Arrowroot Naked Deodorant

Myself and solid deodorants from Lush usually don't work. They're either too crumbly, too rough or too stubborn to make me want to continue using them. When the Oxford Street store opened, there were a couple of new introductions that caught my eye for a short while, and I found myself open to the possibility of possibly finding one that I really liked. However, that anticipation was short lived and there has still not been a deodorant that has won me over 100%. Despite its merits, this new release has not been the one to win me over in that way.

Arrowroot Naked Deodorant was probably overlooked by most of the fans and consumers during the Lush Showcase event earlier this year. Many people get into Lush solely for the bath products, and most tend to branch out over time. However, not many people go as far as to invest their time into testing out the odd array of deodorants that the company currently offer, and it's unlikely that anybody would actually get excited about a product like this over Lush's more innovative releases.

Having said that, I found that I was rather intrigued by Arrowroot from the get go. There was something strangely comforting about the scent that it gave off: a slightly sweet, charcoal smell: very reminiscent of Dark Angels Facial Cleanser. The inclusion of both the sandalwood and rosewood allows a warming base of woody tones to make up a big part of this smell, although there is something sweet and resinous here at the same. This is not a smell that you'd want to wear as a perfume. However, it's non-offensive as well.

The idea behind Arrowroot is that you massage this under your arm pit, once you've had a shower or bath, and it will keep you smelling fresh and clean throughout the day. As this is not an antiperspirant, you shouldn't expect it to prevent you from sweating full stop. It just masks the smell that could come about throughout your day, and allows you to smell and feel clean until you top up.

What I liked about this deodorant was the shape. Designed to look like a miniature rock (about the size of a small pear), this limited edition fits perfectly under your armpit so you can apply it easily. Furthermore, if you allow your armpits to remain a little damp after your shower, I found that Arrowroot worked really effectively at leaving its residue on your skin. Try to apply this to completely dry armpits and you'll just end up irritating the skin.

First time tryers may be a little alarmed when they notice a black layer of oils remaining on the skin, but this is perfectly normal and will absorb into the skin over time. Much like it is off of the skin, the fragrance of this isn't particularly strong, so you don't have to worry that you'll smell horrible once the deodorant has been applied.

What I will say is that Arrowroot did leave me feeling really clean for an hour or two, but within a couple of hours I felt like I needed to re-apply another dosage so that I could remain confident that I was smelling and feeling clean. A few hours later, the same thing. And again. And again. Normally I can leave a shop-bought deodorant on for the whole day, and maybe have to top it up once. However, this one I felt I needed to do it a lot more.

Given how little Arrowroot shrunk over the two months I used it solidly, I would say that if this works for you, it is great value for money. As far as Lush deodorants go, it's one of the best for sure, and certainly works a lot better than previous variations. However, this does need to be applied multiple times, and it certainly doesn't mask more than very gentle smells. If you sweat a lot, or want to feel really clean and confident that your deodorant is working, this may not be the one for you. It was a nice try Lush, but you still haven't won me over with this range.

Quantitative Ingredients: Arrowroot Powder (Manihot utilissima), Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter (Theobroma cacao), Fair Trade Shea Butter (Butyrospermum parkii), Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (Cocos nucifera), Sodium Bicarbonate, Water (Aqua), Perfume, *Linalool, Sandalwood Powder (Santalum austro-caledonicum vieill), Sandalwood Oil (Santalum austro-caledonicum vieill), Rosewood Oil (Aniba rosaeodora), Charcoal, *Farnesol, *Geraniol.

Vegan?: Yes.

2018 Price: £4.95 for each.

Year Of Original Release: 2018.