The high’s and low’s of switching over to a natural deodorant

Have you ever turned over the label to read the insanely long list of the ingredients in your deodorant? I have and it’s unsettling.
According to the Huffington Post, the average woman puts a shocking 515 synthetic chemicals on her body every day without knowing it. What makes matters worse is that 60 percent of what we put onto our skin is absorbed into our bodies and into our bloodstream. You’re probably thinking that’s fine, you use your deodorant everyday and it doesn’t have any affect on you, your environment or ultimately your health. Think again.
Studies have shown the following:
- Synthetic Chemicals are bad for us
- Synthetic Chemicals are bad for the environment
- Common synthetic chemicals that are in daily household products contain parabens which have been linked to cancer
I’m writing this because I think there needs to be more of a conversation about what we are putting into our bodies. I don’t think enough people are talking about clean products. When I say clean products, I don’t mean soap that makes you smell “fresh”. What I mean when I say clean products is a product that doesn’t contain unpronounceable chemicals or ingredients that have been linked to cancer. The use of these chemicals not only harms our bodies and lead to a long term affect on our health, it has an effect on those around us and the environment.
Now, it’s easier than it ever has been before to stop using shitty products loaded with chemicals and to switch over to a natural deodorant. With the growing demand for cleaner products, there are more and more companies producing some amazingly sustainable products. Finding a deodorant that smells great and keeps you smelling great is a process, but your body and the environment will appreciate your effort.
It’s important to remember that everybody is different and every body is different. Switching over to natural deodorant isn’t easy but it’s oh so worth it. Your friends may be using a natural deodorant that works amazingly for them, but it doesn’t mean that the product will work for you. Remember that this is a process and your body does take awhile to detox from the synthetic chemicals you have previously been pumping into your pits.
It took my body a few months to adjust and it also took me 3 different natural deodorants to find the right one that worked for me.
Here’s what happened to me in my first month:
- Week 1: I was a little bit stinky, but a quick daily shower to start my day kept me feeling fresh.
- Week 2: My body started detoxifying from my previous deodorant. Let’s just say I wasn’t standing too close to people.
- Week 3: The stink decreased and I was starting to feel a bit less self conscious again.
- Week 4: Further reduction in stink and I was pretty much back to normal.
Again, making the switch does take time. It is frustrating, you might get a little self conscious but our bodies are extremely resilient and will adjust to this change over time. In time, I have found from my own experience and experience of quite a few friends that your natural body odour will decrease as well.
Key things to look for when picking up your new natural deodorant:
- Look for actual Certifications: Ecocert, Soil Association, Natrue, BDIH, and COSMOS are all great certifications that the brand literally has to jump through hoops for to obtain these certifications. Keep in mind that there are also really good brands that might not have these certifications because they are expensive to obtain. Always read the ingredients if you are unsure.
- Animal Cruelty is not cute: Look for Vegan certifications or a rabbit, this means that no animals were harmed in the making of that product. Call me crazy, but I don’t really think that it’s all too necessary to test our products on mice or monkeys.
- Organic is always great: Organic Association has really high standards and in order to obtain this certification you have to adhere to these very strict standards.
- Think Dirty Ap: A great Canadian ap that lets you know about the potentially toxic ingredients in your cosmetics and personal care products. Just scan the barcode in the ap and it will help you better understand the ingredients in your products and rates how damaging they are.
- Avoid Preservatives: Key thing to look our for is Formaldehyde or Ammonium which are both in many products and have been linked to cancer.
- Avoid Mineral Oil, Paraffin or Petroleum Jelly: Being a petroleum-based oil, they completely seal your skin meaning you skin can’t breathe when you apply these products to it.
- Avoid SLS or SLES: These are foaming agents found in shampoo, gels and soaps. They have been proven to dissolve your own fats, and cause hair loss.
