What you need to know before switching to all-natural deodorant
ayla whitehead
There have been tons of women who decide to make the switch just to find that they...well...stink after using it for the first few times. The deodorant gets tossed, they try a different all-natural brand and guess what- they still stink. Most loose interest from its inability to "work" and continue using the aluminum filled store bought ones. There are a few things you need to know before making the switch.
1.) Your skin is a sponge. Most every one knows this. When you apply soap to the same spot on the same sponge for years and years and years that spot on the sponge absorbs the soap until it is so full of the soap that it is not physically possible to absorb any thing else, even if you rinse it out every day. To get the sponge back to its original natural state you have to detox the sponge to remove all of the unnatural substances in it until it is back to its original state so that it can begin to absorb soap again. This is a process that takes time. It is exactly the same with deodorant. It can take anywhere from 3 to 10 or more days to detox your under arms enough that the natural deodorant can get in there and do its job without being interfered with from the remaining chemicals that have been stored in the skin and lymph nodes (especially if your deodorant contains propylene glycol which is a liquid alcohol that is used as a solvent, in antifreeze, and in the food, plastics, and perfume industries) under your arm. So basically if there is any remnants of your chemically loaded store bought deodorant under your arm, your all-natural deodorant can't do its job. There are numerous ways to detox, but my favorite is with an apple cider vinegar and bentonite clay mixture to help draw out the toxins faster. It stinks, but so will you during the detox period lol. So if it shortens the time I have to smell, then I can put up with the vinegar smell for 3-5 minutes per day for a few days haha!
2.) Most store bought deodorants have antiperspirants in them. These are substances made from aluminum salts that actually plug up the sweat glands which keep them from working (making sweat). So, all natural deodorants will not have aluminum salt in them, so they will NOT keep you from sweating. They are formulated with ingredients that kill the bacteria in the area that cause the smell. Deodorants made here at Rustique Essentials are made with arrow root powder which is a natural drying agent, which gives you a boost over just antibacterial essential oil based deodorants to kill the smell. If you really need an antiperspirant then you may need to explore all of your options and go another route.
3.) Most natural deodorants are made with some type of oil to hold them together. If you douse yourself with deodorant there will be an oil transfer onto your clothes. So go lightly and only use as much as it takes- for me that is one swipe up- period. No swipe back down. We are trained with store bought the more you apply the better it will work- not the case here. The more you apply the oilier you get :)
4.) The most IMPORTANT thing there is to know about natural deodorants- they are exactly like perfumes. What smells and works amazing on one person may not work at all on the person next to them. You have to do some research as to what type your body likes. If your body has a high ph level then you may need a baking soda based deodorant to get the odor to go away. For me the baking soda left my overly dry, red, and irritated so I can not use it. You have to play with it, so I recommend purchasing a trial size so that you don't have $12 invested in a full sized tube of deodorant you got off of etsy that just won't work for you. When I started my all-natural journey when my twins were born six weeks early I literally had invested over $55.00 in deodorants that didn't work for me, and all I had to show for it was a drawer full of wasted money. I offer trial sizes on the main site for people to try first, but if my arrow root powder deodorants do not work for you because you have a higher ph level, then i would try a baking soda based deodorant- just get a trial size first. One last note to touch on regarding the deodorants working for you- after you are totally detoxed try the deodorant for one week. If you start to smell yourself wipe with a baby wipe and reapply. You may just not be fully detoxed yet. If you are still having to wipe and reapply deodorant after a week then more than likely it just doesn't work with your body chemistry and it would be best to try a different type of deodorant.