Full disclosure: I DO NOT make any money or get any promotional kickbacks from Lumē for my review. I am reviewing this product only as a consumer/customer. Click HERE for my current follow-up review of this product.
That being said, I feel there’s something else you should know. I’m stinky. Well, not right now but more often than I’d like to admit. I’m a mom, and unfortunately, I’m pretty low on my own priority list. So my showers usually happen at night before I go to bed and after the cubs are already sleeping. I’ll be real and admit that I don’t get the luxury of a daily shower. I sometimes have to go a few days without showering because sleep is more important to me than de-stinkifying myself. I’ve also been blessed with prodigious stink-making abilities, so deodorant has been my best friend since puberty.
All of this together means that my deodorant is usually working overtime to keep me socially acceptable. Years ago, when pit stains were the biggest of my insecurities, I depended on clinical-strength deodorants to keep me sweat and stink-free. Unfortunately, those are terrible for the endocrine system, affecting the body’s hormone production. In retrospect, it actually explains a lot about my hormone struggles through the years. In recent years, I’ve been using regular Dove deodorant because it has been the gentlest on my skin while also working well to keep me stink-free.
In the past, I’ve tried a couple different natural deodorant options, neither of which worked for me. I’ve heard some people say that natural deodorants work, but you have to be willing to let your body adjust to them. Sorry, I don’t have time for that. I don’t want to stink for what could be weeks or months just because I’m “working through a few things.” So I’ve been convinced for a while that I would never find a “natural” deodorant that works for stinky ol’ me.
Recently, an ad came through my Facebook feed (sometimes marketing works, people) that caught my eye. I’ll admit that it initially caught my eye because it was a video commercial with a lot of bright colors. But as I watched, I noticed their added humor about what is normally a fairly taboo topic. A silly ad for deodorant? I’m listening… The best part of the commercial, in my opinion, was that every time I came up with a question about the product, they answered it! By the end of it, I was sold. I jumped online and bought some. But I was still skeptical.
They claim that this deodorant, called Lumē, is an aluminum-free alternative to most others on the market. I have personal reasons for wanting to pursue an aluminum-free deodorant, but without getting preachy, HERE is a simple article giving some insight into aluminum-based deodorants and how they can affect our bodies.
The Lumē brand also claims it can be used anywhere externally on the body where odor occurs. It was developed by a gynecologist who wanted to find a better way to kill odor causing bacteria without using materials that could harm your body. They sell both a stick-style deodorant and a tube/cream-style to be applied with your hand. Both seem to be the same formula, just different applications.
The first thing I noticed when I tried this product was the smell. It was a little strong for me. It was citrus-y and almost chemical-y. (Yes, those are scientific adjectives.) I’m still not a huge fan of the scent, but I found out through further research that they also sell an unscented version, which I plan to try next. Yes, you read that right! I do plan to purchase this product again. Here’s why:
The Lumē brand claims that you can get 72 hours of protection out of their product. That is still up in the air for me. I chickened out after about 30 hours. Thankfully, the product did seem to continue working, but I could tell it had started to wear out its effectiveness around the 24 hour mark. It also could be that once my body adjusts to the bacteria balance, I may get longer use out of one application. But I’ll have to add an update at a later time when I’ve done some further testing.
The biggest positive I found in this product is that it worked. It kept me from getting stinky for at least 24 hours, even while chasing down toddler bear all day and juggling a breastfeeding baby bear. I actually felt like I sweated a little less than I normally would as well, but that could have been a fluke. Since I’ve been consistently taking my amazing multivitamin and probiotics for the last couple years, they have helped me balance my hormones, which, in turn, has helped regulate my body temperature and decrease my usual intense sweating. But I’ll go into that further in a future post.
The only negatives I found about the Lumē products are the price and the smell. It’s a pricey stick of deodorant at about $14 and $19 for the tube. Yikes! I know. But with the idea that it should last about three times as long as your daily-application, aluminum-filled deodorant, it evens out to be about the same cost over time. One great thing I noticed is that they offer free shipping, which probably means that the shipping cost is built into the price of the product. Something to keep in mind any time a product claims “free shipping.” But, hey, at least I didn’t have to see an additional cost in my checkout cart. As for the smell, I’m curious to see if their “unscented” scent is truly unscented and keeps me…unscented.
