If you are into natural products or organic food, you’ve probably heard that antiperspirants and synthetic deodorants are full of so many awful things it’s sort of insane. Google and read through a respectable article on the topic; the studies are compelling for making a switch to natural deodorant (NOTE: I linked to a few sources at the bottom). For one, most antiperspirants contain aluminum which has been linked to tons of cancers and hormone imbalances. No fun at all!
The Bad
First off, here’s the skinny on all the bad stuff antiperspirants and certain deodorants can do.
Antiperspirants, in their defense, do exactly what they say. They stop sweat. Which is what we want for sure. That is until you remember that your body is designed to sweat. Sweat is a combination of water and salts from your body. And the main purpose of sweat is to help control your body temperature, hence the waterworks when you work out. There’s also the added benefit of sweating which is that it helps detoxify your skin of dirt, oil and impurities.
The main issue with antiperspirants is that they block your sweat glands from producing sweat. The scientific argument against this is that it leads to toxic build up which, over years of use, could lead to build up in neighboring lymph nodes. This is the theory behind the link of aluminum-filled antiperspirants and breast cancer.
I should mention that while science does support these claims, the FDA doesn’t acknowledge the link. The FDA also labels antiperspirants as a “drug” for the ingredients they contain. Whatever that may be worth.
Deodorant, the Fragrant Alternative
The alternative to antiperspirants is deodorants. Deodorants, unlike antiperspirants, do not block sweat, they simply mask it with fragrance. And therein lies the issue with deodorants. Many fragrances in grooming products and cosmetics are synthetic and filled with hormone disruptive chemicals. They often times also include parabens which have become widely accepted as altogether bad for you. So choosing a natural deodorant is imperative–it doesn’t really make sense to ditch a “bad” antiperspirant just to pick up a “bad” deodorant.
Use the Think Dirty app if you’re interested in assessing your grooming products and their ingredients. (Note: It’s not 100% accurate but it can get you started.)
So now that we’ve quickly summarized this sweaty business, we get to the purpose of our story. I recently made the decision to transition from an antiperspirant to a natural deodorant.
The Switch
To be clear, I’ve embarked down this journey once before. In the dead of summer. When it was humid. Needless to say, I lasted half of a day. So if you choose to attempt to make the switch, it’s okay to struggle. Running away from people for fear or smelling seems a little extreme, but hey, you do you. Just remember, it will get better.
Day 1-3
So luckily I started this process in the fall. And while in Southern California that may not mean cool weather, it just so happened to be a cool fall day the day I began. This helped so much. Not dealing with the heat and the accompanying sweat was a Godsend.
I definitely sweat and it makes sense. People sweat. I sweat more than the average guy so I knew it’d be a sweaty few days. For the first few days your body produces that intense level of sweat. Think of it this way. Antiperspirants (as discussed above) block sweat glands. So your sweat glands produce more in the hopes of getting through to release what they’re supposed to release (it’s what they’re designed to do). Then you suddenly open the floodgates by “unblocking” them with a natural deodorant while they are still in overproduction mode.
It’s a sweaty few days friends. So choosing the right deodorant is key. I used Olivina Men’s Bourbon Cedar Aluminum Free Deodorant ($8) the first few days. It worked really well. The scent is amazing and while I thought I smelled slightly from the sweat, my wife said I was actually fine. I was surprised to say the least. And the key with natural deodorant brands is that they need to be scented with natural ingredients. Olivina Men uses organic essential oils–it’s key!
Day 4-7
Day 4 I actually went to the gym. It did not go great. I sweat a ton (as stated) so you can imagine what it was like. The nice thing about this process is that I tend to work out on my lunch break at work so I can easily shower and reapply afterwards and it’s okay. I think at this point in the process I’d recommend carrying some extra deodorant around with you just in case you need to reapply.
Day 7-10
After a week, I was surprised to find that I didn’t feel like I was smelling bad anymore. If I have a particularly intense day or workout, maybe a little. But it’s amazing how quickly your body adjusts. Now I use two different brands because I’ve got one in my gym bag and one at home. I added Schmidt’s to the mix and they work great too. They’re slightly more expensive but I do like the texture of their deodorants.
Final Thoughts
Unfortunately, we don’t always know what we’re putting on or in our bodies. The rules in place don’t require businesses to tell us. And we have to take the initiative to figure out for ourselves. I put off this transition for a long while, but I got to the place where I realized my health was more important than having a few sweaty/smelly days. And now that I’ve done it, I’ll never go back. It works great guys!
Now you might be saying, well it’s so much more expensive. And here’s the thing… Small companies doing good don’t get government help or have massive distribution so they require more money to operate. Plus, natural, organic, good-for-you ingredients cost more. Plain and simple. But (and this goes in line with my perspective on my essential oil usage), ultimately it’s all cheaper than cancer treatment, infertility treatment, disease management, etc. These small steps will not only save you money but help you live longer, healthier lives. Make the switch and get a little smelly! It’s only ten days. You’ll survive.
Sources:
https://www.thecut.com/2015/07/should-i-stop-using-antiperspirant.html
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/should-people-be-concerned-about-parabens-in-beauty-products/
https://intothegloss.com/2016/11/switching-to-natural-deodorant-detox/
https://hellogiggles.com/beauty/beauty-products-tools/freedom-natural-deodorant-review/
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