These Great Deodorants Will Help You Get Sweat and Body Odor Under Control

When it comes to the best deodorants for men, there are more options than ever and it can be tough to figure out where to start.

Besides your toothbrush, the best deodorant for men is the most important grooming product in your bathroom. Like how a toothbrush works to keep your mouth smelling fresh, a deodorant works to keep your pits stain-free and smelling fresh, saving you (and your shirt) from that pungent body odor smell.

Antiperspirant vs Deodorant

When picking a new deodorant, there are a few things to consider. The first is whether you want an antiperspirant deodorant or not.

The difference between antiperspirant and deodorant is that antiperspirants contain aluminum, which blocks sweat glands and actively reduces sweating. That doesn’t mean regular aluminum-free deodorant won’t reduce sweating through some combination of other key ingredients, but it won’t reduce sweat as well as a true antiperspirant with aluminum. And hey, the deodorant stick will definitely still help cover up the smell of body odor by fighting bacteria and adding a pleasant scent on top.

That said, if you’re a heavy sweater, antiperspirant might do the trick instead of regular aluminum-free deodorant.

How to Pick the Best Men’s Deodorant

In addition to choosing between antiperspirant and deodorant, there are a lot of other factors you’ll put into choosing the right men’s deodorant.

First, think about whether the best deodorant for you is scented or unscented. Most guys go for something that adds a nice scent, but some guys (especially fans of cologne) prefer a fragrance-free deodorant.

Then you have to make a choice that your dad probably didn’t have to: natural or not. Some of the best deodorants for men are now natural deodorants that promise not to harm your body with chemicals while reducing body odor. However, some aren’t truly natural, and others just don’t work all that well.

Finally, you can also pick between a regular deodorant stick or a spray-on deodorant, but that doesn’t make much difference as far as effectiveness goes.

So if you’re ready for a deodorant upgrade, read on. We’ve rounded up a few of the best deodorants for men that might just replace your ol’ reliable. We already have exclusive coverage on the best spray-on deodorants and the best antiperspirant deodorants, so we mostly focused on identifying new, great stick deodorants. But just so you’ve got options, this round-up includes great picks from all of the above, including a best overall pick for deodorant and antiperspirant, so whichever you prefer, we’ve got you covered.

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Best Antiperspirant Deodorants

For some guys, regular deodorant doesn’t cut it for sweat and body odor. If that’s the case, we suggest a proper antiperspirant such as this one from Dove Men+Care. It’s tougher on sweat than regular deodorant, but unlike some prescription-strength antiperspirants, it doesn’t irritate skin. Using a light moisturizer, this 48-hour protectant deodorant actually hydrates your skin when it’s applied, keeping your pits healthy in the long term and happy throughout the day. For under $20, Dove Men+Care makes a pack of the best men’s deodorant for sensitive skin.

Mitchum is an all-around antiperspirant deodorant every guy needs to know about in 2021. The smell and the sweat protection qualities are unmatched and it makes less yellow stains than competing antiperspirants. Mitchum is also one of the few antiperspirants that lives up to its marketing. It used to be marketed as “so effective you can skip a day,” and we have no idea why Mitchum stopped because this is one of the most effective two-day deodorants we’ve ever tried for both preventing sweat and body odor.  The best deodorants for men offer great dryness, but that with comes great responsibility to keep the pits not too dry. That’s why Mitchum added aloe vera and vitamin E to its formula, so you’ll stay sweat-free without losing your skin’s natural moisture.

If you’re a common tee-wearer, then you know all about white or yellow stains that appear on the pits of your T-shirts after a few weeks of wearing deodorant. That’s where Degree’s UltraClear Black+White Antiperspirant Deodorant Stick can help keep you stain free. Though the deodorant uses a common active aluminum ingredient — aluminum is usually the yellow stain culprit — to block sweat, we’ve been using this deodorant for weeks on both white T-shirts and black T-shirts and have yet to see the frustrating stains, a true antiperspirant miracle. If stains have been slowly killing off your favorite T-shirts over the years, Degree’s Black+White antiperspirant is the best deodorant for men. It will help your shirts last longer without pit stains.

