Breaking Up with Deodorant

It’s not you, it’s me. Well, actually—it IS me. I had been using Secret anti-perspirant for nearly my entire adolescent and adult life. Any attempts at using a natural or organic deodorant were short-lived as they resulted in unpleasant and undesirable Body Odor!

After researching the harmful effects of aluminum and parabens, I could no longer justify rolling on my stick of poison (probably an exaggeration, but maybe not). At the same time, I didn’t want to offend others or embarrass myself with my B.O., so I decided to use my organic/clean/non-toxic deodorant on days when I worked from home, and use my ‘regular’ deodorant when I planned on seeing people.

A few months later (and not a moment too soon), I discovered deodorant detoxes. I had no idea this was even a thing, but it made sense that your body needs to ‘reset’ when transitioning from traditional deodorants to organic ones. Underarms get used to ingesting harsh chemicals, likely resulting in a build-up of toxins, and/or overproduction of sweat and bacteria to compensate. I figured I had nothing to lose and decided to see if a detox could speed up the ‘smelly’ transition process. I used a mix of kaolin clay and apple cider vinegar on my underarms for 20 minutes every day for one week.

Did I feel like a hippy? Yes

Did my husband give me strange looks? Yes

Did it work? Yes

After one week of underarm detoxing and dietary changes (no alcohol or caffeine), my B.O. disappeared! I realize that some with more sensitive skin may want to space out their detoxes, but a daily detox worked for me. I also attribute part of my quick success to limiting my use of ‘traditional’ anti-perspirant prior to the detox.

After much research and product exploration, I purchased Underarmed, Native, (and plan on trying Primally Pure). Not only did I not miss my old deodorant, I found if I forgot to put on my organic deodorant that I did not smell (but still might sweat a bit, especially if I had spicy food, alcohol or caffeine). I have also learned to enjoy the scents and lightness of non-toxic deodorants. I would definitely call that progress! Sometimes breaking up with something can lead you to something better 😉.