There are so many reasons why natural deodorant is an important switch to make if you're serious about clean living so let's talk about 5 of them.
Before we get to the reasons let's just think about this a minute. If there is one product you apply every single day and sometimes more than once a day to your underarms which are located right next to your lymph nodes and breast tissue do you think it's worth finding out what's actually in that product to be sure it's safe?
I know I've said this many times but it deserves repeating. The accumulated effect of toxic chemicals is why disease often sets in. Our bodies can handle the occasional abuse but it's the daily toxic onslaught that cause the long term damage. So let's talk reasons.
1. Your health is a worthwhile investment
They often say you either pay now in alternative doctors/chiropractic care/supplements/organic foods, etc or pay later in medicals bills! Swapping out conventional products you use everyday for natural ones can lower the accumulation of the toxins that affect your liver and kidneys, lungs and eliminative pathways. Immune function, hormonal balance along with energy can be restored which may bring great pay offs down the road!
2. Conventional ingredients are toxic
Conventional deodorants like Secret have secrets to hide! Let's talk about a few of them.
- Aluminum – Linked to Alzheimer’s disease in this study along with heavy metal toxicity.
- Triclosan – Linked to liver toxicity, skin allergies and thyroid dysfunction. The Mayo Clinic published this article on it.
- Propylene Glycol – Linked to organ toxicity and skin irritations (and because it improves product penetration, it helps to carry other harmful ingredients in the product through the skin). You can read about my "16 naughty list ingredients" in this blog post.
- Parabens – Endocrine/hormone disruptors, found in 99% of breast cancer tissue sampled in this study.
- Phthalates – Linked to permanent birth defects in this study and endocrine disruption. Also a blog post I wrote a while ago might shed some more light on things!
- Benzyl Salicylate – Linked to endocrine disruption, weakened immune system and skin allergies in this article.
- Fragrance – You can check out my blog post on this nasty little cosmetic- world secret but also continue reading.
3. Second-hand smoke
Actually it's the term "fragrance" that I'm referring to and this reason tags onto reason 2. But this is so very important. Of course, with deodorant the goal is to smell like a field full of flowers instead of a men's locker room but unfortunately the ingredient "fragrance" can protect 3000+ toxins under it's heading and not have to list what those ingredients are! Yes, you read that right! "Fragrance" has become so heavily polluted it's now being referred to as second hand smoke! Fragrance is one of the most toxic ingredients you'll find on any product label including many natural deodorant labels! If you see the ingredient "fragrance" at the end of a fairly clean ingredient list you still can't be sure what's in that deodorant. It could be a host of preservatives invading that pretty little tube or possibly some parabens that you might be allergic to which are hidden neatly away. Either way when the term "fragrance" is seen on the ingredient list, run! Find a brand with full disclosure!
4. Greenwashing
What's that? Basically it's a marketing message that deceives the consumer into believing they're purchasing pure, natural and organic products when in fact the ingredient list tells a different story. Being fooled by a green leaf on the label or the words "natural" or "organic" printed on the pretty packaging is all too common so it's time for some investigative work! Become your own private detective and look up the full ingredient list to see if what's inside is worth the hype. Make sure your natural brand doesn't add in some harmful ingredients when they're claiming to be "aluminum or paraben free"!
5. Natural deodorants really work!
I've spent years formulating skin care and cosmetics products and I'm always amazed at how few ingredients are needed for a product to not only work but to perform extremely well! Deodorant is no exception. Combining natural powders and clays to oils, butters and waxes work wonders at keeping your armpits smelling fresh without interrupting your hormones, endocrine system or slowing the immune system down!
There are many more reasons why making the deodorant switch is important but if you're on the fence maybe this will give you some food-for-thought. And if you've already swapped out to natural deodorant maybe this little blog post will underscore what a good move it was!