Surprise! Gillette, one of the world’s best-known razor and shaving cream brands makes deodorant for that’s engineered for heavy sweaty protection. If you’re familiar with their line of shave-related products, you’ll know that Gillette is one of the most trusted brands for men in general, so know that this men’s deodorant stick is just as trustworthy. It has 48-hour sweat and odor protection to keep your pits dry and smelling fresh for hours upon hours. It goes on and stays on completely clear, too, which is great for those of you who stain shirt after shirt-wearing deodorant.

Some people sweat a little, some people sweat a lot. Certain Dri Prescription Strength Clinical Antiperspirant is for the latter group. Unlike other antiperspirant deodorants for men, Certain Dri uses a special kind of aluminum to block sweat glands better than almost any other alternative. Because the aluminum ingredient, aluminum chloride, has among the smallest aluminum-based molecules, it can better penetrate your armpits and stop sweating in its tracks before you ever notice any moisture. It’s so successful at blocking sweat that it’s doctor recommended to fight hyperhidrosis, a condition characterized by excessive sweating.

To maximize the effectiveness of the antiperspirant, Certain Dri recommends applying at night before bed on dry underarms. The dryness is important because when your armpits are damp, say after you just get out of the shower, the antiperspirant has a harder time setting up camp and getting into your sweat glands. But if you do that successfully and the antiperspirant absorbs properly, it won’t even wash out in the shower and you can expect a solid three days of minimal sweating and underarm freshness. Your body will eventually kick the aluminum out and you’ll have to reapply, but there are few antiperspirants that offer as much protection in the interim as Certain Dri.

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Best Sport Deodorants

This three-pack of Old Spice Pure Sport comes in at just over $10. As is the case with all Old Spice offerings, this blue solid deodorant stick smells great and will keep you smelling great all day and at a great price to boot. This is a fan favorite for a multitude of reasons — so much so, that we’d expect you’re probably rocking Old Spice under your arms right now. It’s affordable, effective and eliminates body odor great. What else could you need?

Axe Deodorant is the best smelling deodorant for men. It is one of the cheaper options for dudes ready to keep their pits fresh and dry before and after tough workouts. Yeah sure, it may have gotten a bad rap in the last few years, but it wouldn’t be around still if it didn’t work and smell great. Believe it or not, one of their newest sticks “Phoenix” has a delicious scent and the ability to keep moisture down despite not containing aluminum. As a heads-up, this Axe deodorant comes in a gel as opposed to the white powder (which is the antiperspirant version). It’s good to know because gels can sometimes cause irritation depending on your skin. So if you’d prefer the white powder version, we suggest looking elsewhere.

It’s been around forever, it’s tried and true, it’s the one and only Speed Stick Deodorant. Sure, it might be basic and it’s certainly not what you would call a sexy deodorant. But let’s face it, a good deodorant for men doesn’t need fancy branding or marketing campaigns to keep your armpits fresh and clean for hours with a musky, masculine scent. Given how cheap the pack of four is, the risk is low if you don’t like it and the reward is high if you do.

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Best Spray Deodorants

Dove’s spray-on antiperspirant is a best-selling deodorant for men because it’s affordable and works very well. The aluminum-based spray antiperspirant formula uses moisturizer to fight skin irritation and will keep your armpits fresh and clean. While we could send you to buy a single can, in our experience, we go through sprays faster than stick deodorants, so we think you should go for the pack of six. Among the packs you can buy of this great spray deodorant antiperspirant, the pack of six offers the best value without you having to sink too much money upfront.

It’s a close race between Degree and Dove Men+Care for the best spray antiperspirant and overall we think people will find they both work pretty great as far as instant-dry sprays go. Degree claims 72 hours of protection while Dove claims 48 hours of protection, which puts them slightly ahead in terms of time. We tend to be skeptical of most claims of multi-day protection, but we can attest that both of these deodorants are good for at least a day and some change if you’re not physically very active. Degree is also more about the masculine scents than Dove, which chooses to go for simpler, cleaner scents. If manly fragrance is more your thing, we’d recommend Degree’s Victory spray, which smells of juniper and vanilla.

Getting out and getting active? No matter what sport is your go-to, Right Guard will help you play on. This spray deodorant has 24-hour protection, making it great for sports daily activities. With just one spray, you’ll have complete coverage on your pits. It neutralizes body odor by masking it with a great scent we’re sure you’ll love, too. This two-pack is totally inexpensive on Amazon, so even if you hate it, you won’t have had spent too much money on it.

