Finding a natural deodorant that actually works is possibly one of the most common dilemmas people face when switching to clean & green personal care products. And let's be honest, there’s a lot at stake when making this switch! Sweat marks, bad odors & possible social humiliation are all legitimate fears one has when considering this significant challenge. The good news is though, we have all the insider tips on how to make the switch easy-breezy & sweet smelling.
Why switch to aluminum free, natural deodorant?
Aluminum is the most commonly used active ingredient in mainstream deodorants because it literally works as a plug, blocking your sweat glands & temporarily stopping you from sweating. Whilst aluminum works as an excellent antiperspirant, there is concern about the long term health effects of this ingredient. Research has shown that when used regularly, aluminum compounds can be absorbed by the skin near the breast and could have possible detrimental health effects, including hormone disruption leading to increased breast cancer rates, Alzheimer’s disease & impaired kidney function. Whilst a direct relationship is yet to be proven, there is an indirect link showing in the literature that is enough for us to want to steer clear of aluminum in our deodorant.
How to make the switch easy
Just like anything we do every single day, our body also gets used to the ingredients that we apply to it via our daily personal care products. To avoid any annoying but usually harmless side-effects, we recommend following this advice:
Slowly ween off your conventional deo by introducing your new aluminum free deodorant every other day. Initially you may find that you sweat & stink more, experience discoloration of the skin or itchy bumps under your arms. This is all a sign that your body is starting to detoxify the area after being plugged up with aluminum for years and will be significantly reduced by slowly introducing your new deo. As any symptoms of detoxification reduce, you can increase your aluminum free, natural deodorant use every day.
Choosing a natural deo for your skin type?
Most natural deodorants use sodium bicarbonate, also known as bicarb, as their active ingredient. Bicarb works to neutralize odor causing bacteria, without the use of aluminum. There are some more sensitive skin types who cannot tolerate this ingredient and may experience symptoms such as burning, itching, redness & bumps. If this is the case for you, then we recommend using a natural deodorant for sensitive skin, without sodium bicarbonate. These will typically use the active ingredient zinc oxide which is also effective at combating odor causing bacteria.
Which aluminum free, natural deodorants actually work?
There is an abundance of high quality, high performance aluminum free, natural deodorant on the market for you to choose from. It really comes down to finding the right formulation for your odor. We have created two highly effective natural deodorants in the Nourished Daily range:
- Natural Deodorant Cream - Early Spring
Formulated with active ingredient zinc oxide to neutralize odor causing bacteria, with added Shea Butter, Mango Seed Butter & Jojoba Oil to nourish & gently protect more sensitive skins. Early Spring is a fresh unisex scent that evokes new green life with soft floral notes of jasmine, ylang-ylang & vanilla. This Natural Sensitive Skin Deodorant is highly effective for light to medium body odor and sensitive skin.
- Natural Deodorant Stick - Chai Spice
This powerhouse natural deodorant stick is formulated with two key active ingredients; zinc oxide and sodium bicarbonate to combat strong odor causing bacteria along with arrowroot powder to keep you dry without completely stopping your body’s natural sweat & detoxification process. Chai Spice is a warm & spicy scent of vanilla, cinnamon & cloves with a subtle sweet undertone. This scent is loved by both men & women and is a lingering scent that keeps you smelling great all day. This Natural Deodorant Stick is highly effective for all body odor, especially those that are medium to strong in nature.
Explore the diverse aluminum free, natural deodorant collection at Nourished
