What Is So Bad About Antiperspirants? Plus A Recipe To Make Your Own Natural Hemp Seed Oil Deodorant
Jun 29, 2023
One of the best places to start when looking to use more natural products on your skin is a deodorant that has clean, natural ingredients. There is a lot of studies out there pointing to toxic substances that put us at risk for certain disease and complications from conventional antiperspirants and deodorants. These studies have linked increased risk of breast cancer, Alzheimer’s, and kidney disease, to name a few.
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Your Skin
First, let’s talk about your skin. The skin is the largest organ of the human body. Yes, it is an organ and a very important one at that. It protects against elements and microbes. It has 3 layers and in those layers, there is a whole system that works to protect your body. Deep within those layers, you will find sweat glands. We have 2 types of sweat glands under the arms. The fluid from these glands mix with bacteria in a warm moist area of the body called the armpit. This is the perfect setup for odor. We have been made to believe that we should stop sweating to control the odor. The act of sweating is blocked when we use antiperspirants.
Sweating happens when the body needs to regulate its temperature. Sweat is made of mostly water and when it evaporates on the skin, it helps the body cool down. Along with water, sweat is made up of salts and as we sweat, it helps move toxins out of the body. When we use antiperspirants, the act of sweating is blocked.
Why are Antiperspirants and Conventional Deodorants Bad?
As I mentioned, the job of antiperspirants is to block sweating. They use aluminum in their product, which is a salt-like mineral. When the aluminum combines with water, it creates a chemical reaction and turns into a gel-like substance. This gel purposely clogs the pores, so that your sweat never reaches the surface to cause odor. Now, as mentioned above, our body needs to sweat. It is the natural course of things. Aside from blocking sweat glands, studies have shown aluminum to be linked to Alzheimer’s disease, breast cancer, and kidney disease.
The aluminum and other synthetic and toxic substances, when not excreted through our sweat glands, become trapped and absorbed into our fat tissue. Eventually, this can lead to your bloodstream. Even though it may take a great deal of Aluminum and other substances to cause harm, just think about this for one moment; you are putting this on, under your arm every day for how many years? Why take the risk?
Conventional deodorants contain synthetic fragrances to mask the underarm odor. No telling what chemical composition these may have unless you have it tested for a report. Other substances that are commonly found in both deodorants and antiperspirants are Parabens, Propylene Glycol, Silica, and Triclosan. Again, all of these are stored in the fat cells of the underarm, because they aren’t allowed to “get out”.
Natural Deodorant Benefits
Natural Deodorant allows the underarms to sweat but the ingredients used are to help the sweat not have a bad odor, as well as absorb sweat. The addition of essential oils does not only help with helping you to smell good, when using 100% pure essential oils, certain ones also have properties that kill the odor-causing bacteria. Other natural ingredients used to absorb the sweat are, baking soda, arrowroot powder, and natural clays.
Detoxing the Pits
When you are ready to make the switch, your armpits will need a “detox” period. If you have been using antiperspirants for a long time, your body will need to get used to being without them. For the first 2-4 weeks, it is recommended that you carry around your natural deodorant to apply a few times per day.
Making the Switch
If you are ready to take the plunge to cleaner pits, here is a natural deodorant recipe.
Supplies To Make Your Own
- A deodorant tube. I like to use theses zero waste biodegradable tubes, but you can also reuse one of your empty tubes and label it. This will fit into 2, 2.3 oz tubes.
- 1.5 oz Coconut oil If coconut oil is not your jam, you can substitute Shea Butter
- 1 oz (30 ml) Hemp seed oil
- 0.5 oz Candelilla Wax (plant-based) or Beeswax
- 1 tbsp. Green Clay
- 1 tsp. Arrowroot (plant-based)
- Use 30-35 drops of pure essential oil total
- Medium-sized pot and large glass measuring cup or you can also use a double boiler.
Fill pot 1/3 to ½ with water and bring to a boil. Gather and measure out all your ingredients. Once the water is boiling, add wax to the glass measuring cup (I use a 4 cup) and place it in the pot of boiling water. Add coconut oil to the mixture after the wax melts. When melted, mix in the hemp seed oil. Once melted together, turn off the heat and whisk in arrowroot and green clay, one at a time. Once mixed in, remove from pot and add you’re essential oils.
Here are some great essential oils that help kill odor-causing bacteria for the underarm. Mixing 2 is great! You will want to add 50-60 drops total. This recipe will make approximately 2, 2.5 oz containers or 4, 1.3 oz containers
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