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Best Aluminum-Free & Natural Deodorants

Schmidt’s Aluminum-Free Natural Deodorant uses non-aluminum key ingredients to help keep your pits sweat-free, odor-free, and stain-free. Magnesium provides antioxidants and some antibacterial effects while charcoal uses adsorption to suck up moisture and toxins. The end result is a natural but effective deodorant that’s widely approved among Amazon reviewers, with four out of five users giving it five stars. The only real downside is the price. These are fairly pricey for stick deodorants, even if they work great, so this might not be the best deodorant for men on a budget.

While the top pick and some picks below are also natural, Tom’s of Maine is one of the best natural deodorants for men out there for a number of reasons. It’s a Certified B Corporation, which means it meets certain environmental and social benchmarks, it gives 10 percent of profits to charity and perhaps most important for consumers, the company is transparent about its ingredients, why it’s using them and what they do. Living up to that promise, Tom’s of Maine Stick Deodorant only uses naturally derived ingredients, with no artificial preservatives or fragrances. Propylene glycol helps absorb water, hops and glyceryl laurate fight odor and aloe and sunflower seed oil keep your armpits healthy and irritation-free. Tom’s of Maine Stick Deodorant is a great aluminum-free deodorant for men seeking natural key ingredients and it’ll live up to the hype and keep your armpits fresh and clean.

It seems that baking soda is the world’s most dynamic product. Baking, cleaning, freshening up — no wonder it’s a must-have in the deodorant of today. Of course, Arm & Hammer is where it’s at when it comes to baking soda, so their deodorant is most definitely one to trust. Like all the best natural deodorants for men, Arm & Hammer uses only natural key ingredients with plant extracts and juniper berry. Arm & Hammer’s deodorant protects your pits for 24 hours total to keep you smelling and feeling fresh. In addition to keeping your pits clean, it also helps moisturize your skin. Who would have thought deodorant could double act as a moisturizer?

Your best bet for an all-around great deodorant is the MagSol magnesium deodorant. Don’t be fooled by the marketing directed at women: This is one of the best deodorants for men, too. For example, it’s pretty difficult to achieve unanimous approval in online reviews, but this natural deodorant comes pretty darn close with a 4.5-star rating, including reviews from many men. Their conclusions are simple: MagSol has a natural formula that’s easy on sensitive skin, doesn’t result in rashes and still eliminates stink and sweat all day with a nice scent. That’s probably due to the fact this deodorant only has four ingredients: sweet almond oil, beeswax, magnesium oxide to fight odor-causing bacteria and essential oils for fragrance.

We always love a good hunter scent, but you can pick this natural deodorant up in lemongrass and sandalwood, too. Though MagSol is a little pricey for a single stick, it just works great and won’t irritate your armpits.

Oars + Alps may make one of the best natural deodorant for men today. Its non-aluminum key ingredients, like talc, absorb odor and wetness and plant-based ingredients work to keep your skin healthy and not overly dry. The alpine caribou moss ingredient in particular is rich in antioxidants and helps protect your skin against irritation and inflammation. Oars + Alps claims if you switch from an antiperspirant to their deodorant, that you’ll end up with no sweat and body odor after four weeks, once your body has basically purified any aluminum from your pits.

Hume has nothing but natural ingredients you want to rub under your arms — and cool ingredients at that. Using coconut, aloe and cactus, Hume’s deodorant works to eliminate any stank and sweat that might accumulate under your arms, leaving you smelling tropical in the process. Like all of the best deodorants for men, it’s made for performance and even has the power to absorb sweat as it appears, so you can get as active as you want with this on. Here, you won’t find anything you don’t want to see, not even baking soda. It’s a totally clean deodorizer we’re sure you’ll become obsessed with.

Native Deodorant is one of the more popular and well-known natural deodorants for men. Hundreds of men swear by its ability to stop body odor and keep armpits dry. Native relies on magnesium hydroxide, tapioca starch and a friendly probiotic bacteria, lactobacillus acidophilus, to stop odor-causing bacteria while baking soda steps in to deal with moisture. Not to mention, the formula includes coconut oil and shea butter to keep your armpit skin healthy. With all those key ingredients (just 10 in total), Native has your armpits covered on every front, without any sweat-blocking aluminum and without any added fragrance.

As with every natural deodorant that seeks to absorb moisture instead of stopping it at the source like an antiperspirant, be aware this could give you some dryness or a bit of a rash.

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