This post may be a little TMI (too much information) for some, but I really wanted to share my wonderful, amazing, awesome, discovery.
I am going to start out by saying that I am not one to talk about personal hygiene let alone my underarms, but I thought this post would be very helpful to many women and (hopefully) young girls, especially those who are looking for natural alternatives in the deodorant department.
When I was a teen, I remember how irritating it was dealing with certain issues like shaving, dark underarms, deodorants not working, etc. I mean, I still deal with the same issues, but I think I've figured things out over the years.
For one, antiperspirants are a crime against humanity.
Oops, did I just say that! Yes, you heard that right. They are loaded with toxins, the main offender being aluminum, which blocks your body's natural ability to rid itself of toxins through sweating. To top it off, you're adding more toxic load to your body by using products like these, and doing more harm than good.
Commercial deodorants and antiperspirants also contain other harmful carcinogens that may cause long-term health problems with continued use. As you know, deodorants are used on a daily basis, so it's scary to think that we're exposing our bodies to these harmful toxins day in and day out.
Okay ladies, here's another one. Please hear me when I say that sweating is a GOOD thing.
What makes it bad is when it mixes with bacteria on the skin, which causes odor. Please, please, please, make moves toward eliminating antiperspirants from your household. You are supposed to sweat naturally.
Yes, it may sound gross, but it really isn't.
I'm not saying to completely stop using any type of deodorant, just look for ones that are naturally derived and free from chemically-derived ingredients. Look for ones that contain essential oils, coconut oil, sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), and other safe ingredients. There are so many alternatives and options available these days, or you could even make one yourself (at the end of this post, I'm sharing my homemade deodorant recipe).
I recommend the The Think Dirty app if you are interested in shopping for cleaner alternatives. It's a good resource to use when shopping around because it allows you to learn about the ingredients in beauty and personal care products and choose cleaner options.
To clarify, deodorants are used for preventing odor by killing the bacteria that causes odor, while antiperspirants block sweat by basically plugging up pores. Most products claim that they do both, so watch out for that.
The more the claim - you can bet - the more the toxins!
A bonus to switching to purely natural deodorants is that I have noticed a huge difference in the color of my underarms. I'm not saying that my underarms were black or anything, but they were enough for me to cry wolf. I'll be sharing my method for whitening underarms in a future post, but one of the main factors in the change of my underarm appearance was indeed switching to a natural deodorant. It made a huge difference. I am now confident enough to flaunt my underarms! Woot woot!
So, what is this super amazing discovery of mine that I wanted to share with you?
Well, with my move toward a cleaner lifestyle several years ago, I started exploring different types of deodorants (natural ones) and found one that was made from a natural mineral salt. The product is called Crystal, and it's completely natural and EFFECTIVE. The way it works is that, once it's applied, it forms a barrier on the skin that prevents odor-causing bacteria from forming.
Well, let me just say that this product is extremely effective at protecting the skin from developing any odor - not perfect, but close to it. The one that I use is the Crystal rock*. It literally is a clear crystal rock. All I do is wet it with a little bit of water, then rub it on and let it dry.
Okay, so that's not the end of the story.
A year or so ago, I decided to try their other variety, Crystal Essence deodorant, which is basically the same thing in liquid form and with essential oils and extracts. I thought, hey, since it's the same thing, why not try it out. I tried it for a long time, and it did work "okay", but didn't work as well as the Crystal rock did. I would still develop BO, which is no bueno!