I've been looking for a natural deodorant since I read many articles about the possible damages to my health caused the majority of deoderants on the market ...
breast cancer is on the list. It seems ridiculous that such a common product can cause severe health problems, right? Wrong.
Let's go into it.
Harmful substances found in deodorants penetrate the skin (our largest organ) and are absorbed by the cells of a delicate area: armpits, home of the
lymph nodes. Groups of lymph nodes are found near the breast under the armpits, above the collarbone, in the chest behind the breastbone and in many other parts of the body. Lymph nodes capture bacteria, cancer cells and other harmful substances.
In brief: we do not want that harmful substances are deposited near our breast tissue!
Furthermore, most deodorants
occlude the pores preventing the skin from breathing. This disrupts the natural process of regulation of the temperature in our body, therefore the body is not working as it should be.
And we want our body, a perfect mechanism, to function at its best.
How do we know that our deodorant is harmful?
First of all by
reading its ingredients: avoid without mercy those products containing ingredients even remotely harmful.
Secondly by
doing a simple test: stop using your deodorant and see what happens: if you have a very unpleasant smell, it means that your deodorant is not good for you. This happens because the harmful substances stay on your armpits (they are not washed away) and thus occlude the pores.
The best solution is to produce deodorant at home with simple, natural ingredients.
There are many recipes online to experiment with. I will publish my favorite in a couple of days.
Meanwhile let's learn what to avoid.
Substances to be avoided
Triclosan
Antibacterial ingredient that is often found in products for personal hygiene such as liquid soaps, cleansers and toothpastes (in products for babies too!!). Triclosan can damage the
liver and cause liver fibrosis and
tumors (read
this article).
Avoide them!
Parabens
The use of drugs or cosmetics containing parabens increases the occurrence of serious diseases like
cancer and melanomas. The most common parabens are: Methyl Parabens (E218; its sodium salt E219) Ethyl Parabens (E214; its sodium salt E215) Propyl-Parabens (E216; its sodium salt E217) Butyl Parabens, Isobutyl -Parabene, Isopropyl-Parabens, Benzyl-Parabens and their salts. (
read this article).
Avoided them!
Ethanol
Or alcohol; it irritates the skin especially the delicate areas of our body.
Deodorants to avoid:
- With alcohol. Alcohol prevents the proliferation of bacteria but it is a very aggressive substance because it degreases the skin from its natural oils and irritates it, especially after shaving.
- "Classic" antiperspirants (eg. Nivea and Dove etc ...) with aluminum chlorohydrate or aluminum sesquicloroidrato. They restrict the channels through which the sweat comes out, hence the sweat ducts become inflamed.
- 48 hours antiperspirants they are normal antiperspirants made of aluminum with the addition of triclosan. Very bad for you.
- Antiperspirants they have such strong contraindications of use that I do not want them on my skin at all.
Acceptable deodorants:
- Weak antiperspirants (alum, also called potassium alum) is a salt formed from aluminum and potassium. It works but it is not fragrant. All-natural, non-polluting, non-aggressive.
- Bicarbonate deodorants they work because baking soda deodorizes very well (it tends to maintain the pH of the area where it is applied). These deodorants are environmentally friendly, natural and very easy to do at home. Some say that slightly irritated after shaving; to me it never happened.
