I get it. You’ve tried the natural deodorants and they just don’t work. You’re still sweaty and smelly and shamefully running for cover to the nearest drug store to buy the first anti-perspirant you see. Natural deodorants – Not! While this scenario is pretty funny, there is nothing amusing about putting aluminum or propylene glycol based deodorants on your underarms (or anywhere on your body for that matter). What you may not know is that to get it right with natural deodorants, you have to take the time to transition into them and trust me when I tell you, it is well worth it. Not only will you experience amazing results with the natural stuff, but, and don’t squirm when I say this, like me, you may never need another deodorant again! 

Before making the switch to clean and toxin free deodorants it is best you know exactly what the transition will be like for the next 28 days, and also, why  it is so vital to your health that you remain dedicated to this challenge because honestly, there is no way to justify not doing it.

So first, what is sweat? Why do we sweat and how is it directly related to our skin, blood and lymphatic system? And though we  would do almost anything to be rid of it why is not sweating unarguably one of the most unhealthy and dangerous things we could ever do to our body?  

Because sweat is directly filtered from the blood and the lymphatic system it is key that we sweat in order to naturally detoxify our bodies. But there is good news. Sweat naturally contains oils that are anti-microbial and anti-bacterial.They are there specifically to keep us squeeky clean. The odor we smell is usually toxins, consistently bad diet and, if you are healthy, the smell could be from foods like garlic, curry or other spices you previously ate. Finally, cholinergenic nerves, which are part of our nervous system and are found in our sweat glands, release a neurotransmitter, acetylcholine, which encourages perspiration to cool the body which aids in promoting this extremely precise cleansing process. Our skin, remember, is our largest detoxification organ, so, to inhibit sweating your body’s temperature is not regulated and you are not excreting waste. You are instead harboring it. Hindering the precise workings of your body’s largest lymphatic network (which cleans out the upper body /chest and abdomen area) may be why some experts link breast cancer to aluminum based anti-perspirants. Finally, and very important to know, there is three times more lymphatic fluid in your body than blood and this fluid is meant to flush out waste. One could easily hypothesize that to interrupt this process over years would heighten the amount of contaminants stored in your body and this could be crippling, possibly even fatal. Do you really want to risk that?

Now that we understand some basic anatomy let’s progress to a more advanced basic that will help you understand why you believe your natural deodorants are not working. Let me begin with an analogy. Let’s say Mr. X has been eating packaged, processed food his entire life and now he wants to eat a more healthful and nutritious diet. Mr. X immediately starts incorporating organic fruits, vegetables, whole grains and free-range meats in his daily intake but something unexpected happens after he finishes this bountiful meal. All of a sudden Mr. X is bloated, has gas and to make it worse, diarrhea. He just does not understand it. He is eating healthfully for goodness sake.

What Mr. X is missing is that though his intentions are right on, and god bless him for tossing the Mickey D’s, his understanding of his body is not. We must always remember that to undergo any major change with your body you must take baby steps to allow for a smooth segue into a new and healthy lifestyle. Mr. X may want to drink more water and eat smaller portions of fruits and veggies initially so not to shock his system. Also, while all that bloating and gas may be a bummer it is part of the natural process. He has never eaten foods like this before and though we are led to believe that there are quick fixes and hope-in-a-jar cure-alls, the truth is there never are. We must be more accepting of our bodies and know that if you are unhealthy (and yes, using aluminum or propylene glycol deodorants means your health is compromised) before you get healthy you have to assume responsibility for whatever your body has to do to get back in balance.

For Mr. X it’s gas and bloating. For you it will be BO! When it comes to perspiration, the transition from chemical deodorants to natural ones will be like a fast and furious tidal wave and I can guarantee that after the first day you will not want to do it. But you will if it is your priority to have a healthy body. So, what exactly will happen during this period? Basically your body, with no aluminum in its way, will purge all the harbored toxins it can and that means get ready to be smelly. For the next 28 days (or more depending on how long and how often you have been using aluminum based products), I recommend that you carry lavender essential oil in your bag and definitely keep some at all times in your office and dab it under your arms when you need it. Also, take bathroom breaks and pat dry your underarms with a paper towel. Keep at hand a natural spray deodorant (I love Weleda’s Rose Deodorant) to also mask any unwanted odor. Finally, hang out with people that love you and will not judge you. I wouldn’t care if my friend or boyfriend were transitioning. If anything we may get some laughs from the experience. Also, if you work in an environment where you are just too close to others and cannot be stinky, simply ween yourself off the product. By this I mean, wear your anti-perspirant only when you must, at work! It may take longer for you to complete the process but you will be well on your way. To speed it up you may want to be very diligent with your daily regimen. Are you cleaning the product off immediately when you are no longer needing it? Are you really wearing it only when you need to? And by the way, at the gym or exercising outdoors is not a time when you need to wear deodorant. Everyone sweats and is stinky at the gym. Who cares! And running outdoors? Who is really around to smell you? The goal is to finish the transition and the longer you take, the harder and more unbearable it will be. 

I remember when I was making my switch to non-toxic deodorants and goodness did I smell awful. I was carrying my essential oil in my purse and constantly putting it under my armpits and the funny thing is I never even used an aluminum based anti-perspirant because my mom, since I was young, warned me on the health risks associated with them. But I was using “natural” deodorants that contained propylene glycol (Tom’s of Maine to be exact), and judging from my body’s response when I began to transition, I was in pretty bad shape. But one day, after about a month of dabbing all the oils and running for cover, something amazing happened. I stopped smelling and the truly natural deodorants began to really work. Then I found that I didn’t even have to wear deodorant. It is now so fantastic because my body is back in balance and functioning exactly as it was meant to without any interference from me. And I am using one less product which means one less package every few months in our landfills! How cool is that?

Finally, this experience led me to realize that we never needed anti-perspirants until we started using them. Once we did, we were in dire need of them. This is the beauty business hard at work, creating products that we think we need and then before we know it, we really do need because our body is no longer dependent on itself for proper functioning. It is instead hooked on product. We must give our bodies more credit and allow them to function exactly as they were intended to. It is time to slow down, use less and stop running for quick fixes (in any scenario). The body is so intelligent that generally, when left to its own devices, will do just fine. So be patient, be smelly for a month and before you know it you will be dry, odorless and healthy!