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Effective, Natural Deodorant is No Secret
| Meet the Blogger | More Posts by Mara Fleishman
Many of us are eating natural foods and buying more-natural body care products, but maybe haven't made the mighty leap to natural deodorant. Are you worried it doesn't work? Tune in to hear what makes natural deodorants effective and why it's time to switch. Malia Curran, MS, MPH, is a nutrition and health consultant.
For a summary of this and our other summer podcasts, click here!
29 Comments
Comments
Thanks for posting this and at such perfect timing too. My 12 year old daughter and I are having the deodorant battle. I'm medically housebound becasue of severe chemical sensitivities and she is in public schools. We've been trying to get her to use one of the natural deodorants offered at Whole Foods Market or a homemade powder to prevent myself from having a major reaction in my own home. To my surprise her school and health teacher are teaching the students that it is NOT normal to sweat under your arms or produce any body odor?!?!?! I understand that some ingredients prevent you from sweating and I emphasize how unnatural and unhealthy this is. But a school teaching kids that it is un-normal to have/produce sweat under your arms? I'd question the health teachers curriculum if I was capable of stepping foot in the school. I wanted to thank you for posting this blog as I will be having my 12 year old daughter listen to it more than once. Maybe now we can convince her that a natural deodorant is acceptable verses one full of dangerous ingredients not tolerable in our household.
06/09/2009 11:11:38 AM CDT
I have been taking a liquid chlorophyll supplement everyday for a few weeks now. It has been said to act as an internal deodorant, and I could not find any sources that even claimed there were health risks (only benefits) involved in taking this. Unfortunately it has not yet been beneficial in deodorizing (as far as I can tell), but I am thinking it might take at least a month or so to absorb in your body. I really have no idea and could not find any sources to support my claim. (If anyone has this information please let me know!)On the plus side, I have seen my energy levels go up and improvement in my digestive patterns.
06/09/2009 3:05:09 PM CDT
Interesting podcast...I have to admit, though, that although I understand sweating is natural and performs an important purpose, when I've tried natural deodorants I've found that it makes me uncomfortable and not really able to go through my day without being distracted by the sweat and ruining my shirt. And that's not because my school has taught me that it's unnatural to sweat or smell, just because of my own preferences.
06/09/2009 3:59:25 PM CDT
Seriously.. of course it's normal to sweat, but our society is not designed to accept such a thing and well let's face it, it's not a comfortable thing. If we were to sweat freely from our armpits, all of our clothes would be ruined. this is just stupid.. I have used several "natural deodorant" brands and they don't work any better than your run of the mill ones and in fact seemed to make the problem worse, including odor.
On the other hand, there are real natural deodorants you can experiment with such as apple cider vinegar, baking soda and lemon juice to name a few..
um but seriously, people that think it's cool to sweat all over and all over their clothes are not the kind of people a monumental place like this should be trying to create. uh ew.
06/10/2009 2:08:34 PM CDT
I have been using baking soda for over a year and it works better than the commercial brands of deodorant. Some people get rashes from it, but I have very sensitive skin and it works great for me! It absorbs and deodorizes the sweat and also seems to cut down on the perspiration! Just a light powdering lasts all day!
06/10/2009 5:25:54 PM CDT
I use a natural deodorant from Wholefoods that works great. With my father dying of alheimzer's I felt it important to not put additional chemicals under my arms next to my glands. Hmmm ever wonder why we have a surge in breast cancer? Metal products are absorbed, attached to body fat, and accumulates at toxic levels...hence free radicals gone array...my kids have switched too.
06/10/2009 7:10:33 PM CDT
I was disappointed by this podcast. I expected better of WF Market. This was a brief soundbite. There was no education, no intriguing spark to encourage listeners to seek out more complete information. I already understand how important it is to use chemical-free products. The podcast should have explained for novices that the skin absorbs substances, which make their way inside the body. A few sentences detailing the deadly and debilitating effects of aluminum would have been helpful.
Want odorless sweat? Eat only organic food! It's that simple. It took me several months for the built-up toxins to be slowly released from my fat stores. But once they were gone, b.o. disappeared........Nice to see the board alive with discussion for once!
06/11/2009 12:32:11 AM CDT
Brynne, thanks! I have been eating organic since September, thought I had done more research than any scientist however, I missed one thing. To your comment on having no BO when you eat organic, it makes sense, I have been saying to my friends I work out and I have no BO. I don't wear deoderant because I don't sweat profusely as does my sister, never have but that is a personal thing. Back to my point, I now know why I have no body oder at least one that is not offensive or easily observed.
06/11/2009 10:59:53 AM CDT
I spray witch hazel solution, which I purchased at WF, under my arms and then dust with baking soda. This works better than any commercially-produced deodorant, natural or not, I have ever used. And it's much cheaper!
06/12/2009 7:50:41 AM CDT
There is a wonderful natural deodorants at the store "Lush". I love the one with patchouli the most and it lasts a good long time and you never smell stinky, ever. I highly recommend it.
06/12/2009 1:47:28 PM CDT
1/4 cup baking soda + 1/4 cup cornstarch + 2 tbsp coconut oil + 10 drops tea tree oil... best deodorant ever. try it!
