Beautycounter Natural Deodorant and Why You Should Make the Switch!
You know I always say an informed consumer is a smart one. This is the main reason I love doing this blog with you is to share what I have learned with my very own journey. My goal is to always share in a thoughtful way so that you leave feeling EMPOWERED, not overwhelmed. I hope you find this useful!
This week has been fun watching some of you expand into your safer beauty journey!
Today, at Beautycounter we launched our FULL SIZE all-new, long-lasting aluminum-free deodorant. We have been waiting for this launch for 4 years!!! It's our first refillable product too which makes my heart (and the environment) happy!
But first - Why should you use deodorant without aluminum?
I have been using aluminum free deodorant for over 5 years and believe this is one of the MOST IMPORTANT swaps for safer you can make. Here's why…
Antiperspirants use aluminum salts to block your sweat glands from stimulating underarm sweat. There are two main health issues usually talked about when it comes to aluminum in deodorant, Alzheimer’s disease and breast cancer. Since it's breast cancer awareness month and 1 in 7 women are getting diagnosed - let's start there…..
“The concerns about the risk of breast cancer largely have to do with the proximity of the underarms to the breasts. Some studies have claimed that a majority of breast cancers develop in the upper outer quadrant of the breast because that section is closest to the underarms, where antiperspirants — which theoretically get absorbed by the skin or enter through razor nicks — are applied, the thinking being that the aluminum gets into the lymph nodes and then travels to the breasts.”
It can take up to 30 days for your body to fully detox from aluminum. The truth is, your natural deodorant isn't making you smell worse – the bacterial under your arms are changing and it doesn't happen overnight!
Aluminum free deodorants are focused on blocking odor versus blocking sweat and contain antibacterial ingredients to kill those odor-causing bacteria that live off your sweat protein.
Don’t forget… antiperspirants and chemical-laden deodorants work to clog up pores and don’t allow the body to properly release the sweat necessary to cool down the body and release toxins (why they’re called anti-perspirants). They are also unnecessary for preventing body odor.
When we sweat it isn’t what actually smells; it’s just a mixture of our very own salt and water.
What does create the odor then?
It’s when your sweat comes into contact with the natural bacteria that lives on our skin. I have good news though! Changing this reaction is easily done with natural deodorant.
Here are a few tips I’ve gathered while using natural deodorant:
If you experience razor bumps or any irritation at all consider making the switch!
You might be making your sweat worse by using an aluminium deodorant! The buildup of sweat beneath the skin also comes with a buildup of the good bacteria that actually digests sweat, which then limits your body to digest any bad bacteria. What happens is this makes your sweat even worse! When you apply the aluminum compounds on your skin it can also cause an acidic reaction to fabric your wearing. Anyone ever experience sweat stains on your white t-shirts?! This is why!
As mentioned above, some diseases have been linked to deodorants. No thanks!
Natural deodorants actually benefit your skin! This happens because it clogs nothing on your pores. Your skin will be so happy I promise!
Steer clear of deodorants with parabens or propylene glycol, which are likely to irritate skin.
When switching over to a natural deodorant, it’s a great idea to just give your body a break for a few days. Let the conventional deodorant release out of your body before applying yet another product. This will also aid in irritation as well. Perhaps use an exfoliate to help remove some of the build up. I love to use Beautycounter’s Charcoal Mask to help with this! Try it WORKS! You could also start using a charcoal cleansing bar daily to help remove toxins under the armpit area as well. Both work incredibly well for me!
If you’d like to see a full informational video that I put together about making the switch to safer deodorant, you can find it here!
Sending you love,
