I’m flying off topic a bit this week, but then again, that has never stopped me before!
As you guys know, I’ve been on a quest to make our house and all the products in it as health and hormone-friendly as possible. Getting the toxins out has been a big priority, and, until recently, a reliable natural deodorant has eluded me. I have tried a few brands, and even just plain coconut oil, but hadn’t found one that worked great.
What’s all the fuss about with deodorant, anyway?
Well, most deodorants are also anti-perspirants, and anti-perspirants contain aluminum (or aluminimum, depending on which side of the pond you reside). Most commercial deodorants also contain parabens, which also are not the best to be putting in your body because they can mimic your hormones (among other things). There are lots of schools of thought by very smart people that aluminum causes all kinds of horrible things – like breast cancer and Alzheimer’s. Now, I am not saying that we know that there is a definite cause and effect here between deodorant and cancer, but, I am definitely doing my part to keep as many toxins out of my body as possible.
Regardless of studies, one thing we do know is that your skin absorbs whatever is put on it, and it does it so well, it can be even more effective than ingesting. It’s really important to be careful what you slather on your skin on a daily basis! (Someday we’ll talk about sunscreen – yikes!)
About a month ago, I finally stumbled on something that works really well called Soapwalla Deodorant. I’ll be honest, it’s still not as good as something with aluminum in it – which helps prevent you from sweating – but it has been really quite good and has a very pleasant smell. I’d give it a 9/10 rating, which, is good in my book.
I think you could probably make something along these lines using essential oils and some combination of coconut oil and cocoa butter, but, I haven’t delved that far off the deep end (yet). I’m sure that day is coming, and if I concoct a good recipe, you all will be the first to know.
It can be a bit startling to switch from a traditional deodorant to natural, because you’ll learn just how much you really sweat, and what situations cause such sweating. For me, I historically know that if I’m in comfortable work situations with people I already know, I can roll with natural deodorant and be just fine. However, if I’m presenting to a group, meeting new people, or, strangely, going to be around people who are overly-complimentary towards my work, I need the anti-perspirant as well. (And yes, I’m very grateful to have people in my life that are overly complimentary of my work!) In sports situations, I’m a sweater, so, I go sleeveless and always have to prevent any embarrassing situations.
Since switching to the Soapwalla, I haven’t been compelled to pull out the Degree one time, even when in the situations listed above. Victory!
What do you think? Have you tried natural deodorant? Have one you like?
View Comments (4)
I’m on the same quest! I recently started following a site that has a lot of recipes for making your own products. It’s call Wellness Mama. I’m going to try making some things myself and see how it goes. I’m starting with sunscreen bars. Pretty sure she has a recipe for deodorant too.
JoDee, thanks so much for the tip. I’m headed over to her blog right now! Sunscreen bars = brilliant!
I use 70% isopropyl alcohol… If I’m feeling fancy and like taking my time, I’ll scent it with a lavender and tea tree blend of essential oils, or even a tangerine or sweet orange one. Both will leave you with a light scent for a few hours.
I’m a massage therapist, so smelling like nothing is pretty important to me. I use a lot of non-scented or ‘for sensitive’ whatevers to make sure I don’t give my clients a headache because of strong scents. Rubbing alcohol in a little spray bottle will eliminate my pretty strong body odor even through six hours of deep tissue (which is physically demanding and never fails to make me SWEAT). Now, I do sweat, but I’m not in a position where that’s a problem for me – so I’m not really missing the anti-perspirant part of those commercial deodorants. (Or maybe it’s because I’m used to it? All i have to do is THINK about being hot, and I start to sweat!)
But yeah, I like plain old rubbing alcohol. I’m sure somebody somewhere will think it’s bad for me, but compared to the clogged lymph nodes I used to get with deodorant, this is awesome! It’s super cheap, too, which is another plus. Sometimes I feel like the natural alternatives to things are much more expensive just because they’re catering to a niche market. *shrug*
Hi Lillian,
Thank you for this idea!
I do agree that “natural” alternatives can be very expensive, including this particular brand of deodorant. Your suggestion is a great alternative idea!
Angela