The stinky truth about deodorant

 

Have you ever tried a new deodorant that smelled great at the store, only to find out you smelled worse while wearing it than you smelled if you had worn none? Have you worn the same deodorant for years but sometimes, out of the blue, your armpits go crazy with irritation or a rash?  This article is for you (or for anyone else reading this who wants to make their own natural deodorant that really works and is cheaper than store bought deodorants).

First a few things about store bought deodorant and antiperspirants.   Now I’m sure that most of you will know the difference between the two, but just in case, I’ll explain.  The basic difference is that deodorant has chemicals that are designed to prevent you from smelling while antiperspirants have the “benefit” of preventing or extremely reducing sweat where applied.

The problem with both of these is all the toxic chemicals in them.  I’m not going to go into the long list here, but one of the culprits is aluminum.  We know aluminum is toxic and when applied to our armpits, all these toxins have a straight pathway to our lymph nodes, breast, and other sensitive areas.

There is another problem with these toxic chemicals.  Did you know that the more toxic you are the more you will smell?? Yep that’s right.  And it should make sense.  It’s the bacteria and toxins that cause the smell.  Now we are all going to stink from time to time (sorry, but true) because we all have bacteria that live on our skin or at least hitchhike from time to time.  Don’t worry, most of these we never know about because our bodies were created to handle them.  But many of us slather on toxic chemicals that further burden our bodies beyond what they can handle.  This is often when our skin begins breaking out or becoming irritated.

And remember what I explained about antiperspirants earlier? Well, because of the way they are designed to work, they can clog your pores and sweat glands resulting in more harm.  First of all, sweat is one of the ways our bodies rid itself of toxins and harmful pathogens.  (Think sweating out a fever-yes, your body kills the virus, etc and you sweat ridding it from your body.)  That means that the antiperspirant is putting toxins in and preventing your body from sweating them out.  Double whammy! Oh, but there’s more-remember it can also clog pores and sweat glands.  I have a family member who got a clogged sweat gland from using antiperspirant.  Not only was it painful, but he had to have surgery to unclog it!  The doctor even recommend he not use antiperspirant anymore because this is not uncommon. YIKES! Needless to say, around here we have steered clear of antiperspirants for awhile.

The best option is to go with a natural made deodorant.  If you can’t make the switch yet, at least go for a deodorant over an antiperspirant.  Natural deodorants really are the healthiest choice, but-

What if I can’t find one I like?

What if it doesn’t work and I stink?

What if it doesn’t smell good to begin with?

What if they’re expensive?

I’m glad you asked.  The solution to all these is to make your own.  It extremely easy and cheap! But if you really don’t want to, I do sell mine.   🙂

Here’s my recipe:

1/c cup coconut oil-skin conditioner with anti-bacterial qualities

2 TBS bentonite clay-pulls metals and toxins out of body

2 TBS baking soda-neutralizes odor and kills bacteria

1 TBS sea salt (finely ground)-kills bacteria

1 TBS arrowroot powder

1 1/2 – 2 TBS beeswax

Essential oils of choice  (my favorite: Orange, Clove, and Cinnamon-all of which have anti-bacterial qualities)

Using a stainless steel pot, mix all ingredients except oils over low heat until beeswax is completely melted.  Continue mixing over low for a few more minutes while stirring to incorporate all ingredients well.  You will see sediments of the mixture on the bottom of pot, but no clumps of single ingredients should remain.

Remove from heat and let cool until warm to touch but not hot.  Add oils.  (I use 10 drops Orange, 3-4 drops Clove, and 5 drops Cinnamon.  This makes a  great spicy citrus smell which is great for men or women.)  Once it has cooled until it is more of a peanut butter consistency, spoon into containers.  I have used old deodorant tubes and empty cardboard tubes and both work great so be creative here!  Continue to cool (stick in fridge to speed this up) until a solid stick is formed. The finished product should be similar in texture to store bought stick deodorant.  Store in a cool area out of sunlight-it can melt if left in a very warm area! (It will still work, but it might be messy.)

Apply to underarms and be happy you aren’t loading up your body with toxins AND YOU SMELL GREAT!

Happy Herbing!

Brigett