If I'm being honest, I've never been a deodorant user. It's not that I don't sweat or stink; it's simply that deodorant products weren't in my Korean household growing up. Allegedly, (most) Asians don't produce as much sweat or body odor due to genetics. Now, I'm no scientist, but there must be some truth to this claim. Because for a country that's rather obsessive about all its other beauty and skin-care products, you really won't find deodorant in South Korea. But to say Asians don't smell is a very broad, very generalized, and very untrue statement because (even if I'm in the minority?) I do sweat and I do stink — a lot. In fact, my body odor has only gotten funkier as I've started to age. As a chickie who has never touched deodorant in 30-plus years, I knew my antiperspirant journey had to start off strong — and I so happened to find a decent sweat solution in natural deodorant brand Duradry and its innovative "three-step system." (Use code DRY15 at checkout for 15% off your first order.)
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Duradry 3-Step System, $37.50
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The Duradry 3-Step System consists of a standard deodorant stick for the morning, a gel for the evening, and a wash product for the shower. With the powers of all three products combined, Duradry promises this system can help banish body odor and help sweaty folks achieve "full dryness" in a week or less. Now, I don't need to reach ultimate dryness, personally — but 602 reviewers, 91% of whom gave these products a perfect five stars, have attested to how Duradry's trifecta of products, reporting it gave them the confidence to be themselves again (especially in the heat of the summertime). For those who are super sweaty, Duradry seems to be a miracle worker.
"I have dealt with excessive sweating for years. I have tried everything from clinical strength, Mitchum, Certain Dri, and more. I do agree that the entire system is best but I personally noticed improvement from the wash and deodorant before even using the overnight," writes reviewer JC.
The game-changing product for me would have to be the Duradry Wash, which has more of a paste consistency and doesn't suds up like soap. What I do is squeeze some of this scentless wonder into my hand in the shower, then massage it into my pits, underboob, and bikini areas. After the initial rinse, I then follow up with my normal bar soap routine. What I appreciate most about this wash product is that it's completely scentless and, for a product that promotes dryness, is infused with vitamins and minerals that still help lock in moisture. With all that said about scents, I'm not the biggest fan of the AM stick, mostly because it's the only product that's heavily scented (you can choose between four fragrant options), but I will say that the stick does work well under sweat-inducing circumstances (see: tennis matches, hot girl walks, etc).
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I have to mention: The one product that isn't part of the three-step system that I've used the absolute most is the Duradry Body Spray, which I like to substitute for the AM stick. It's everything I want a deodorant product to be: completely unscented, quick-drying, aluminum-free. And, because it's a spray product, it can be spritzed under the arms as well as other parts of the body (I like to spray it on my feet before I put on socks). The only downside is that I haven't really figured out how to aim and spray with control — for instance, when I try to spray my underarm using my less-dominant left hand, the liquid doesn't come up the pump the way it's supposed to and I'm kind of left with a leaky contraption and a hand dripping in this precious solution. My workaround is to simply unscrew the top, tip the bottle onto my palms, and dab the product onto my body parts where I tend to sweat the most.
After several weeks of using deodorant products for the first time in my life, I have to say things have been going pretty well — my pits don't smell like vinegar anymore, and I'm learning to better tame my perspiration around the clock. "I finally found something that has really changed my life. [After two weeks] my pit stains are gone and the days of dripping sweat for no reason are in the past," agrees reviewer CM, of Duradry's odor-combatting wonders. "Highly recommend if you are someone with severe hyperhidrosis." Could this be the beginning of a new life chapter for me as an Asian who now uses deodorant products? With Duradry, I'm willing to sweat the big stuff, the small stuff, and the medium stuff, knowing that I at least have body odor under decent control.
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