A few of my friends recently changed over to natural products including natural deodorant, which sounded great, but I just carried on using my usual antiperspirant. However, I started noticing painful lumps in my armpits coming up more and more regularly, which I just put down to the irritation of shaving. They were getting more and more painful and I mentioned it to my bestie who lent me some of her natural deodorant. I didn’t have any more lumps come up after that. The chemicals in the antiperspirant were irritating the lymph nodes located in my armpit just under my skin. It took all of this for me to start looking into what we happily put on our skin, how quickly it enters the body, and what harm it causes. The natural deodorant works just as well, smells great and is made from all natural products. Here’s a few reasons why you should make the change!

Harmful

Once you start looking at the ingredients in deodorant, it’s quite shocking. Aluminium is the active ingredient in most and works by ‘plugging’ your sweat ducts. This sounds great, however, aluminium is also a known neurotoxin and long term exposure can accumulate in the breast tissue of women and can also cause alterations to DNA which could potentially support cancer development. Elevated levels of aluminum have may also contribute to chemically driven liver damage, a contributing factor in degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Parabens are another harmful ingredient. They are the preservatives in deodorants and have estrogenic activities in breast tissues. Research detected parabens in 18 of 20 tissue samples from human breast tumours. Whilst these results are not yet definitive, research has shown inceased exposure to some of the ingredients, can be harmful. It’s not a risk worth taking and I’m glad I listened to my body’s signs and made the change.

Alternatives

Personally, I have been purchasing my natural deodorant online. It costs roughly about the same as normal deodorant, and for everything I do, including physical activity, in and out the ocean, it works perfectly! However, many companies are now cutting out the harmful ingredients and replacing them with better alternatives, so it’s always good to check the label. The cheapest option is to make it yourself and seems relatively simple. I keep planning to make my own but always run out of time (or get distracted by the wind and waves). Here’s the recipe, so you can have a go yourself!

Homemade Natural Deodorant With Coconut Oil

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp virgin coconut oil
• 2 tbsp shea butter
• 3 tbsp baking soda
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 5 drops essential oil (lavender, orange, etc.)

Method:

1. Make a double boiler by placing a half-pint glass jar in the middle of a small pot of water. Bring water to a simmer. Add coconut oil and shea butter to the jar and let melt.
2. Turn off the heat, add baking soda and cornstarch, and stir until completely smooth. Mix in the essential oil of your choice. Let cool.
3. At room temperature, the deodorant is hard. You can scrape out a small ball and apply it directly to your armpits, or transfer it to an old deodorant tube for easier application.In warmer months, you’ll need to keep this deodorant in your refrigerator to prevent the coconut oil from liquefying.