Natural Deo for the B.O.
Over the past several years I’ve slowly switched out the products that I use on my body + in my house. Your skin is the largest organ of your body and absorbs everything we put on it so what we use on our skin ends up in our bodies. The majority of drugstore products contain a toxic cocktail of carcinogenic chemicals, allergens, and irritants! It is so important to minimize the toxic load by making changes in the areas that we do have control over.
I will do a full post soon on all of the things I’ve switched out. I’m certainly not perfect and haven’t found replacements for a lot of things, but it’s a work in progress and it’s all about balance. It doesn’t have to be an all or nothing approach. Slowly switch things out and you will see that small changes can turn into bigger ones and they will make a difference. You can use organic, clean products + still eat pizza (maybe just gluten free)! Do what is best and works for you + your family!
When switching to clean, non-toxic products, I heard that you should start with the products that are on your skin the longest. Well, we all need deodorant at least 12 hours a day. This is especially true for me because I work in close proximity with my clients so the clean movement for me started with natural deodorant.
Ew, why do I sweat so much?! I immediately went back to my toxic stuff. Side note: My husband also joined the journey with me and broke out (from the baking soda) and he told me that just because it’s natural doesn’t mean anything, poison ivy is natural and look what it does! Ha! Touché.
Most drugstore deodorants contain:
Aluminum - which (A-ha!) blocks your pores to prevent sweat and keep your pits dry, but is linked to diseases like Alzheimer’s.
Parabens - which allow the product to last longer by preventing bacteria growth, but closely linked to endocrine disruption + breast cancer,
Phthalates - which make the product stick to the skin, but are also linked to endocrine disruption + permanent birth defects
Fragrance - which smells nice, but can contain over 3,000 chemical ingredients causing numerous serious health issues. No thanks!
Upon educating myself on these things I decided to give it another go. I was determined to find a natural deodorant that actually works. I discovered Primally Pure aka, life-changing. This time going into it, I knew I was going to sweat. I’ve come to terms that I literally sweat like a man and having taken up the hot yoga hobby, I know how good it is for my body to rid itself of toxins.
So, sweat I did but I didn’t smell! After about two weeks the running sweat down my arms did decrease by a lot. Instead of aluminum, Primally Pure uses arrowroot powder + kaolin clay to absorb moisture. This allows your skin to breath and still detox. Instead of artificial fragrance they use essential oils that provide odor protection with the added aromatherapy benefits. I still find that after a couple of weeks of the same scent, the freshness doesn’t last as long so I like to alternate the charcoal + the blue tansy!
Natural deodorant definitely performs differently than traditional ones, but for the right reasons! They still give you exactly what you need not the have the B.O. but also while improving your overall health!