making the change from the deodorants with toxic ingredients (aluminum, other chemicals, parabens) that you may have been applying for years is not always an easy one to make and requires patience if you wish to take the path to clean body care.
for some there is little or no challenge - but for others (like myself) - it may take a little time and a lot of patience. if you are ready to make the change to clean body care - allow yourself the patience to bring your body back to functioning as nature intended. be gentle with yourself and get to know your body.
what was our body meant to do? it was meant to sweat! our bodies eliminate toxins in many ways - some are by bowel movements, urination, and sweating!! by using deodorants with aluminum - we are actually preventing our body from excreting toxins. stop and think about how insane this sounds! where do you think those toxins go? they stay in our bodies and reabsorb - how good can this be for us?
natural deodorants are not designed to try and stop you from perspiring - that would be a bad thing. we want you to sweat - nature designed you to do so. we do try to help with the wetness and we try to help with the natural odor.
deodorants containing aluminum are designed to prevent you from sweating by blocking your pores (so unnatural), and chemical parabens are added as preservatives. applying these directly on the skin that is so close to an area with lymph nodes are suspect in the link to breast cancer as well as many other diseases. there is no conclusive evidence - but they are suspect. (please do your own research here). the fact that they are suspect was enough for me to want my daughters and myself to stop using them. but as important, is that we want to use only non-chemical, non-synthetic and healthy products on our skin. deodorants containing anything other than that - was officially off our list.
i also want to add that i believe making the change from daily use of your regular trusted deodorant to a natural deodorant is ideal. but perhaps in our world of working in an office or attending an important event or the like - it's not always practical (especially during the transition period). after all - we can't smell offensive in the office - or have our silk dresses have large round wet stains on them. when i first began the change, i used it only at bedtime (yes i sweat at night). i couldn't use it in the office - i clearly smelled bad initially. but there were next steps - i used it at night and then on weekends. true story too - my next step was to use the natural deodorant and then swipe my toxic one over it when i was in the office. on days that weren't as hot as others - i dropped the aluminum deodorant and went with the natural (to others regret at times).
really important point here:
what counted was not how often i was using a natural deodorant....but rather how often i was no longer using one that was toxic. anything counts - even one day a week! do what works for you and your lifestyle. it's all good.
there are no aluminum no chemicals no parabens in our deodorants - only beautiful natural clean ingredients that allow our bodies to function normally.
some information to help you understand the process
body odor
some of us were graced without a problem of armpit body odor - and the rest of us are very envious of you - me being one of them! all of my life i've used two deodorants to combat the wetness and smell - never knowing that i was getting double doses of toxins. when we transition to natural deodorant - almost everyone experiences some form of smell phase (some actually don't!). the aluminum in deodorants was meant to stop the toxins from being released by shrinking your pores. when you stop using deodorants with aluminum - suddenly your pores are back open for business and your body is allowed to release its toxins as nature intended. it's actually a very good thing to sweat and at first - try to sweat as much as possible (when you're home and not near people). get those toxins out because the worst part of the transition is here now. a lot of build-up grossness (most likely years of it) will come out. think about it - our bodies impurities are allowed to be eliminated - and they don't smell great once they cross your skin because they interact with the natural bacteria on our body. together this interaction = underarm odor. and sometimes it can get weird. but don't give up - think about the good you are doing for your body and stay the course. it will really get better. read on.
detox those pits
honestly - if i hadn't done this myself i would never have believed it. i was the biggest sweater and stinker around. making the change was a challenge for me - but one that i felt committed to after seeing the harm i was doing to my body all these years. you can google "how to detox your armpits" and will be led to a wonderful detox process using betonite clay, apple cider vinegar and water. only needing 5-10 minutes, you can detox every other day until you find yourself sweating and smelling less. the betonite clay is known to absorb impurities out of the armpit area helping your body adjust to the change from harsh toxic deodorants to an all natural product. after detoxing my armpits every other day for over a week, there really was a change and i was no longer being asked by my husband at random times during the day to wash my pits. i realized the detox process was tried and true. it takes very little to try it yourself - except patience.
clean ingredients to the rescue!
the ingredients used in our deodorants each have an important function. the essential oils we selected (lavender, tea tree, eucalyptus) are best known for being anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-microbial, anti-septic and anti-viral. they are also chosen because they are naturally deodorant and the lavender is also known to be soothing to skin with an aroma that is calming (which you will need for this process). coconut oil - nature's super superfood and best gift to us - is also known to be anti-bacterial as well. the shea and cocoa butter are especially soothing to the skin and the shea is known to help with any scarring in the armpit area.
we add arrowroot powder to help absorb wetness and it also helps with a smooth application. the kaolin clay helps our bodies draw out toxins as well as helps with absorbing the wetness. if you select a deodorant with baking soda - the baking soda will help with the odor as it too will help absorb wetness but it also kills bacteria. the vegan carnauba wax is used in our stick version to make it a solid.
baking soda - to use or not to use
it's pretty simple - if you see redness, or anything rash-like or itchy or burning while using a product with baking soda - you have a sensitivity to baking soda and should stop using immediately. i experienced this within three days of using a deodorant with baking soda - some may experience immediately - others a little longer. listen to your body - it will tell you everything you need to know!
working with nature
these are natural products using only plant-based ingredients and nothing to alter them (thank goodness) making them convenient. please use common sense when applying a natural deodorant - they contain butters and oils which will be absorbed by your skin - but not on contact. massage any excess gently into skin for better absorption and please consider waiting 5-10 minutes before putting your best silk blouse or shirt on. if you feel that you need to - simply blot any excess just to be safe - but you should find our deodorants won't really pose much of a challenge!
heads up
deodorants containing aluminum and parabens do not always list them as such. both aluminum and parabens are typically called by their chemical names which can vary. read the ingredients and do your research. also any ingredient labeled "fragrance" can be a cocktail of ingredients that are far from natural - over 100 ingredients can be found in one "fragrance". do your homework - know what is in your products.
deodorants that aren't made with natural ingredients are so chemical laden, one of these chemicals - Triclosan - is classified as a pesticide by the FDA. a pesticide? how crazy is that? all of these chemicals are suspect to many diseases. suspect but not confirmed - the studies are "inconclusive". again, please do your own research - look at what you are putting on the largest organ of your body - your skin - and make your own conclusions. a very helpful site (amongst countless others) is www.ewg.org. read the ingredient list - look up each ingredient. educate.
remember....love yourself
make the change
clean ingredients
i just can't say it enough