What we put into our bodies often gets the main focus. But what about what we put on our skin? Our skin is the largest organ in the body and a lot of what we put onto our skin gets absorbed right into our blood stream.
Natural aluminium-free deodorant is probably something you have thought about or tried in the past. Deodorant can be one of the hardest products within our beauty regime to substitute for a natural product, even for the most health conscious individual. It’s not because we don’t want to, but because we are fearful that it won’t work! Nobody wants to have sweaty armpits, sweat marks on our clothing or even worse, have terrible body odour!
The good news is natural aluminium-free deodorant has come a long way, and you can have the best of both worlds – aluminium and chemical free deodorants that won’t harm your health, but that actually do work!
The difference between deodorant and anti-perspirants
In order to make an informed decision we first need to understand the difference between natural and antiperspirant deodorant. Though we tend to use the word “deodorant” to refer to anything we roll or spray on our underarms, that’s not actually accurate. Deodorant is simply made to curb body odour, and antiperspirant is meant to curb sweat.
Antiperspirant deodorants contain aluminium, which is used to temporarily block your sweat ducts and stop you from sweating. This is an unnatural process, as the body is meant to sweat. Sweating helps to maintain our bodies proper temperature, expel toxins from the body and send sodium (salt) back into the blood to maintain salinity in the body.
For years there have been concerns raised about the potential adverse effects of aluminium-based deodorants. Some reports have suggested that aluminium in deodorant products could increase the risk of breast cancer in women, due to the potential oestrogen-like effects of aluminium when it is absorbed into the skin of the underarms. There have also been concerns that there is a link between aluminium and Alzheimer’s disease, bone disease and renal disorders.
Whilst there have been no studies that give us a definitive conclusion on these risks, do we really want to be the guinea pig in this experiment?
What is the key to natural aluminium-free deodorant success?
The key to succeeding with a natural aluminium-free deodorant is being patient. It can take up to 2 weeks for your body to adjust to using a natural deodorant for the first time or even when switching between natural brands.
Sweat is healthy
Lastly be prepared to sweat a little. Natural deodorant will not stop you sweating, but the ingredients found in a high quality deodorant will keep you feeling and smelling fresh.
If trying a natural deodorant is something that’s been on your list of things to try there’s no better time than now to give it a go and make the switch. Your body will love you for it!
By Dianne Caine Australia
