One of the most trendy “natural” products on the market right now is natural deodorant. We’ve heard time and time again that aluminum is bad and that is the reason why it’s important to switch to a new deodorant. But what about all of the other chemicals in the products? Do those not matter? When you ask someone why you should switch to a natural deodorant, you really never hear “because fragrance is bad.” You just hear about the aluminum. Do not get “natural” confused with “non-toxic.”
It’s unfortunate how brands market “natural,” “better-for-you” and “better-for-the-earth” products. Sure, maybe it’s a step in the right direction, but are most of the options actually clean and healthy for you? Are they actually non-toxic? No. Maybe they do not contain aluminum, and don’t get me wrong – that IS a step in the right direction and that is a good thing, but you need to do a little more digging than that and you should truly aim to start using a non-toxic deodorant, not just a “natural” one.
Today, I want to talk about why you should switch to a natural deodorant, or better yet – reasons why you should switch to a non-toxic deodorant! Here are my thoughts:
Chemicals
The #1 reason to switch to a natural deodorant? To get rid of the chemicals that you are putting on your body! Most conventional deodorant contains a variety of chemicals that are terrible for you and if you are a mom (or pregnant), for your baby, too. For the breastfeeding mamas – where is your baby’s head resting? Pretty close to where your deodorant is, – if not on it – depending on how you apply, how long your baby is, and how active they are too. Keep that in mind 🙂 Below are the most important chemicals (but not all) to know about so that you can avoid, when possible:
ALUMINUM
Did you know that aluminum is usually the active ingredient in antiperspirant? Based on quite a few research studies, aluminum may have genotoxic and estrogenic effects and may contribute to ALL TYPES OF CANCER, especially breast cancer and it has been directly linked to Alzheimer’s disease, as well.
PARABENS
Parabens are found in so many products that are found in your home, especially when it comes to personal care items, because they act as a preservative. They contain estrogen-like properties and can affect your body’s hormonal balance. This may cause a variety of health issues such as increasing your risk of hormonal cancers, early onset of puberty, and even birth defects. If this chemical is directly affecting your hormonal balance, imagine what it is doing to those mom’s who are trying to get pregnant, currently pregnant, or breastfeeding. This goes for men, as well, but I have a lot of mama friends on here and just want to specify that to make it a bit more relatable.
PHTHALATES
Phthalates are a group of chemicals that are extremely common in the beauty world. Thankfully, people are becoming more aware of phthalates and we are seeing more and more brands that are releasing care products that are phthalate-free, but a lot of the time, they just replace them with other bad-for-you chemicals…and most do still use them. The crazy thing? Phthalates have been banned since 2005 in the EU. There is no ban or even a warning for the North American market. Phthalates are a known male reproductive toxicant that can lead to birth defects and compromised fertility. Mamas, this means that you should be especially careful during your pregnancy.
TRICLOSAN
So, Triclosan has been banned as of September 9th, 2016, but it is still being found in umbilical cord blood, which is just insane to me. It is also being found when people send (some – not all, of course) products in for third party testing. Triclosan is, unfortunately, still another common ingredient found in some conventional deodorants. It’s an antimicrobial agent that kills bacteria and fungus and it used to be found in (and honestly – still is found, in some cases) soaps, shampoo, and more. It is classified as a pesticide by the FDA and a probable carcinogen by the EPA and has been linked to a number of different health problems and the increased rise of cancer.
SYNTHETIC FRAGRANCE
We have talked about fragrance here before and you know how against it I am. It’s found in everything. Personal care products, cleaning products, and even KIDS CLOTHING AND TOYS. What?! The term “fragrance” is a generic word that can involve thousands of chemicals that a company doesn’t want to and does not have to list on an ingredient label. Synthetic scents accumulate in your tissue over time and have been linked to hormone disruption, cancer, and other serious health effects, as well. If you want to work on removing chemicals one at a time to make it more manageable for yourself, start with fragrance.
VOC’s
VOC’s or Volatile Organic Compounds contribute to air pollution – both inside your home and outside, as well. This means that deodorant sprays (and hair sprays, etc.) contribute to poor air quality, which is a huge health risk AND environmental risk. If you’re all about saving the Earth, start by researching more about VOC’s!
What’s The Deal With Sweat?
I hate sweating and if you are with me, I understand. Conventional deodorants do not let us sweat…which people love, but have you ever considered the fact that sweating might be a good thing for us? When you sweating, you are removing the built-up toxins in your body and it also helps with temperature control. Sweating is actually a great thing, even if it is annoying. Plus, if you didn’t know, it’s not the sweat that smells – it’s the bacteria on your skin that smells, so when you remove the sweat, you are not removing the smell.
Why are you not sweating? The aluminum in conventional deodorants literally clogs up your sweat glands to prevent sweat from forming. How will we detox our bodies and remove toxins if our glands are literally clogged with a toxin?
What now?
Now that you know just a few reasons why you should switch to natural deodorant, or even better – non-toxic deodorant, where do you start?
Step 1) For starters, go through your current deodorant(s) options and search it on the EWG database. See for yourself what ingredients your deodorant currently has in it. This will list out all of the ingredients and what they are potentially doing to your body overtime.
++If you want to, I’d love for you to screenshot this and post it on your Instagram stories to spread the word on the nasty chemicals that are in most conventional deodorant options. Tag me @thebergerbungalow and I’ll repost it!
Step 2) Find better options! I have been through a TON of “natural” and non-toxic deodorant brands and the one that I’ve found that works best for me (personally) is Primally Pure. I love the charcoal one, but I’m also about to try the lavender on my next order! Before you order, do a quick EWG search to ensure that the choice you are making really is a non-toxic deodorant. If you cannot find it on the EWG database, feel free to send it to me and I’ll give you my thoughts, or you can search ingredient by ingredient. Remember to watch out for the ingredients listed above, especially fragrance!
Step 3) Consider doing an armpit detox. There are tons of recipes online! I have not done one myself, so I cannot give you a tried and true recipe, but I’ll try one out and report back.
Step 3) Let me know what you think about your new deodorant! Sometimes it will take a few test runs with different brands to find one that works the best for you. Each person is different! Let me know what you find! 🙂
Take charge of your health and switch to a non-toxic deodorant!
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