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OK, so I know natural deodorant is nothing new here.

You guys have undoubtedly heard about it, read about it, perhaps you're already using one? But I have to admit something: despite how much it's trending right now and how much my friends had raved about their new favorite brand, I hadn't made the switch until very recently. Two weeks ago actually to be exact. And I'll admit another thing: I had no idea just how bad my normal deodorant routine was. It's odd to say. That something as small as your deodorant routine could be responsible for so much. But that's how most of our simple decisions are these days -- small steps and changes can make a big difference. For ourselves and for our environment.

I'll back up a bit though. Two weeks ago, I joined the Myro team for a morning workout class here in the city. Myro is a new natural deodorant brand that actually goes one step further in the game by providing refillable plastic cases so you no longer have to throw the whole container away when you're due for new deodorant. They just send you the refill based on your schedule and you're good to go! So simple but what a huge step, right? I mentioned to their team that I was relatively new to the natural deodorant space and that I hadn't tested out any for fear of the dreaded "stink phase" when your body is adjusting to the new deodorant. They gave me a reassuring proverbial pat on the shoulder and asked me to give it a shot and let them know if I had any questions.

Questions? Oh I had plenty! So I figured I'd share some of what I researched while I've been testing Myro out for the last two weeks. I'll share my specific experience below as well, so be sure to keep reading!

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First things first, why switch?

This is where things got real for me, real quick. And made me throw my regular deodorant right into the trash.

• Most regular deodorants and antiperspirants are loaded with chemicals that essentially clog up your pores to prevent you from sweating (hence the name antiperspirant). While this may seem like a good thing in the pursuit of eliminating BO, your body actually really needs to sweat for the sake of temperature control and toxin release, so eliminating this function does the body no good.
•  Because of the pore clogging, a lot of regular deodorants can cause skin issues, like bumpy, irritated skin. Yours truly gets razor burn pretty easily so this one hits home!
• The aluminum compounds found in most regular deodorants can cause an acidic reaction to fabric, which you may recognize from the dark, gross stains left behind on your shirts. The kiss of death for any beloved blouse or dress, if you ask me.
• While reports are still being put together, there have been a lot of studies around the effects of the chemicals found in regular deodorants (the big culprit being aluminum), specifically linking them to breast cancer, Alzheimer's and possibly infertility. No thank you to all of the above.

OK, so doom and gloom over. What's so great about natural deodorant?

I realize every brand is different when it comes to natural deodorant so I would encourage you all to do a bit of homework about each brand before you try it out. And I do think there's a lot of truth to testing out different brands, because no two bodies will have the same chemistry and thereby same reaction to a particular deodorant. If one doesn't work for you, move on to the next one! But with regards to Myro specifically:

• No nasty aluminum! No parabens (which have been shown to mimic the hormone estrogen, thereby linking it to breast cancer etc.). No baking soda (which doesn't necessarily harm your body, but it can cause skin irritation).
• All other ingredients are plant-based and clean.
• Made entirely cruelty free.
• Goes on clear, no white residue and doesn't stain your clothes. Whew!
• Over time, it's said to help you actually smell less even when you're not wearing deodorant because your body is no longer going overtime trying to work against all those pore clogging chemicals. Jury is still out on this one for me, but perhaps over the course of a few months, I'll notice a difference.

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So tell me about this STINK PHASE:

OK, so you're thinking about switching? Are you scared? Don't worry. I was too! Here's what I did and what I experienced, but keep in mind, everyone is different.

• I had read that it's a good idea to actually skip deodorant all together for a few days before the switch, to allow my body time to push out the toxins it had been building up so I gave this a shot before the big switch. I also read up on a few natural ingredient mixtures that you could try for a few days to spare everyone your odor (usually including the likes of tea tree oil, lavender and/or thyme essential oil and coconut oil) but since a bad run with tea tree oil last year, I opted to skip all together and hope for the best. It helps when you work solo for a good portion of the day, so I recognize this isn't necessarily an option for everyone!
• Incorporate an exfoliation step into your nighttime shower routine. Or perhaps a detox bath with some salts. This can help clear our your clogged pores faster.
• You will notice your smell throughout the day, a lot faster than you normally would with a regular deodorant. I anticipated this, so I simply reapplied a few times throughout the day (just stashed my case in my bag) and brought fresh wipes with me just in case I needed to really spruce things up.
• With regard to Myro specifically, I noticed that it glided on quite "wet" feeling, meaning my arm pits felt pretty moist afterward. While it did throw me off initially, the wet feeling goes away pretty quickly and, like I said, it doesn't come off on your clothing!
• Speaking of clothing, during this switch phase, try to stick to natural fabrics, like cotton, that will be easier to clean while you're getting all the toxins out of your body. Personally, I just avoided my silk blouses and dresses, too.

It's been two weeks thus far -- the first 5 days or so, I noticed I smelled quite a bit, much to the chagrin of anyone riding next to me on the subway. But since then, it's been dropping off more and more each day. Average detox period can last anywhere between 2-3 weeks, so just be patient!

Do you guys use a natural deodorant? Would love to hear your thoughts!

OUTFIT DETAILS: Suistudio coat (c/o) // Aether sweater (c/o) // Agolde jeans // Sarah Flint heels (c/o) // Luana bag (c/0) // Chanel earrings

While my Instagram post about Myro was sponsored, this blog post was not. As always, all opinions and styling are my own. Thank you for supporting all This Time Tomorrow collaborations!

Photos by Lydia Hudgens