It was the best natural deodorant I'd ever used. I could work a twelve-hour day and still smell like I'd just stepped out of the shower.
I've been using the Black Chicken Remedies Axilla Deodorant Paste for fifteen years, and I still remember exactly how it all started. I'd just launched my first toxin-free store and had never even heard of a deodorant paste. Chey, the founder of Black Chicken Remedies, handed me a sample. I tossed it into the glove box with every intention of using it, got distracted by the chaos of starting a new business, and forgot all about it.
It was the summer of 2011. That little sample sat there for weeks, baking in a hot car. Then one of my staff asked if we had a natural deodorant she could test before a Bikram yoga class. I remembered the sample in the glove box, pulled it out, and it still looked and smelled perfectly fine. She took it with her, and the next day at work, she couldn't stop talking about it. I placed my first wholesale order with Chey that same afternoon, and the rest is history.
And after selling it, using it and talking about it for fifteen years, here are a few things you might not know about the original Axilla deodorant paste.
1. It grew entirely by word of mouth
Axilla took off the same way I first discovered it. One person tried it, realised it worked, then told someone else.
2. The name has a deeper meaning
Black Chicken comes from an old legend about a woman who lived in a village and helped people with her natural remedies. They called her the Black Chicken. And Axilla? That's the Latin word for armpit!
3. It helps absorb moisture without blocking sweat
Axilla is made to help absorb moisture and neutralise odour, without blocking sweat the way mainstream antiperspirants do. It keeps things feeling fresh while letting your body do what it's naturally designed to do.
4. There's a bicarb-free version for sensitive skin
If you've reacted to natural deodorants in the past, bicarb soda may have been the reason. It can be a little strong for some sensitive pits, so Black Chicken Remedies created a bicarb-free version, which uses magnesium hydroxide to help neutralise odour and borage seed oil to support the skin barrier.
5. It's preservative-free
Because Axilla is a paste and contains no water, it doesn't need the same preservatives you often see in water-based formulas. Clove essential oil also plays a clever role here, helping keep the formula fresh and stable while giving Axilla part of its signature scent.
6. It has the perfect family-friendly scent
The original is a unisex blend of peppermint, lime, mandarin, geranium and clove. It smells fresh, clean and not overpowering, which makes it a winner for the whole household.
7. The range has grown a lot over the years
What started as one paste is now a full Axilla range. Alongside the original and the Barrier Booster, both now come in a Signature scent too, a richer blend of ylang-ylang and sandalwood with a calming, ocean-inspired natural fragrance. There's also an Axilla Deodorant Spray in a glass bottle, and a 250ml refill so you never run out.
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