How to choose a Natural Deodorant
Choosing a natural deodorant can be challenging, so many options, so little information. Hopefully this article will help you on your journey to a healthier you!
Avoid Toxic Ingredients
There are many toxins in deodorants that should be avoided. Many have been proven to play a role in causing cancers or other issues such as Alzheimer's. Most commercial deodorants have toxic ingredients in them including:
- Dyes
- Parabens (synthetic preservatives)
- Alcohols
- Aluminum
- Antiperspirants
Deodorant vs. Antiperspirants
Deodorants
Deodorants are used to hide or cover body odor. While there are many “natural” deodorants on the market, they often still have toxic ingredients that you might want to avoid such as propylene glycol. Or, they just don’t have the right ingredients to help the body combat the bacteria or sweat. Deodorants work by killing bacteria that cause odor.
Antiperspirants
Antiperspirants keep you from sweating, which by the way, is very unnatural. Antiperspirants work by clogging or closing pores with strong astringents such as aluminum salts to keep you from perspiring. Antiperspirants keep your body from sweating thus shutting down a natural process in our body. a process that releases toxins.
What to look for in a Natural Deodorant
A natural deodorant should contain simple, yet effective ingredients, a base oil, usually coconut, a wax, sometimes clay or arrowroot powder and essential oils. Some natural deodorants contain baking soda, this is not a bad thing, however, many are sensitive to this ingredient on their armpit.
Here are the ingredients we use at Elegant Rose Boutique:
- Organic Coconut Oil: organic coconut oil is naturally antibacterial
- Bentonite Clay: to help combat body odor and absorb sweat, it will also help detox your armpits
- Arrowroot Powder: to help absorb sweat
- Beeswax: to help make a hard bar, for easy application
- Essential Oils: our essential oil blends are created by us to provide optimal antibacterial properties.
Body Chemistry
We're all different and our bodies will all respond differently when switching from regular deodorant to natural deodorant. Our body's chemistry are all different, so what might work for one doesn't necessarily work for another, so, your journey into natural deodorants may require a little trial and error.
- What works initially, might stop working after a while - this is usally because it's time for an oil change, so to speak, if you use an essential oil for an extended period of time, you just need to mix it up a bit with a different scents/essential oils for awhile.
- What doesn’t work right away, may work very well eventually, your body may need time to adjust or detox from your previous deodorant
- While one scent may not work for you, another scent in the same line may work very well. If possible, try sample sizes to help determine the best scent for you.
The Adjustment Period
If you are just switching to natural deodorant, your body may need 1-3 weeks to adjust. If you've been using antiperspirants your whole life, this might be a big change for your sweat glands.
There are several reasons for this adjustment period:
- Your sweat glands are opening up and releasing toxins
- Your body pH hasn’t adjusted to the sweat
- You might develop an itch or rash from all the changes
Sometimes detoxing your armpits will help with this transition.
Armpit Detox Recipe:
An armpit detox can help speed up the adjustment period you experience when switching to a natural deodorant.
Mix 1 Tbsp Bentonite clay with organic apple cider vinegar and water to form a paste. Gently wash your armpits and then apply the paste mixture at night. Leave on and wash off in morning. If you don't want to leave it on overnight, leave on for at least 15 minutes, then wash off.
See our Natural Deodorants here - 
