Hi John, thanks for asking. Yes it can restore itself. Give it some time and go antiperspirant free for a while. The microbiome needs some time to recover. The first week is hard, but after that it gets better. Natural deodorants usually contain less strong antibacterial ingredients. For that reason they are better alternative to the classic ones. But some complain that they are not effective enough - fair point, if you are used to completely killing the microbiome every day. Best, Chris