One of the most popular trends we witnessed at the Natural Products Expo this year was natural deodorant. Several natural health brands were promoting the use of natural deodorant over the chemical ones we’re used to seeing in the drugstore. This begs the question, what’s so great about natural deodorant, and why should we make the switch?
It’s All About the Aluminum
Conventional deodorants usually come in stick form and are easy to apply to the armpits. They tend to come in a variety of scents and typically leave a white residue after they’ve been applied.
These deodorants tend to handle the job of neutralizing underarm odor well, leaving armpits feeling clean and sometimes even freshly scented throughout the day. The problem lies in their chemical formula.
Most of the brand-name deodorants you find at your local drugstore contain aluminum. While the other ingredients in these deodorants, such as parabens and phthalates, are also of concern, the biggest issue tends to be centered around aluminum.
The argument is that aluminum is not only a potentially harmful ingredient if it enters the bloodstream, but it also prevents the sweat glands in your armpits from doing their job. Specifically, aluminum plugs the pores in your underarms and stops up the sweat glands.
Why Switch to Natural Deodorant
Unlike chemical deodorants, natural deodorant tends to be aluminum-free. Rather than clog the sweat glands in your armpits, natural deodorant neutralizes the odor of your sweat.
Afterall, your sweat doesn’t actually smell (sweat is just water and salt). The funky smell you try to avoid is the result of sweat coming in contact with natural bacteria on your skin.
The argument for switching to natural deodorant stems from the idea that by simply neutralizing armpit odor, rather than preventing your armpits from sweating, you allow your body to still have the opportunity to release any necessary toxins from the body.
If those toxins are not released, many fear that these will lead to chemical imbalances in the body that can lead to hormonal disruptions and harmful diseases, such as cancer.
Give Natural Deodorant a Try
When you’re trying out a natural deodorant, there are a couple of things to expect. Unlike chemical deodorants, natural deodorants are not antiperspirants. As discussed, natural deodorant won’t keep you from sweating, but a good one will successfully keeping you smelling decent.
Some natural deodorants also need to be rubbed on, like a paste. This can result in a messier application, but if you’re concerned about some of the health dangers of chemical deodorants, this may be a small price to pay.
We thought we’d share a few of our favorite natural deodorants to help you make a seamless switch:
Stick Up by Primal Life Organics
This natural deodorant is made with ingredients like arrowroot, magnesium, charcoal, zinc, and bentonite clay. These ingredients all work together to rid your armpits of bacteria that causes your underarms to stink when you sweat.
The natural deodorant is also made up of essential oils like hemp seed and coconut oil, which help soothe the delicate skin of your armpits. We particularly like the fact that application is easy, as you can simply rub the deodorant on like you would with conventional deodorants. Check out our full review of Stick Up here.
Native Deodorant
We absolutely adore Native’s natural deodorant. It’s a foolproof deodorant that doesn’t leave a sticky residue and goes on silky smooth. More importantly, it will actually last you all day long, even in very warm weather where you could be sweating quite a bit.
The bonus is that Native’s deodorants come in a variety of scents. We personally love the coconut and vanilla, but you can also try the lavender scent or the unscented one. Either way, the scents are not very strong and instead offer a pleasant, subtle aroma.
Tarte Cosmetics Clean Queen Vegan Deodorant
This deodorant is great for very sensitive skin and perfect for day-to-day use. The scent is light and doesn’t seem to leave any residue on clothing. The deodorant feels a bit wet when its first applied, but it dries quickly.
We also love the colorful, fun packaging; it’s definitely the more eye-catching deodorants we’ve seen. If you’re taking part in a vigorous activity, you’ll probably want to reapply the deodorant for the best results or use something stronger.
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