The Lime Experiment: A Single-Ingredient Natural Deodorant?
Body Natural Beauty Personal Care
Have you heard that lime can be used as a single ingredient, natural deodorant? Let’s put this rumor to the test and see if it works!
So I recently embarked on a little week-long self-experiment: for a week straight, I used lime juice as a deodorant.
Man oh man, this was a risky experiment to conduct in the mid-summer heat! Luckily, it worked out rather well. But we’ll get to all that in a bit…
While I am head-over-heels in love with the DIY all-natural detoxifying deodorant (it keeps me odor-free naturally and pulls toxins from my skin — what more could anyone ask for?), it’s been said that lime juice can be used as a natural deodorant and I’ve been very curious about whether or not this was true.
So…
I juiced a lime, strained the pulp and seeds, and put the juice in a little glass spray bottle. I kept the bottle in the fridge and sprayed it on my underarms every morning for a week.
The big conclusion: it worked! But..
Not as well as my other deodorant (I was a little stinky by bedtime which is not usually the case for me). But it did work.
So will I be making the switch to lime juice? Nope. I’m still very committed to my DIY all-natural detoxifying deodorant. (It’s amazing.)
But this may be an option for others who have a sensitivity to baking soda, cornstarch or arrowroot, common ingredients in many natural deodorants (both DIY and store-bought).
A word of caution before giving it a go:
- It can sting when applied immediately after shaving
- Lime juice and the sun react in such a way that can cause your skin to burn, so absolutely do not apply lime if you are planning on exposing this area of your body to the sun.
But the sweat that’s supposed to go out under your armpits, where does that go?
I’ve been using lime juice for a month now and it has worked wonderful. I do not remove the juice from the lime and I do not have any BO by the end of the day. In fact I feel fresh. Perhaps removing the juice from the lime and storing it in a bottle may alter the lime’s chemical structure causing you to have a bit of an odor. I feel that the lime has been better to me than deodorant. In fact I noticed using dodorant caused my under arms to smell a bit and makes me sweat rather than protect me from both.
I am currently using lime now as my deodorant. After I shower in the morning, I rub half of the lime directly to my armpits. Works best for me however, after a couple of days my armpits would start itching. How can I stop the itching without having to discontinue using the lime as deodorant? Any thoughts?
I use corn starch baby powder with zinc. It helps keep me dry and the zinc keeps the order away. I use it all over my body.
Lime juice works better for me than most deodorants! I love it and have been using it for almost 2 years now
pls, can using of lime as a deodorant cause cancer?
FWIW: So, I use the lime whole. Personally, I think the peel has something to do with its overall effectiveness. I cut off the top, and use the fresh cut side and keep the rest of it in my fridge, marked so it does not get confused as edible. I store it cut side down, and slice a bit off as it gets dry/less than fresh. If you wipe the juice off your pits with a damp washcloth about a minute or two after applying, the sun irritation is non existent, and it still works for 24 hours for me. The lime can be used for almost a month, if it’s a big and juicy one.
The citric acid acts as an astringent on the pores and even seems to keep me from sweating as much.
There is no deodorant, not even a prescription strength that works on me! My armpits literally smell bad after a couple hours even after reapplying no matter what deodorant :/ I’ve been using lime for about half a year and it works great for me! I have found that its not as effective if i use it from a spray bottle, it works best if you cut lime in half & rub it directly on your pits! Last summer i went to Disney world and it kept me from not smelling bad. If you sweat more, it sonetimes may be necessary to reapply! It does sting for a bit after shaving but it’s well worth it! 🙂
That’s so great to hear, Nakai!! Thanks for sharing 🙂
So I’ve been doing the lime thing for about a week and am so glad…
I’d got to the point where mens deodorant didn’t work for me, I’m a dancer and I just couldn’t interact with anyone once I’d danced coz the sweat was unreal. . .I figured I’ve nothing to lose…I’ve danced quit intensely on a couple of occasions and no problems…fresh and clean!!! I keep half a lime in the bathroom to top up as the day goes if need be but first thing and laSt thing at night is working well..
I haven’t tried line but I have been using lemon for the last month and it works great. Just slice a piece, rub under your arms, and move alone. Works like a charm.
By “stains” do you mean your sweat? No natural deodorant will prevent you from sweating because antiperspirant is unnatural and very unhealthy. Sweat is natural! People need to embrace it. I’m sweaty. Whatever.
I have used lime juice from time to time, my grandmother told me about this natural deodorant. I mainly have used it because I can not for the life of me find a deodorant that will clear my arm pit stains. Over the summer its so embarrassing to use any color other than black or white because I stain my arm pit with any other color shirt. Any suggestions other than lime juice?
Awesome!
My mother and I use lemon and lime juice as deodorants as well! It’s the best! Thanks for sharing!
I am a man and have been using lemon juice or lime juice for over a year now. It is absolutely the best natural deodorant I have ever tried hand down. Both my daughters and my wife use it as well. I don’t understand this concern about exposure to sun light we have never had any problems. Just apply 3 or 4 drops of juice (its not the oil) to each arm pit let it dry and you are ready to go. If you shave it can sting slightly but you wont die. We just keep a cut lemon in the fridge and all of us use it.
Oh true! Never even thought of that…
You might try adding lime EO to your recipe for extra de-odorizing power. 😉
Glad to hear the lime works for you!
The lime has definitely worked for me, no odor what-so-ever. Deodorants have never been effective, at least not for me. I’ve tried Toms which is a natural deodorant and I would immediately smell. I’ve also made the my own deodorant with baking soda which definitely works but and it has turned my armpits dark and then it starts to peel and itch. The lime is great