WHAT'S IN YOUR DEODORANT?

First word that comes to mind when I think of a deodorant is… indispensable. How convenient is it that even after a hard day at work or a vigorous workout I don’t have to kill everyone’s appetite with my unpleasant B.O.

But at what cost do we all enjoy this pleasant and socially necessary convenience? Have you thought about it? And what about antiperspirants, that promise to stop you from sweating all together?

Would you still use a deodorant if you knew it was slowly poisoning you? Seems pretty unlikely, right? Well let’s see what are some of the common deodorant/antiperspirant ingredients used in commercial products.

Aluminium

-blocks sweat escape

-linked to breast cancer(traces found in tumors) and risk of Alzheimer's

Parabens

-synthetic preservatives

-high absorption rate

-disrupt hormonal balance

-case early puberty, hormonal cancer, birth defects

Triclosan

-odor killing

-classified as a pesticide by FDA

-classified as carcinogenic by Environment Protection Agency

Phtalates

-help absorption and aids consistency

-declared as potential carcinogenic by Department of Health and Human Sciences

-linked to birth defects, cell mutation

Propylene Glycol

-petroleum based

-aids consistency

-in large quantities it damages the central nervous system, liver, heart(just think in how many of the products we find it and how often we apply them, it will add up to a large amount)

These ingredients do make one wonder, why do we even risk applying such (potentially) dangerous stuff on our skin.

And the surprising part is that there are safe and healthy alternatives to these chemically toxic products, some of these alternatives are:

LEMON: just rub lemon on your armpits and you're good to go

BAKING SODA: for those who are not sensitive to it, it's an amazing deodorizer (I use it in my fridge and bathroom as well), it absorbs humidity and it regulates the PH of the skin to get rid of bacteria that feed on your sweat.

ARROWROOT POWDER (+TURMERIC): with repeated application, it acts as an absorbant and the turmeric is mildly anti bacterial;additional antibacterial essential oils (tea tree, cinnamon, lavender etc.) may increase the effectiveness of the powder application

ALUM CRYSTALS OR POWDER, commonly known as pitkri

MAKE YOUR OWN deodorant, see instructions here or give my Shea Butter Stick Deodorant a try.