Natural Deodorant 101
Sweat, odor, irritation, hair— all things that your underarms might contain, depending on your preferences. There’s a natural alternative to just about everything these days, and our pits definitely weren’t left out of that conversation.
Natural deodorant has been around for thousands of years, way before it recently became a trend again. Our ancestors knew about the benefits our earthly ingredients could provide for us, we’ve just now begun to tap into them again.
Our “normal” aluminum-based deodorants were never questioned because there wasn’t any skepticism towards the effects the ingredients they contained could have on our skin— in fact, we weren’t even aware that our bodies could absorb what we were putting on it. But once studies were conducted, we realized ingredients could enter our blood stream through our pores, thus having the potential to cause negative side effects if a product had questionable ingredients.
In a study, aluminum-based deodorants were found to increase the risk of developing Alzheimers by 60%. That’s not to mention the link to cancer—specifically breast cancer— that we’re all aware of.
So why do some people still choose to use these deodorants?
Myths.
There are plenty of myths swirling around to this day about natural deodorants and all of the “cons” they supply. One major one being that they cause you to sweat more. Aluminum-free deodorants won’t reduce sweat, which is why when making the switch you might feel like you’re suddenly producing way more sweat than before. This is because we’re used to our deodorants acting as pore-cloggers, which then halts our bodies ability to produce sweat. This not only blocks our bodies from releasing toxins through our sweat, but also inhibits the growth of healthy bacteria, which when present, can reduce bad bacteria and lessen odor.
Sweating is natural and a sign of a healthy, functioning body, as this is one of the major ways we rid ourselves of toxins and regulate our body temperature.
Another major myth is that natural deodorants cause skin irritation. We’ve heard this before and have even experienced it ourselves, and while it can be true for some natural brands, this doesn’t mean that you should stick with what you’ve got in the bathroom cabinet.
When natural deodorants were first being introduced, the majority of them— or at least the brands that were most easily accessible— contained baking soda. This ingredient is a household name for good reason: It is multi-purpose and can get rid of almost any stubborn stain or smell imaginable, and even whitens your teeth! But the effects that it has on our skin are not as commendable, as it’s actually the #1 cause of skin irritations. It has been used in natural deodorants as an alternative to aluminum because of its antibacterial properties. It mimics the affects that an aluminum-based deodorant has, such as curbing smell/odor/B.O and absorbing moisture. But while doing so, it also throws off the pH balance of our skin and can lead to irritation, such as dry, red, tight, cracked, itchy, overall unhappy skin. If you’ve ever had the unfortunate experience of a shirt being ruined after making the natural switch, you have baking soda to thank for that as well.
Smelling more is another myth stuck to the natural route. Keeping in mind that baking soda and aluminum halt your bodies ability to produce sweat, and therefore any B.O, suddenly not using these ingredients can make it seem as if there’s something off with your body. But it’s important to keep in mind that your body is only doing what it’s meant to do, and that your diet, stress levels, hormones, and exercise habits all directly affect how you smell as well. While there is some debate on whether or not a “detox period” is a real thing, we do believe that you have to go through a process of letting your body go back to it’s normal routine of sweating and releasing toxins in order to truly know your sweat/stink levels.
What we recommend:
CBD Deodorant: We all know by now the almost life-changing affects a dose of CBD can have on our bodies and minds, so why not add it into our deodorant? CBD can help keep stress levels under control by penetrating into the pores and entering our blood stream. This allows the cannabis-based ingredient to lessen the amount of stress-induced sweat that our body produces. Find our favorite one here.
Sans-Baking Soda products: We mentioned that most natural deodorants contained baking soda when they first were introduced, so if you’re someone who has sworn them off after a bad experience, we suggest giving them another shot— this time without the harsh ingredients. Nowadays, natural deodorants contain ingredients that will provide similar effects as baking soda, but without the skin irritation. Check-out the newest brand to be carried at Toccare here.
Warmly,
Team Toccare