06/13/2009 9:50:33 AM CDT
My father also died of Alzheimers. His illness prompted me to remove aluminum from my world, as much as possible. I really like the Tom's of Maine deodorant.
I live in the San Francisco bay area. Our climate is pretty mild. I think that makes it much easier to forgo antiperspirant.
If we had really hot and humid weather, it might be much harder to make the switch. Also, I don't wear as many silk blouses to work these days; we dress much more causally. That is another thing that makes 'natural' easier.
06/19/2009 8:32:37 PM CDT
Sharon, I plan to try your recipe. I didn't have any luck with any other natural deoderant that I tried, which has been many, until I started using a coconut oil based deoderant. This deoderant is better than any I have ever used. The price is outrageous though, so I am anxious to try!! I didn't try the Lush, as they still have some ingredients that I am trying to avoid. With our horribly, hot and humid weather here, I have been able to test it out well too!
06/25/2009 10:34:47 AM CDT
You can also find very effective organic deodorants derived from 100% Natural ingredients, don't block exit of toxins and perspiration and yet provide perfect protection from the odor
You can also find at lovlis.com a lot of more information regarding Natural Deodorants and health, Natural deodorants using and breast cancer and a lot of more studies and investigation regarding this issue.
07/25/2009 12:50:37 AM CDT
Hi Everyone,
Can you guys recommend natural deodorant/anti-antiperspirant that is available at a whole foods store without any chemicals like aluminum?
07/29/2009 11:09:27 AM CDT
@Sasha We carry many aluminum-free deodorant options in our stores. Just take a look in our Whole Body department. :)
07/29/2009 5:04:43 PM CDT
i use aubrey organics deodorant it works fine for me! i stopped using drugstore deodorant about 6 years ago, i tried toms-didnt work crystals-i dont know what mineral salts are so i am cautious but they work baking soda-messy and it can be irritating but works..aubrey is my favorite! smells wonderfull easy to use all natural..also getting rid of hair under the arms and washing with soap gets rid of odor i agree that if you are internally healthy you will sweat without odor, but even so you will develop an odor if you dont bathe!!
08/15/2009 12:04:03 PM CDT
You guys have saved my life. Due to Parkinsons, I cannot taste. the meds I take make me nauseous so I have no appetite. I began to skip breakfast and lunch, until I see the colorful foods and healthy suggestions, food looks good again. Though my appetite is still poor at least my interest in food is returning and that's the first step to eating better. If I'm going to eat I'll eat what's best for me, thanks to you.
08/21/2009 12:39:52 PM CDT
I have purchased only cruelty-free body/hair care products, household cleaners, etc for over 15 years. The one glaring exception is deodorant. Most big name brands don't even work on me and I've yet to find a natural deodorant that hasn't been a total waste of money. With that said, I'm going to give Cecilia's witch hazel/baking soda method a try. It can't hurt.
10/16/2009 1:22:25 PM CDT
you claimed to have a remedy for a deodorant and when I clicked on "click here" you had some remedies but none for what you advertised for. Thanks again for another misleading website.
11/04/2009 8:35:55 PM CST
Wow, that was 2 minutes wasted. Aromaco deodorant by lush works VERY well. Even if you're already stinky when you put it on, it abdorbs all the stinkiness and you only have to put it on once. A deodorant you have to put more than once doesn't work lol
02/02/2010 2:30:47 PM CST
To Kandice - I cannot believe that your daughter's school is teaching kids that it is unnatural and unhealthy to sweat or produce body odor. I am a self-proclaimed freak about smelling good, but sweat and body odor are completely natural. They are signs that the body is functioning properly - sweating is your body's natural way of cooling itself off.
Unusual bad or strong body odor is usually a sign of poor diet.
For you - I am sure you are severely sensitive to chemicals! Everything from the foods we eat to the products we use on our skin are overrun with chemicals, additives, and fragrances. Our bodies are made to work best with those things found in nature. Continue to encourage your daughter use natural products as much as possible. It will not only help you from having severe reactions, but it will also help her body function much better throughout her life.
04/06/2010 11:28:26 AM CDT
It was nice reading everyone's comments. My sister swears by the using crystal ball deodorant and chlorophyll tablets sold at Whole Foods. I will give both a try and hopefully write on this post in the future. I have just been tested as breast cancer free and wanted to start fresh by eliminating antipersperants in my life. Yay!
06/05/2010 6:27:39 PM CDT
UPDATE: I've been using the mineral salt "egg" in place of my antipersperant for 2 months now and love it! It is the only product on the Whole Foods shelf that is in a blue box for abou $5.00. They also offer the spray or stick, but I like the ball/egg. I don't sweat or stink unless I've been excessively working outside in my yard. They say it lasts a year, but I'm going to get a new one in 6 months. Trouble occurs if I shave and put it on too soon. Let your skin cells heal before putting on. Try it! It's only $5.00 and all natural!
07/23/2010 10:05:50 AM CDT
I've tried several different "natural deodorants" myself and found that EarthScience has a mint rosemary deodorant that works well. I bought it at Wholefoods for about six dollars. I only apply it once and it lasts all day.
08/11/2010 10:38:26 AM CDT