When we first set about cleaning up our cosmetics bags we kept running into two big obstacles. The first: finding a mascara that didn’t run down our faces at each blink. The second? Antiperspirant. Of course, our bodies are designed to sweat for a reason—but that doesn’t make pit stains any more fun. And even if you can live with a bit of wetness, nobody wants to stink—I don’t care what the Discovery Channel has told you about B.O.’s powers of attraction.

Many of the naturals we tried would work for a few days, even a few weeks, but then suddenly…not to much. In the end we did find a few deodorants, some of them DIY, that we loved. We’re also not above reaching for the bad, pore-blocking stuff on very special occasions—you know, when a dress (or a dancing partner) needs added protection.

In our Good series this week, Siobhan takes us through some of antiperspirant’s worse offenders and shares one of our absolute favorites. Have you discovered a natch one that works for you?

From Siobhan’s post:

Antiperspirant has long been the punching bag of the personal-care world: It’s been slammed with claims about how it causes Alzheimer’s and breast cancer, it’s been blacklisted by crusading hippies, and it’s been the subject of many “please forward to everyone you know” emails. It’s true that long before people were wondering what was in their shampoo, they were a little nervous about their deodorant or antiperspirant. And yet we all use it, every day, and for good reason: Smelling sucks.

But even as the viral scares have died down, many experts still think we’re better off not using the stuff. In order to better understand why, it’s helpful to look at some of the main ingredients used in them and figure out what, if anything, there is to be scared about. Then the better part: what to use instead.

Keep reading here.

Illustration by Brianna Harden