The best deodorant I ever used was Mitchum Deodorant but that has aluminium in and some of the things people say about that particular ingredient are kind of scary, like actual real life scary not just I’m afraid of ponging a little bit scary. So although some of the claims are not fully substantiated, if I can go natural and not have to worry about that at all, surely that’s the better option.

Enter nuud. nuud kept popping up on my timeline and after a little research I thought I’d give it a go.

The first thing to know is that it’s not actually a deodorant. In fact, they describe it as an anti-odorant. It was a very long time until I realised deodorant and antiperspirant are not interchangeable. But that’s okay, I’m not afraid of a little sweat!

I’d read that when switching to a natural deodorant, you may wish to do an armpit detox. I was on the fence about it for a few days and in the end decided to save my clay for my hair. If you wish to do it, it’s basically a clay mask that you put on/ in your pits to remove all traces of chemicals and give you a fresh canvas. But there are just as many articles saying do it as there are saying don’t. So it’s up to you.

What I did do was shave. That was my prep Lockdown got me looking like a lady werewolf.

nuud

The nuud website is super informative and after purchase you get lots, and I mean a lot, of emails about how to use it with tips and tricks and a call to action to buy more. Obviously.

I purchased a single tube (starter pack), although there is a duo pack (smarter pack) and also a subscription service (never without nuud) but I needed to know how it worked first before I committed to more than one £12.95 tube at a time. My purchase was made on the 17th July and my tube arrived on the 28th. The company is based in the Netherlands and they offer free shipping worldwide. 👍🏾
The main reason I chose nuud over other brands was the claim that it works for 3-7 days. Seven days, really? And apparently you don’t even need to wash your pits – I guess the logic is that it’s not smelling and underarms don’t really get dirty but…🤷🏾‍♀️. We know how the world turned on it’s head when we found out some people don’t wash their legs, unwashed pits…nah!

What’s in it that actually makes it work?

Well I’ll let them tell you because they’ll say it better than me:

“nuud only has 10 ingredients. The most important one is micro silver, which naturally prevents the smell of perspiration, without blocking the pores or irritating the skin. In addition, we use certified, natural ingredients such as coconut oil, carnauba palm wax and almond oil, to keep the micro silver in place. This is what makes nuud so extremely nuud. Simple.”

Night One (03.08.20)

Night 2 (04.08.20)

I’m still feeling fresh which is great, a whole 24 hours later. I’ve had a full day working from home, stuck in the house in the afternoon while the heating is on because it’s broken on a very warm day and then an evening of painting. This is definitely a lot of activity for me on such a hot day. That’s quite the test and nuud has done a brilliant job. I was definitely sweating at times and I felt the clamminess in my pits but nuud has kept me odour free. I’m impressed.

The main reason I bought nuud was because I wanted to remove aluminium from my underarms, I wanted something natural and if it got me through the work day I’d be happy but this is already doing more. A lot of deodorants/ antiperspirants boast of being able to be worn for 24/48 or even 72 hours and nuud says you can get up to 7 days wear. Would I be one of the lucky few?

I didn’t re-wash my pits when I showered before bed which went against every washing instinct I’ve cultivated since I was a kid. They do say you can shower normally and even say in their FAQs that you might not need to wash your pits at all. I don’t think armpits actually get dirty and if they don’t smell, is it one less thing to do?

But I can’t see how this is possibly true, if you do wash under your arms, how do you not wash the product away?

Night 3 (05.08.20)

Night 4 (06.08.20)

Night 5 (07.08.20)

Night 6 (08.08.20)

I started noticing my left side is smelling more but not in an awful way but more than I would like. My left side is clearly a problem and does not know it’s place.

Night 7 (09.08.20)

Time for another wash and reapply situation.

Night 8 (10.08.20)

Again, I’m having to reapply on the left. Whatever was working in those first few days isn’t working anymore! I’m only reapplying on the left side tonight but washed both sides. The right with water only. Weirdly, the left side stung a little when I put it on but I haven’t shaved since just before this started so over a week ago, am I having a reaction? 😲

Night 9 (11.08.20)

Nuud are really good at communicating, in fact, possibly too good. Considering they literally only sell one item, I’m shocked they have so much to talk about! However, one suggestion is as follows:

“Be patient, you’ll be fine! …The longer you use Nuud, the longer its effect. Here’s why: The longer you use Nuud, the less bacteria come back, hence the less often you will have to apply Nuud.”

So maybe I need to go through a few tubes to get to optimal efficiency from it. Do I have the time and the money for that?

The Conclusion

It did not last 3-7 days but in the end, every other day and occasionally a little longer. L It lasted just over 13 weeks, meaning I’d need to buy it about 4 times a year – not bad. I’m not sure how it would fare in a normal summer where I’m out and about. Summer 2020 was kind of a bust – I’d normally be more active and I’d wear a vest or two (pits on show). I didn’t like how it went on, the residue it leaves on your underarms and your fingers is not the look. And both hands have to get messy when you apply it unless you’re a contortionist. However, I didn’t notice any staining and that’s something.

However, it really works, it really does. The Night 8 stinging was luckily a one off. The pros – it has great ingredients, a great company ethos, a recycled and recyclable tube, Vegan and cruelty free. I might buy this again but what it really does is make me want to try other natural deodorants. That’s great because it could have done the opposite and put me off.

And if the others don’t work as well and nuud becomes the one, I’ll just have to get used to never wearing a vest again!

Let’s keep having fresh pits together!