Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Battling the B.O.

Me: I think I'm going to stop using deodorant.
Husband: ...please don't.
Me: I already ran out about two weeks ago, and haven't worn any...
Husband: What is wrong with you?

The fact is that your body needs to sweat. Anti-perspirants (which is what most of us use) do not let your body do so by clogging up your sweat ducts. Anti-perspirants also contain Aluminum.
Aluminum has been associated with a variety of health issues including:

Breast cancer
Alzheimer's
Kidney Problems
Seizures

All this so you can smell good? No, thank you.
Guess what else? Since your body absorbs it, it is then secreted through breastmilk. Just what I want!! My baby to glow green.

The truth is we used deodorant and anti-perspirant interchangeably. Anti-perspirants pose health risks, and do not let your body sweat. Deodorants allow you to sweat, but kill odor-causing bacteria. However, some deodorants also contain aluminum, so be sure to check the label.

I have looked into the dangers of aluminum containing anti-perspirants/deodorants and the studies are inconclusive. One theory is, that since your body cannot sweat, it cannot release toxins from the body, accumulating it in your lymph (hence the breast cancer association).
Others say those claims are untrue.
Regardless, I don't need for studies to prove this or that, why risk it?

I decided to give making my own deodorant a go. There a few variations to recipes, but I used what I had on hand at the time.
I mixed 2T coconut oil, 1T baking soda, and 1T cornstarch. You can add whatever essential oils you like for a nice smell.
I wanted to make a small batch at first, because I didn't know if I was going to like it, so I poured it into a small make-up container. You can also save old deodorant sticks and pour it in there as well.
To be honest, I didn't give it a fair try, but people swear by it! Next time, I think I will vary the recipe a little, add some oils, and use a different container.



For now, I have been using the crystal stick, which is all-natural and aluminum free. On the bottle it states "Approved by the American Cancer Society." Shouldn't they all be?
It's just as important what you put on your body as what you're putting in it.

No comments:

Post a Comment