General Health

Why I Ditched Traditional Anti-Perspirant

NOTE: I am not an affiliate with any company mentioned in this post and they do not sponsor my blog.

 

I ditched traditional anti-perspirant and it was not easy.

As you may have seen, I did a pretty extensive deodorant review a while back and you can find it on the YouTube channel as well.

Since then, I have been doing ongoing research on natural deodorants and finding the best ones that actually work.

I realized I didn’t really tell my story of why I decided to stop using traditional products and started using natural.

I not only did a lot of research on ingredients, company values, price, effectiveness and scent, but also whether it was natural.

I started reading about the chemicals in anti-perspirant being dangerous, especially aluminum, and I honestly didn’t see the point in putting something onto my body that is so harmful.

As more and more research is being performed, it’s showing that aluminum can build up in breast tissue, making the user more susceptible to breast cancer. While some studies refute this, others say that it may because we shave and then apply the product, allowing the aluminum to enter our body through tiny nicks that we may not even know are there.

An article from Mercola.com, written in 2016, tackled this issue in depth. The article said that not only does this ingredient kill certain good bacterias our body needs, but they can produce the bacteria that causes us to smell.

Dr. Mercola wrote:

“Studies also show a high incidence of breast cancer in the upper outer quadrant of the breast, nearest to where antiperspirants are applied…”

My question was this; Do natural deodorants actually work?

Well, I tried a lot of brands. I could not find one I liked either due to irritation, texture, or the ability to keep me odor free.

It was getting really frustrating and I kept going back to anti-perspirant, but I hated the fact that I was putting chemicals on my body.

I wanted to cut out as much chemical ingredient from all my body products as possible because I was always feeling so sick and crummy. I figured it had to have something to do with that and through lots of research, I found out that I wasn’t the only one having these problems.

Nausea, chronic pain, depression.

These were some conditions that I found out could be caused by a overrun of chemicals in the body.

I got to a point where I figured I’ll just be smelly if I have to be, it’s better than feeling so bad all the time.

I tried Tom’s of Maine, The Crystal, Jason, Dessert Essence and Schmidt’s Naturals.

I like something from all of them, but soon realized that Schmidt’s seemed to be the most effective for me.

Now, this isn’t the case for everyone. Tom’s works great for a good friend of mine and The Crystal is fantastic as well, but my personal preference is certain scents and texture and I preferred Schmidt’s.

I was really hesitant, I got a stick at TJMaxx and tried it and the first week or so, my armpits were on fire with rashes. I was so discouraged. I reached out to Schmidt’s and they said it was because my skin was basically detoxing.

Armpit detoxing? Yup, I was skeptical too.

The more research I did, I realized that was true! I had no idea your armpits needed to detox, but it was true and it made sense. I had used traditional antiperspirants and deodorants for years, which means chemicals were not only building up on my armpits, but also being absorbed into my skin. Some of these chemicals are parabens (a chemical used to prevent bacteria), phthalates (a chemical used to make plastics more flexible), Dimethicone (silicone based lubricant that stops not only odor and bacteria, but also prevents the skin from breathing and releasing the toxins from the body), Cyclopentasiloxane (a silicone based chemical used in product to product a soft texture and has been shown to increase the risk of harm to the reproductive organs.)

Look at the labels of some popular brands and see if you can recognize any of the ingredients.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s kind of crazy to think so many different products with different ingredients and most of them are unpronounceable.

This info made me want to switch, but I was hesitant. I wasn’t sure if I could get past the detox part.

I hung in there and tried a sensitive skin formula and kept at it. Eventually, I was able to go back to the regular formula and after about a year of use, I am not having a single irritation or rash.

The best part about this? It works! Not only do they have a scent for everyone, but they have deodorant in jars (which I love) and sensitive skin lines.

I do not smell at all when I use it! It works so well and helps me feel a bit more confident in the searing Florida heat!

 

I have tried quite a few and found some that work, in order of most effective to somewhat effective.

  1. Schmidt’s Naturals. Great scents, 3 different formulations and all natural ingredients. Great odor control. One application does the job. The texture of the regular deo stick is a bit gritty, but goes on smoother after holding it to my armpit to soften up. I prefer the jar formulations because it goes on very smooth and I can prevent clumping although it is applied with your hands, so some may not like this. Doesn’t stain clothes and washes out in the laundry. Excellent customer service. 100% satisfaction guaranteed.
  2. The Crystal. Comes in the regular mineral rock, wipes, sprays and more. Nice, natural scents. Semi-effective for me. I didn’t prefer the rock form. I didn’t feel as if the scent of the sprays lasted very long either, but I love them for spraying smelly underclothes that I sweat in such as bras or sports bras. Doesn’t stain clothing and washes out easily. Excellent customer service.
  3. Jason. Great scents like apricot, tea tree and lavender. Not as effective as I would prefer. I had to reapply throughout the day. The texture was the issue with of some of them. Applied nicely, smooth texture, but a bit greasy. Didn’t find that it stained my clothing or was difficult to wash out. Did not contact customer service.
  4. Tom’s of Maine. The scents are similar to the Jason products. They have several forms including white solid and a clear solid, such as Jason, but the clear solid went on almost wet. It stuck to my clothing as well. Not quite as greasy, but that wet feeling is what I wanted to prevent. The least effective for me. The scent was nice going on, but within about an hour, I was smelly. It also left a oily stain on the underarms of my shirts. It wasn’t noticeable if you didn’t know it was there, but I don’t want a sweat stain on my clothing and this was a big factor for me. Emailed several times and heard no response.

So, in conclusion, Schmidt’s is my top choice and has been since I started. I haven’t found one that is as effective as Schmidt’s and keeps me dry. I also love that I apply once and I am good all day.

I know it may seem that those chemicals listed above aren’t a big deal, how could they hurt you? Well, maybe they won’t, but the risk isn’t worth taking in my opinion.

Take a look at the links of these brands and decide for yourself which you might want to try.  All can be found online, in some stores and most health stores, as well as (some) TJMaxx and other discount retail department stores such as Ross.

Have a great holiday season and thank you for tuning in!

http://www.tomsofmaine.com

http://www.schmidtsnaturals.com

http://www.jason-personalcare.com/

http://www.thecrystal.com/

 

 

Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. (n.d.). Products & Ingredients. Retrieved December 13, 2017, from https://www.fda.gov/Cosmetics/ProductsIngredients/default.htm
How Harmful Are the Chemicals in Your Deodorant? (n.d.). Retrieved December 13, 2017, from https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2016/02/17/deodorant-chemicals.aspx

 

Disclosure: This blog may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using one of these links, I may earn a small commission at no cost to you. All opinions are strictly my own and do not reflect the company or product I am reviewing.
Disclaimer: Sweet Honeybee Health and it’s owners are not medical professionals. Content on this website is intended for informational purposes only. I research and write on numerous health topics and companies. Do not use the information you find on this site as medical advice. You are encouraged to seek the advice of a medical professional prior to trying any health remedy, no matter how safe or risk-free it may claim to be.
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Disclosure: This blog may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using one of these links, I may earn a small commission at no cost to you. All opinions are strictly my own and do not reflect the company or product I am reviewing. Disclaimer: Sweet Honeybee Health and it’s owners are not medical professionals. Content on this website is intended for informational purposes only. I research and write on numerous health topics and companies. Do not use the information you find on this site as medical advice. You are encouraged to seek the advice of a medical professional prior to trying any health remedy, no matter how safe or risk-free it may claim to be.
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