How often do you hear about a deodorant detox? Maybe an alcohol detox, drug detox, or colon detox, but deodorant? Not too often. I first learned about a deodorant detox from a podcast that I regularly listen to, The Black Girl Bravado. During an episode of the podcast, the two ladies who host the podcast briefly discussed their deodorant detox and their transition from an antiperspirant deodorant to an all-natural deodorant. There wasn't too much information given about the detox. The only thing they really mentioned is that antiperspirant deodorant is toxic. However, my holistic healer friend shared a little information about antiperspirant deodorant.
There are 3 toxic ingredients that are in antiperspirant deodorant:
- Aluminum: linked to breast cancer and an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease
- Parabens: may disrupt your hormonal balance linked to birth defects
- Phthalates: chemicals used to soften PVC plastic and as solvents in cosmetics, which can damage the liver and kidneys.
Why did I decide to switch to natural deodorant?
As you can see, this isn't a research article about why antiperspirant deodorant is bad, but reading that first ingredient and what it is linked to gave me more than enough reason to want to transition to a natural deodorant. You see, I was diagnosed with fibroadenomas back in April of 2017. Fibroadenomas are benign tumors in the breasts that are, of course, harmless UNLESS you have a history of breast cancer in your family. Even then, there is still a small possibility of them being cancerous. I have multiple in each breast and a couple of them are fairly decent in size. They come with some discomfort as well (not the case for every woman, but this is the case for myself). For this reason, I just want to ensure that I am protecting myself and my girls by any means necessary – even if that means doing something as small as switching my deodorant. So, that's my why for embarking on this journey.
What is a deodorant detox and why is it necessary?
Well, a deodorant detox is when you simply just don't wear antiperspirant deodorant for a week to allow for your armpits to rid the toxins. While some say it is not necessary, others believe that the detox will allow for the natural deodorant to work better if you allow time for the toxins to rid. I decided to do the detox because I think ridding the toxins will be a great start to this new journey. Below is my daily log about my experience with this detox. I do want to add that there are things one can do to prevent odor while not wearing deodorant. You can find a list on google, but what I did personally was clean my armpits with Witch Hazel every morning after I showered, and then towards the end of the detox, I began using baby powder. These two things worked well.
Day to day with the detox:
Day 1:Day 1 went very well. There was very minimal odor. So minimal that you would have had to actually put your nose in my armpit to smell it. So far, so good.
Day 2:Day 2 was a little uncomfortable. Everything was fine until I came back from my lunch break. My lunch breaks are an hour long and I sit in my car when I take my break so that I can get some alone time. I don't like to just sit with my car on either, so the windows were cracked. I guess you can imagine how that went. There was also a lot of movement going on in the office this day, so that didn't help. My underarms were sticky, which is a feeling I HATE! I tried to mask the musty smell with some perfume. It worked for a little bit and then wore off. I was a little worried that I messed up the detox by doing that, but I think it was fine.
Funny story about day 2. So, my desk is in the lobby of the nursing home. One of my coworkers walked past my desk and said, "there's a bit of a smell up here" … when I tell you all my mind went running, it went running! I was so nervous that she was talking about me and my underarms (lol). So, I asked her, "what does it smell like?" and as she walked closer to the nursing hall doors she said "well it's just in this area, it must be the bathrooms since they always smell (due to plumbing)." Talk about a sigh of relief! I was thinking to myself, "wait a minute, I can't even smell myself! There's no way she can smell me." Safe to say, it wasn't me that she smelled.
Day 3: Day 3 was good! The only issue I had was my underarms being sticky, which I already mentioned is a feeling I hate. That feeling always makes me feel uncomfortable. By now, I've learned that everything is fine until after I get back from my lunch break, which was the case for today. Other than the stickiness, this was a good day.
Day 4: LAAAWWWDDDDD!!! Listen! As I said before, I'm good until after my lunch break. But TODAY, after my lunch break, it was baaaaddddd. Today I decided to wear a long sleeve shirt and a neck scarf to work. The heat in the building was set to 74. It was a busy work day, nonstop moving and grooving. Put all of that together and you can only imagine my experience today (lol). Today was actually the first day that I could smell myself, and I smelled like pure onions! I asked a couple of coworkers if they could smell me, because I sure could, and they both said no. It didn't even matter if they could because I could, and that was enough for me. This day was the most self-conscious I've been during this detox. I was pretty nervous about day 5 after this experience.
Side note: By this time, I've learned that one arm will smell worse than the other, and sometimes those arms changed. For instance, on day 2 my left arm was good but my right arm was on fire. On day 4, my left arm was on fire but my right arm was good. So, it's a weird journey to say the least. I'm not sure how they just go back and forth like that or why one will smell worse than the other. Must be those toxins.
Days 5, 6, and 7: I put these days together because they were all pretty much the same. Very minimal sweat and odor. In fact, on day 5, I went and bought a travel size baby powder and began using it in addition to my Witch Hazel. It worked very well as far as controlling odor and sweat.
All in all, this detox was not as bad as I thought. As I type this, it is now day 7 and I actually feel like I could continue with not using deodorant at all – antiperspirant or natural. Now that I've found a method that works, it just doesn't seem so bad.
My choice of natural deodorant:
So, the natural deodorant that I am using is Schmidt's natural deodorant. It was recommended in the podcast, so I just went ahead and got it. It is aluminum free, propylene glycol free, parabens free, phthalates free, and has no artificial fragrances. I got the Bergamot and Lime scent because it smells very good and natural. Sort of gave me "motherland" vibes when I smelled it, which is always good! I was previously using Secret Outlast clear gel. My antiperspirant deodorants always changed between secret, suave, and dove - gel or solid.
I was given some feedback about using this brand. I was told that it didn't work well for some, and that the baking soda caused a lot of irritation and didn't do much for sweat control. Monday (today) is my first use of the deodorant. I'm not sure how long it has to be used before you can reap the benefits or experience the side effects, but I will definitely keep my Instagram account updated with how the deodorant use is going. If you're not following me on Instagram, my handle is @iamninaroche. You can follow me and my updates if you're not already doing so *wink*
If you've been considering doing a deodorant detox or switching to natural deodorant, I recommend doing it (as of now). The detox was honestly not bad. However, it is a subjective journey, so your results may not look like mine. I suggest doing research about detoxing and natural deodorant brands, and planning accordingly – i.e. not detoxing during the summer or while you have an extremely busy/active week. I believe that it could be a rewarding experience for those who wish to give it a try. Just remember that your health is your wealth, and any gesture to naturally improve your health is a good one.
Until next time.
