Are You Rubbing Metal Under Your Arms?

http://www.flickr.com/, photo by greggoconnell

As temperatures start to rise and summer nears, we want to make sure we've got some decent deodorant. We don't want to be sweaty and stinky during the hottest months of the year. Unfortunately, for many of us, those super powerful, pore clogging wonders also contain some unsavory ingredients. In short, they're toxic.

Before we delve into the toxicity of some deodorants, let's stop for a moment and define our underarm warriors. Hopefully, you already know this, but I had never really thought about these definitions until someone told me. Deodorants and anti-perspirants usually come together in one product, but they actually do two totally different things and can be purchased separately. Anti-perspirants stop you from sweating. Deodorants stop you from stinking. So, if you want a product that stops both sweat and stink, you'll get an anti-perspirant/deodorant combo.

Here's the problem: Sweating is one of the primary ways your body rids itself of toxins. When you use an anti-perspirant to plug up all of the sweat glands under your arms, you're actually preventing your body from doing what God created it to do--sweat out those toxins. I know, I know, none of us want huge pit stains on our shirts on the hottest day in July. Just hang with me here.

It's actually best for you to just use deodorant that doesn't also contain anti-perspirant. Not only is there the whole "need to sweat" thing, but most anti-perspirants use an aluminum compound to plug up those sweat glands. That's right--you're rubbing metal under your arms.

So? Who cares? It gets the job done, right? Well, leaching metals into your body every single day can potentially cause some problems, like breast cancer and Alzheimer's. Check out the cautionary article at Natural News for more information.

Not everyone is convinced of this danger, however. The National Cancer Institute disagrees that the aluminum in anti-perspirants can cause breast cancer because the research provides "conflicting results." Read up on this debate for yourself and decide what you want to do. As for my family, we'd rather be safe than sorry.

Here's the next problem: Last summer, we decided that as we ran out of products, we would replace each one with a toxin-free (or as close to it as we could get) alternative. So, when we started running low on deodorant, we scanned the shelves at our local stores. Aside from the already mentioned issue of aluminum in nearly every one, most deodorants also contained one or more of the toxins we were trying to avoid. (Watch especially for parabens in deodorant. These ingredients will end with "paraben," such as methylparaben, propylparaben, and butylparaben.)

Trying to find an aluminum-free and toxin-free deodorant was nearly impossible. We weren't going to spend $13 for a stick of deodorant. We needed to eat, too! Fortunately, there are some alternatives, and they won't break the bank.

Crytal Deodorant: The owner of Alternative Health Products in Spring Hill introduced me to this amazing stuff. According to Crystal. com, "Crystal® is the world's leading all-natural mineral salt deodorant for a reason. It works to prevent odor while other products attempt to mask it or plug pores with aluminum chlorohydrate or aluminum zirconium. Crystal is safe, healthy and totally effective. That's why millions around the world use it every day."
My husband bought the deodorant stick almost a year ago. He uses it every day and still hasn't had to replace it. Supposedly, it lasts about a year, but I know of another man who has been using it for 2 years and still isn't out. The price is around $6.
I use the Crystal roll-on. It actually costs less than the toxin laden deodorant I used to buy, and lasts the same amount of time. I think I paid about $3.65 for my last bottle. It's very available, too. You can buy it right off their website, or from most stores. Locally, I know that Walgreen's, Kroger, and Whole Foods all carry it.

Baking Soda and Cornstarch: According to Mother Nature Network (MNN), you can combine baking soda with just a tiny bit of water and rub under your arms, or combine it with cornstarch to combat odor and wetness.

Lemon Juice: MNN also claims that some people swipe a fresh lemon under their arms each day. (Just don't do it right after shaving!)

Rubbing alcohol: You can also add some essential oils for a fresh scent (MNN.com). Try other astringents, such as witch hazel as well. Astringents work by evaporating moisture and constricting the pores (care2.com).

Milk of Magnesia: Dab some of this under your arms with a cotton ball.

Homemade: Check out Mother Nature Network for a couple of great DIY recipes.

What deodorant alternatives have you tried? Feel free to add them in the comments below.

Lastly, back to the issue of sweat. Honestly, since I switched to the Crystal deodorant, I really haven't noticed much of a difference. There have been a couple of situations where I felt a lot of stress and I started to sweat, but I think that would've happened no matter what deodorant I was wearing. I used it all summer long last year and didn't struggle with "pit stains" at all.

Of course, you'll need to decide for yourself what works and what you're comfortable with, but hopefully this information will help you find the deodorant that's best for you!