Benefits of making the switch to all natural deodorant (and how)

All natural deodorant. Its one of those changes that some people aren’t entirely comfortable with but guess what? I love natural deodorant. There are many reasons to make the switch and while its not for everyone, if you have ever been curious about it, I am here to explain how it works, what could happen and why if you stick it out… there is a good chance it will work for you too!

While most people use the terms antiperspirant and deodorant interchangeably, the two are not the same. Antiperspirants work by preventing perspiration from occurring by using the main ingredient aluminum. Deodorants allow perspiration but block odor. Deodorants accomplish this by killing the bacteria that causes odor.

Why natural deodorant?

If you take a closer look at conventional deodorant, you will find it has ingredients it in that are less than natural and have been linked to cause more harm than good. Let explore:

Aluminum: This is the ingredient in all conventional deodorants that stops us from sweating. It is the “antiperspirant” in deodorant. It blocks our pores and prevents us from sweating. Which might seem great in theory but the way it works is less than ideal. Research has linked aluminum to a variety of health concerns and diseases while including continued exposure to heavy metal toxicity. Sweating is a natural process our body does to detox and with this ingredient, your body isn’t allowed to do what it needs to for optimal health.

Phthalates: This is what allows your deodorant to stay in place. You want it where you put it, right? Well unfortunately phthalates have been labeled as endocrine disrupters and they are even banned in the UK. (Eeeek)

Triclosan: This is an “anti-bacterial” ingredient that can be found in some deodorants. You can read more about this ingredient in my article about natural soaps here and why I do not use any products with triclosan.

Fragrance: In general I personally don’t use products with fragrance. Fragrances while making us smell nice, are a skin irritant. Due to our sensitive skin, this makes all products with fragrance a no go. More specifically why they are not a needed benefit for your body is because the word “fragrance” on the back of a label tends to just mean chemicals. They are synthetic scents that are made from toxic ingredients and unfortunately you find them in a ton of “all natural” products too. Due to the FDA regulations with the term “fragrance”, no one even really knows what the formulas are for this stuff since they don’t have to be public knowledge to be listed. Not cool.

Detoxing

The biggest obstacle to transitioning to natural deodorant is the detox period. First things, first. Sweat is a good thing. I know smelling stinky is not ideal however, I want to encourage you to embrace it , even only for a little bit. More than likely if you are reading this, you have been using conventional deodorants for many years, probably your entire life since adolescence. That means your body has had a “toxic” buildup for a very long time. When you make the switch to natural deodorant, your body needs to get rid of that toxic buildup.

Transition Period

Lets be real. When you first start using natural deodorant, you are going to smell. Its going to happen and this is where a lot of first timers say no way and throw in the towel. The transition period usually lasts only a couple weeks and is completely normal. If you really want to make the change, I would encourage you to hold out. If you can do this, it will go away. Instead of blocking your pores to avoid sweating with traditional deodorant, you will be allowing your body to do what its naturally supposed to be doing with natural deodorant, sweat. More than likely you will be smellier and sweatier at first but if you stick it out and trust the process, your body will make the adjustment and your new body norm will happen. This for most people is much less sweating if none at all and no more B.O. (for good) Crazy, I know, but its true.

Help support your pits

• the more you sweat, the faster the process will be. You need to get rid of the toxins and let your body detox. So get your work out on.
• If you find after a few weeks you are still smelly, your diet can play a role. Try cutting out more of the processed foods and add some leafy greens to help the process.
• The rash. Most natural deodorants ( including rooted with ali deodorants) have baking soda in them. There is a reason, its what makes natural deodorant work so well! Most people have no issue at all but there will be a few who find out their pits don’t like it and will cause the armpit to turn red or rash. Some don’t recover from this and will have to find other alternatives but a couple tips that can help:
  • don’t apply right after shaving, ouch. (Wait a couple min before applying)
  • swipe less. you are using pure, concentrated, all natural ingredients. Try dabbing instead of swiping to help with possible arm pit irritation. Less is more.

See, starting the natural deodorant process doesn’t have to be scary. If you want to try it out, rooted with ali now offers natural deodorant in the shop! This was one of my more challenging products to make but my favorite product in my shop. I wanted a safe, effective alternative to the store bought deodorants that my whole family could use and friends….it works.

While my mission started in order to avoid the chemicals, I am a life long user because it really does work and I super excited for you to give it a try!
You can find the deodorants offered and more about rooted with ali ingredients here.

Enjoy!

Have you tried natural deodorant before? I would love to hear how it worked for you!