Spray Deodorant vs Stick Deodorant

This article on deodorant is being written on the basis of personal experience and is, therefore, being directed at women. I would like to guess it could apply to men and male deodorant as well, but since I've never used male deodorant, I can't be sure. But you're certainly welcome to read along, even if you're a guy, as the following could well apply to you, too. Firstly let me just say that while I didn't hit puberty at an unusually early age, I did start using deodorant around the age of 12, which was when I first noticed that my underarms were suddenly less than April fresh, for some reason. What follows is my own experience from that point forward.

I started out with Soft and Dri spray deodorant, because that's what my mother used and that's all there was. I did not like it at all, because the can was 5 times the size of my hands and I always ended up spraying most of my body with it due to not being able to manipulate the bottle properly. Nothing like spraying cold whatever-it-is all over you first thing in the morning in the winter, let me tell you. After a few years of that, I demanded to be allowed to switch to stick deodorant and mum got me Secret. Well, that was all she wrote, and the only thing I would use for the next 20 some years.

Until last Christmas, when someone gave me some sort of spa kit that included vanilla deodorant which I had no intention of using -- but wound up doing so when I ran out of Secret unexpectedly. I liked it very much in some ways, not so much in others and wound up switching to Secret deodorant spray within 6 months. And I don't intend to ever switch back to stick. Mind, I live in Europe where spray deodorant appears to be more common than stick (with women, at least) and I've got lots and lots of spray deodorant options over here; but the one I use is available in the USA too.

Spray Deodorant

Pros:

• This stuff feels nice and silky on your skin! Won't make you feel like you've smeared lard all over yourself.

• The mist isn't nearly as bad as it used to be and makes you feel quite fresh. (Although, obviously, you should still use it in a ventilated area and be sure pets and children aren't underfoot at the time.)

• Loads of sprays to choose from these days and the cans are more ergonomically designed and can be used easily by those of us with small hands.

• They can be as effective as stick but you've got to choose wisely. (See below.) In my case, Secret spray deodorant works as well as Secret stick deodorant.
  
  
• I've not had a single bout of itching since switching to spray.
  

Cons:

• In my experience, some sprays are really crap and you'll smell like you didn't bother using one before bedtime. Seriously -- Secret stick worked so well that after 20 years of using it, I actually thought I might have good smelling sweat! Not so and it takes a good spray to compete with stick in this arena. (For me, anyway.)

• While I don't experience itching with spray, I do sometimes experience a stinging sensation if I've shaved my arms just before using it. This may be because I shave too hard, but I'm not sure. It's not a terrible pain, just a brief stinging that stops quickly enough.

Stick Deodorant

Pros:

• Works fantastically. Perhaps a little too fantastically. I once laid in bed for close to 3 days due to an illness, bathing only via baby wipes and face wash. Stunningly, I still smelt of Secret on day 3. You've got to wonder a bit at any chemical that can endure fever and bed sweats for 3 days... but hey, it definitely fulfilled its function.

• No need for ventilation. You can use a stick deodorant anywhere and needn't worry about inhaling the fumes.

• No streaks. Back in the day, this stuff left marks on your clothing. Nowadays it doesn't.

• Loads and loads of quality stick deodorant manufacturers to choose from.

Cons:

• By the 10th year of using what I was using, I started to develop horribly, horribly itchy reactions, most of which occurred at nighttime for some reason. You'd have thought I had scabies, I would periodically itch so badly! (This stopped the day I switched to spray, so yes, I'm certain of the cause. That said, I do realize that allergies take time to develop and I may, over time, develop a similar allergy to spray deodorant. At the moment, however, I'm happy to report that I haven't got one.)
  

• It's thick. It may not seem that way right now, but if you switch to light and airy spray, you will think stick deodorant is downright archaic and dense.