Natural deodorants | Aluminum-free deodorants | Stop the odor naturally

All people sweat. This is nature. Sweat cools our body and keeps its temperature in balance. The embarrassment and need to mask the odor, however, are so strong that we rarely pay any attention on  how and what ingredients stop the unpleasant smell. Have you wondered what’s the difference between a deodorant and an antiperspirant? How each one functions? What is their effect on our body? Why natural deodorants are the best choice?

First things first.

Why do we sweat?

We have two kinds of underarm glands that produce sweat  – eccrine and apocrine glands.

The eccrine glands are most numerous and are responsible for producing most of the sweat in our body. Their sweat contains water and sodium chloride. The latter gives the salty taste of sweat. The eccrine glands are activated by hot weather, fever, emotional stress and exercise.

The apocrine glands starts secreting at puberty. Once the  sweat reaches the surface of the body, it is broken down by the bacteria that abounds in the underarm area and ….. here is how the perspiration smell is produced.

How to get rid of sweat?

Actually, we don’t have to get rid of sweat. It is the main cooling system of our bodies. When we sweat, our bodies and clothes are covered with water. When it is hot or we exercise, our bodies are heated. This heat helps the water to evaporate, which cools our bodies. For the same reason, when we are hot and splash water on ourselves, it feels good. So, we need to sweat in order to stay healthy. We just can get rid of the perspiration smell.

How to get rid of sweat odor?

This can be done with deodorants and antiperspirants. Deodorants neutralize the smell of sweat by fighting the bacteria in the armpits. On the other, antiperspirants block the pores in the underarm area by its active ingredient – aluminum salts. Thus, antiperspirants interfere with sweating – our body’s natural cooling system.

Aluminum salts penetrate the skin and is accumulated in our bodies. This process is eased by the regular shaving of underarms.  Once there,  aluminum in antiperspirants can cause the formation of cancerous tumors. It is also associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Other ingredients to avoid are parabens, formaldehyde, propylnene golycol, tricolsan.

What to do in the heat then? Use natural deodorants!

Natural deodorants do not have any of the above harsh chemicals. They are usually made with essential oils, baking soda, mineral salts, flower extracts and other natural and safe ingredients.

Nevertheless, before purchase, always check the product’s safety in the EWG’s Skin Deep cosmetics database – a directory with reviews about more than 65 000 products;

Tip: You may have heard that natural deodorants don’t work. Or you may know this from your own experience. Actually, I was almost convinced about this too, but then I started to apply mine more than once during the day. The result is odorless!

If you still don’t like the results of natural deodorants, you can experiment and make your own. Here are three tested homemade deodorant recipes.

Places where you can buy organic and natural deodorants

Nature’s Basin – You will find natural and organic aluminum free body deodorants from Erbaviva and Weleda.

Abe’s Market offers over 40 natural deodorants from Duggan Sisters, Pet Alive, Meow Meow Tweet, Weleda, Crystal, Earth Science, Mountain Meadow Herbs and other manufacturers.

Aubrey Organics offers deodorants with natural herbal extracts without harsh ingredients or preservatives.

Solay Wellness has a natural deodorant powder with Himalayan Salt as well as a Himalayan Salt crystal, which is a natural deodorant and a natural skin care treatment.