these ingredients work in the same way and are incredible at absorbing moisture. So, unlike chemical antiperspirants that block your pores, these ingredients allow the sweat to leave your pores and then absorb it into their molecules.

As we have alluded, the reason aluminum antiperspirant is still so popular is that none of these natural alternatives can actually prevent excess sweating. Natural antiperspirants can easily become overwhelmed with moisture and need to be washed away and reapplied frequently.

However, there are some great benefits to natural antiperspirants. For one, they do not work to physically block your pores or alter the way your body works, which is reassuring. Second, they tend to be less irritating for most people. Third, they do not stain your white tops yellow. Yellow stains are actually a side effect of aluminum reacting with sweat.

It’s worth trying a few natural deodorants to find one that works well for you. We love formulas that combine a few of the ingredients mentioned above, alongside bacteria-fighting deodorizers. For example, our No. 1 listed product, the Blu Atlas deodorant, is 100% natural and does not contain any aluminum compounds. It also features bentonite as well as the brand’s signature woodsy scent, so not only does this product work to reduce moisture, but it will leave you smelling like a million bucks.

Whether you end up going natural or sticking with a prescription-grade sweat blocker, we trust that you have learned enough through this guide to make a fully informed buying decision.

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