Overall, I would give Lumē deodorant a positive review. It is the first deodorant I’ve tried that has eliminated the need for aluminum but has worked immediately and for a realistic length of time. I normally expect to re-apply my deodorant daily. But with all other natural deodorants I have tried in the past, I had to re-apply them multiple times a day. That is wasteful and annoying. Lumē seems to have found a good recipe for healthy and effective. If it was just mediocre, I probably would not have wasted my time writing a review.
I give this product: 4 out of 5 Bear Tracks!
I’m happy you like it. Thank you for reading!
Of course! I have an ongoing list of ideas that cover all topics I’m interested in writing about. I started this list well before I began my blog. I add ideas to it all the time. When I make the time to write an article, I go through the list and pick a topic I’m interested in or that is most relevant at the time and write about it. I try to keep my list organized according to topics. As long as you’re regularly adding topics you’ll never run out of ideas.There are also great lists on Pinterest of article topic ideas.
Hey! I see this post is from January. Could you update us on your experience with the unscented version? I’m trying to decide whether to buy this.
Sorry, but I haven’t tried the unscented version yet. I didn’t even know they had that option until I already had my regular one. I’m still working my way through that set before I buy another one but I can definitely update it once I do. I can imagine it’s probably the best option though because I’m not fond of the smell they use in the scented version but I’m guessing the formulas are the same.
Are you still using your original product?
I just placed my order for the unscented bundle! Thanks for your input!
I’ve been using the unscented for about 2 weeks. I’m happy with it, but the stick seems to go much faster since you can’t control how much you use as well as with the tube. I went to meet my new grandson this past weekend and forgot the stick. A pea-sized bit from the tube was plenty for my underarms and kept me stink-free from Saturday morning until….now. I just checked. 😉 This was in and out in over 90 F heat and 80% humidity. I was sweaty many times and a little stressed when my ex and his new family showed up, too!
There is a slight scent to the unscented. I can’t think of what it reminds me of, but it is not a chemical smell. Thanks for your review, which led me to purchase. Now to look at R&F lash serum…..
I’ve been using the unscented for three days (I’m new to Lume so steered clear of the scented version on the advice of my cousin who turned me on to the product). And so far… holy cow. I smell like basically nothing…. for a really long time!! I’m a sweaty sweaty human, and this kept me odor free for about 16 hours or so the first time I tried it, and it’s lasted a bit longer each day. So far so good. If I continue getting these results, this is all I will use going forward. No old deodorant smell on my body or clothes, just my perfume (when I decide to put some on)!
Have you tried the unscented one yet?
I wanted to try that next. I haven’t yet. I actually didn’t notice that they had the unscented version until I had already ordered and received the regular one. D’oh! Once I do try it I can update this review though.
As someone who has had many of my favorite shirts (and other articles of clothing) ruined by deodorant or sweat stains and bad odor, a positive review for deodorant that promises it won’t ruin my clothes is awesome. Thank you for the review!
You’re very welcome! So far so good on that part of it. I found that the Lume will sometimes leave a dry, powdery residue on clothes immediately after applying but it washes out easily. It didn’t always leave the residue though. Maybe it only happened when I applied too much.
Did you happen to use it “down there,” as is advertised?
I did! I’m not sure why I hadn’t included that in my review. I’m not really a shy person, I must have just forgot. Thank you for asking! It seemed to work well down there too but I don’t think I used it consistently enough to really get a good feel for how well it worked for more than one day in a row. This is probably TMI but I’m not really shy about these things. As a mom of two, I have folds in places I didn’t used to so I used it there. Because it’s not an antiperspirant, it didn’t help with sweat, but I did notice it helped keep me fresher longer. I hope this helps!
This is super helpful! Thank you for the update that you are still using.
