Best Natural Deodorant: Why Your Brand May Be Dangerous

As you know, all the products that we use in this house are as nontoxic as possible. I also often get samples from the various conferences and expos I go to that feature clean living products. So it was with shock that I learned that what I thought was the best natural deodorant contained aluminum! I thought it was a safe option and didn’t see any red flags on the ingredients, but recently discovered an article that brought it to my attention.

The Dangers of Aluminum

Why is aluminum a concern? First of all, aluminum is a dangerous neurotoxin that has been linked to Alzheimer’s. Autopsies have shown incredibly high amounts of it the brains of elderly patients. I’m always exceptionally concerned about Alzheimer’s since my mother succumbed to it many years ago. Additionally, there is a high rate of Alzheimer’s, especially, early onset, for adults with Down syndrome, like my daughter.

However, more recent news has me even more concerned about aluminum exposure. The same scientist who did the research on the Alzheimer’s patients, Dr. Chris Exley, and who has been doing research on aluminum for over two decades, recently made a startling discovery. He looked at the autistic brains of much younger people and found that the aluminum levels in their brains were DOUBLE that of the Alzheimer’s  patients!

What’s In Your Deodorant?

That day, I threw away my daughter’s deodorant. Unfortunately, aluminum is not the only harmful product that can be found in deodorants and antiperspirants today. Other problems, recent and past, found in deodorants and antiperspirants, include

• Propylene glycol
• MEA, TEA, and DEA
• Formaldehyde
• Artificial dye
• Parabens
• Steareths
• Sulfates
• Talc
• Fragrances with unknown chemical ingredients
• Petrolatum

All these chemicals can elicit a strong or mild reaction. If you have children who struggle with the methylation process and are approaching puberty, you want to avoid odd chemicals especially when you don’t know how their bodies will react.

If you’re still not convinced, I invite you to visit the Environmental Working Groups Skin Deep database and type in your favorite deodorant to see what kind of a grade it gets. Most of the major brands fail spectacularly. Wouldn’t rather be using the safest and best natural deodorant to stay fresh?

Breast Cancer and Deodorant

While all those prospects are concerning, the worries about using toxic chemicals under the arm don’t end there. Breast Cancer Prevention Partners, an advocacy group with a full staff of research scientists, surveys current studies to see what the science says. Their most recent report, State of the Evidence 2017, released in September 2016, shows evidence supporting the idea of a link between breast cancer and environmental toxins. Chemicals such as endocrine disrupters (commonly found in parabens and phthalates) and BPA are likely contributing to the rising rates. Read my article, “Why Breast Cancer Prevention Is So Important,” to learn more.

Avoiding Antiperspirants

Another critical issue in keeping your armpits fresh and friendly is the debate over antiperspirants. You actually never want to use them. Your body is designed to sweat, and that’s a good thing! The purpose of sweat is to detox your body and this is critical for people who struggle with detox, like my kids.

In fact, the inability to sweat is actually a disorder. My youngest daughter often struggled to sweat when she was younger. This is an autoimmune issue that is common in autistic kids. Not being able to sweat means that you tire out more easily, run out of breath and overheat. Even on a mild day, she’d often come home beet red if there had been a school hike.

Sweat can also help you detox heavy metals and other toxic chemicals, speeds recovery after strenuous exercise and helps your heart. Read more about the benefits of sweat at Wellness Mama!

Detoxing Your Armpits

How do you know if you are experiencing detox when you switch brands? You might have a few reactions including:

• More armpit odor than usual, even with deodorant.
• You’re sweating more.
• Tender lymph nodes in your armpit.
• Your deodorant just stops working (even if it’s nontoxic!)

So how do you do one? It’s actually pretty easy. You can actually use a good nontoxic face mask or baking soda with coconut oil like this recipe from Dr. Axe. Put it on your pits for a few minutes and then wipe off.

You can also detox if you stop wearing deodorant for a few weeks or months, however, I do not recommend that if you work out like I do!

The Best Natural Deodorant? Only If It Works…

The biggest worry that people have about clean deodorant brands is wondering if they work. If you follow me, you know that for years I’ve been going to SoldierFit – a boot camp gym – regularly. The workouts are quite a challenge and dare me to go above and beyond. Sweat is part and parcel of the workout.

But smell? No more, because I use the best natural deodorant from my company, Pure Haven. I feel confident rubbing on Pure Haven Natural Deodorant. You can buy regular or try our deodorant without baking soda, if you’re allergic. Their scented products do not have the overbearing smell but a light, gentle scent that is heaven to my sensitive system. That’s because they only use clean, nontoxic ingredients…no mysterious “fragrance” labels here!

What About The Kids?

My girls, too, are benefiting with gentle products keeping away odors – and no more worry that they’re using anything but safe, worry-free ingredients. They’re older and other than that aluminum brand, they’ve never used toxic brands. So be cautious detoxing your children.

Our teams at Pure Haven work hard to make sure that you are not exposed to harmful ingredients in a product you use daily. And if you’d rather have a spray on, the refresh toner with pre+probiotics works well too! That’s what my autistic daughter uses. That’s because truly natural, nontoxic ingredients mean it’s flexible enough for multiple uses!

Are they the best natural deodorant? You decide. We know that our products were safe enough to do a deodorant drive benefitting breast cancer patients at The Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation. Our team donated over 200 deodorants plus other items for patients’ use!

Want to learn more? Feel free to message on Facebook or email me any questions about Pure Haven, or even find out how to earn products!