One of the first clean swaps I made was quite a number of years ago when my Mom learned of the concerns being discovered about aluminum in our body products, namely antiperspirants and deodorants. A friend of mine in the UK did her doctorate on Alzheimer disease and though not allowed to say it was a direct cause, she told us all to throw away anything aluminum and stop using it in products. So my Mom went on a discovery, and we started using the crystal deodorant sticks. I stayed with those until I started using some less toxic ‘regular’ type deodorants. I’ve always been on the sweaty side, so it has been a journey for me, but well worth it for my health.
There are two types of choices when it comes to helping out our, ahem, sweaty and smelly underarms. Deodorant or Antiperspirant?
- Deodorant – as the word suggests, deodorants work to get rid of body odors.
- Antiperspirant – again as the name suggests, an antiperspirants’ job is to stop the body from sweating.
The problem with antiperspirants is that sweating is a natural process of our bodies to cool us and to rid us from toxins. It’s actually healthy and good for your body to sweat. Yes I know it sounds gross and icky because frankly it’s not the best feeling to feel sweaty. But antiperspirants clog pores, block sweat glands, and add a layer of toxins to our underarms. Ouch! For me that is far worse than feeling a bit sweaty every now and then. Aluminum is the primary ingredient in antiperspirants and it is a known neurotoxin and is linked to breast cancer and Alzheimer disease. Other concerning ingredients in conventional antiperspirants are parabens, steareths, triclosan, propylene glycol, TEA and DEA, artificial colors and fragrances, which hide phalates. So deodorant it is, and non-toxic and organic too. And if you stick with it, it does get better!
Deodorant is working to reduce stinky odor by using non-toxic ingredients that work with your body to control sweat and bacteria. But the world of organic, non-toxic deodorant is rather large, now, more than when I was a teenager. How to figure out what to use is a challenge. But we can narrow down a few categories. The base of many of the natural deodorants are very nourishing to your body, consisting of coconut oil, cocoa butter, shea butter, castor oil, and essential oils, to name a few. But there are some differences to the other ingredients to help with different underarm challenges!
Deodorant with Baking Soda
Many natural deodorants use baking soda as a main ingredient because it has anti-bacterial properties to help reduce or eliminate the smelly odor. One challenge with this is that there are a few people who break out in a rash. But that’s not the case for everyone, and it is a very effective ingredient. You may also check the amount of baking soda used in a deodorant as that can make a difference to your tolerance.
Deodorant without Baking Soda
For those ‘sensitive’ types, there are deodorants that leave out the baking soda and often replace it with arrowroot powder, or corn starch to reduce wetness, adding other ingredients such as acidophilus and magnesium to help reduce odor.
Deodorant with Charcoal
Charcoal is often used to help detox and if you are just now changing to non-toxic deodorants, you must expect a ‘detox’ season of a couple of weeks as your body adjusts and eliminates the toxins. Charcoal is very good at eliminating toxins and deodorizing the underarm plus it also absorbs odors and sweat so it helps produce a dryer underarm.
Crystal Deodorants
As I mentioned, this was the first natural deodorant I tried, and it was pretty effective, but not my favorite personally. The crystal is potassium alum and is a mineral salt known to be anti-microbial, thus helping to eliminate the unpleasant odor and allow the body to function naturally. There is a concern with this type of deodorant as potassium alum is a type of aluminum, though some state that the molecules of this particular aluminum salt are too large to pass through our skin. But there is no scientific evidence to back up that claim. Therefore, I would not recommend this method, especially when there are so many other alternatives out there that are equally, if not more effective.
All of these types of deodorant do not stop sweating, but over time the body will become more adapted and balanced and reduce the amount of sweat. This is what I have found in my journey and I don’t really even notice the sweat anymore, even when I’m working in hot, humid weather. I feel drier under my arms more than other areas of my body!
Detox Your Pits
Yes, it will take the body some time to detox from the chemicals used in that area for so long. You will be more sweaty and stinky for a while but don’t give up! Give it time and stick with it, your patience and endurance will be rewarded! Your body has to re-balance itself to function as it was designed to do and will eventually even out the sweat production and lessen the odor. This is a good article on how to detox your pits here!
There are also different kinds from traditional stick and roll-on, to paste and of course there are diy recipes to make your own. I’ve not attempted that yet, but I may try in the future! If you have made one and have a good recipe I would love to hear about it!
*My TOP Recommendation*
My favorite from trying quite a few is Primally Pure Charcoal Deodorant. I have found it to keep me dryer, and less odorous than most others I have tried! Plus they have amazing ingredients, and just a smidge of baking soda, but not enough to bother me. The charcoal deodorant has worked great, but they just came out with a new orange and vanilla scent that I just had to try. There are other options that many people enjoy, and there is even an unscented for the very sensitive. Primally Pure has a blog with tons of info on detoxing to tips to deal with any itching. They offer two different sizes so you can try the smaller one before committing to the larger one. They also offer a rewards program where you can gain points to go towards purchases! And there are more products that are fantastic. I love the bath soak, the Summer Collection essential oil blend, and body butters. My daughter is using their everything spray for her toner and it has done wonders for her skin breakouts! I have a referral link here, plus a coupon code, THEBEAUTYWELL for 10% off!
Other Great Deodorant Options
My second favorite, and really is neck and neck with the first, is Routine Deodorant. This brand is made in Canada by two sisters, and has some pretty hippy names! LOL But I love their Blackberry Betty, and my husband absolutely loves their Superstar, which also has charcoal in it. This one is a bit more expensive, but totally worth it. It leaves me completely odor free, has some nice smelling options, and works even in the sweatiest of conditions. They have both baking soda options, less baking soda, and no baking soda options. They offer most all as a cream in a jar, with a few they have formulated into a stick. I have no problem using my fingers to apply, I actually feel I can rub it in better with little residue. They do use some ‘natural scents’ along with essential oils, so that is something to consider. But I feel they are truly safe and very effective! You can find them on Amazon or their website here.
There are many other options out there, some at the drug store that are at least ‘better’ than conventional are Native and Schmidts brands.
If you are using a non-toxic deodorant you love, I would LOVE to hear about it in the comments! Please share and we can all benefit from each other’s knowledge and experiences. And if you do decide to try switching, please let me know and how it’s going!
Blessings,
This was great infoation. Thank you!
Thank you! I’m glad it was helpful. 🙂