I ordered this as soon as I saw the ad. I haven’t had the chance to try it yet but I can attest to how important it is to detox from aluminum deodorants. My first go with natural was a homemade that contained bentonite clay. It took a couple weeks to get used to the texture and deliberately going without regular antiperspirant, but I honestly feel better than I have in YEARS about BO. I thought I had over active sweat glands, the switch dramatically decreased my sweat and because my glands were no longer clogged with bacteria, when I did sweat it didn’t smell as awful as before. Excited to try this! If anyone is Uber sweaty and stinky, leaving aluminum behind and detoxing is the best thing to do!
I really appreciate you sharing that! I think you’re very right about the detoxing part of it. I also felt that my sweat lessened once my pores started to clear out. Since trying the Lume, I’ve gone back to my old deodorant- not because I didn’t like the Lume, but because I had several saved up and I hate wasting things >.< But, I know I'll be going back to the Lume once I've used those up. I'm also using this time as a kind of experiment to be able to compare what my body does when going back to my usual antiperspirant. Maybe I'll write a follow-up post about the things I've learned!
Is it also an antiperspirant? I HATE sweaty pits!
I don’t believe that it is because it contains no aluminum. Aluminum is the ingredient used in antiperspirants to reduce sweating. I hate sweaty pits too and I’ve always been a big sweaty mess, haha! BUT! I can tell you that once my body begins to acclimate to the Lume, my pits seem to go through a bit of a detox period and eventually adjust to the more natural ingredients. I’ve noticed that when I use the Lume deodorant consistently, the amount my body sweats actually seems to lessen over time. I definitely can’t guarantee this can happen for everyone but I encourage you to stay with the product consistently if you try it. Your body may need to go through an adjustment period. I hope this helps you!
Thanks for your review, it definitely helps with decision making. One thing I haven’t heard of yet, is does it SHOW on your pits? I know it says that it doesn’t ruin your shirts, but is it noticeable on your skin? Like many will leave white, noticeable “pills”, does this one look invisible or can you see it?
Thanks for your review, it definitely helps with decision making. One thing I haven’t heard of yet, is does it SHOW on your pits? I know it says that it doesn’t ruin your shirts, but is it noticeable on your skin? Like many will leave white, noticeable “pills”, does this one look invisible or can you see it?
I’m really glad you asked. This is something I will include in my next review because this is something I’m usually curious about, myself. I have found that when I first put it on, I can see a bit of the residue but only a few minutes later (I’m assuming as soon as it is absorbed into your skin) it completely disappears. No little white pills, no crusty residue, no noticeable coloring on your pits at all. I would say this is probably the first deodorant I’ve found that works well AND is completely invisible once absorbed. I hope this helps you! Thank you for asking!
Exactly what I was hoping for! Thank you so much!
No problem! Glad to help.
Thank you for the review and added comments!
You’re very welcome!
Question: does it sting/burn applying it after shaving? I’ve had that with other deodorants but can’t identify an ingredient that causes it.
Actually, I just tested that out the other day! I know exactly the feeling you’re talking about. I’ve experienced that in the past with other deodorants. Thankfully, I did NOT experience that sting with the Lumē. I’m not sure what ingredient would cause that but my guess would be the aluminum. Maybe I’ll have to do some research into that. Thank you for the great question!
So glad I found this article/review! I’ve been using pit stuff since I was in 6th grade (I’m 37). I’ve always hated the whole aluminum controversy, but growing up in hot SoCal, I dealt with it because sweaty pits are embarrassing!! I’ve never worn light colors or been comfortable showing my pits. Even now. But I want to try this. My question is, how long did you detox for?? I’m a SAHM mom now, so I could do it with minimal embarrassment, but I would want to start, er, fresh, so to speak. Thanks for a great insight!!
I really appreciate your question! I would suggest using the winter months to detox because for me the summer was brutal. During the summer I ended up stinking much worse than I had anticipated. I would say in the winter it only took me a week or two for my skin to get used to it but during the summer between the heat and my hard physical yard work, it took me a couple months to detox. Yikes! But I’ve also been struggling with getting my hormones back under control after having my second baby and finally finishing breastfeeding in the middle of summer. You might have an easier time. Give it a try, it might surprise you. Just know you’re not alone! I’ve dealt with those same things my whole life. I hope this helps you!