The Best Natural Deodorants

If you are cleaning up your beauty regime, your deodorant is probably the most important place to start. Yes, natural deodorant isn’t as potent as your usual one but the difference is that it doesn’t poison your beautiful body.

I'm always shocked at quite how many toxins we are inadvertently consuming.  Did you know that women on average slather 168 toxins on their body every single day.  I find that statistic absolutely terrifying.  I'm not trying to scaremonger - some of these chemicals are completely harmless, but others are endocrine disruptors, carcinogens and neurotoxins, most of which have not been independently reviewed for safety before hitting store shelves. And there is growing concern that the combined chemical burden from these products may be directly related to increased rates of reproductive issues and cancer in women.  

So I've decided to do a series of posts on choosing natural alternatives.  I'm not going to stop putting on deodorant, brushing my teeth, washing my hair or even using mascara.  But I absolutely want to make sure I'm not using products that aren't harming me or the environment.  

​So lets start with deodorant.  Sadly your average spray deodorant is packed full of a whole host of toxic chemicals, such as aluminium chlorohydrate, parabens, propylene glycol, triclosan, TEA, DEA, FD&C colors, and Talc!

These are the words that most people read on the back of their deodorant can that look like some form of scientific experiment that just can't be understood.

Lets talk about the 3 biggies and why we want to get rid of them…
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1. ALUMINIUM
The reason it’s added is to block the sweat glands and keep sweat from getting to the skin’s surface. Pretty clever,  but unfortunately when absorbed into the skin it has been linked to changes in oestrogen receptors of breast cells!  Also when you think about it, your skin is a detoxifying organ and naturally it wants to let good things into your body and help get less good things out of your body.  So if you are stopping the sweat (which is a completely normal bodily function) to get out of the body you are also making your liver work a whole lot harder.

2. PARABENS
I find that paraben is a buzz word amongst toxins we love to hate - but most people I speak to don't have a clue about what they are or what they do. So in very simple terms parabens are artificial preservatives widely used in many cosmetics. Like Aluminium, parabens mimic the activity of oestrogen in the body. Since oestrogen promotes the growth of breast cancer cells and a woman is 8 x more likely to develop breast cancer in the part of the breast closest to the underarm…. spraying that can, doesn’t seem so clean anymore.

3. PROPYLENE GLYCOL
This addition keeps substances from drying out, originally developed as an anti-freeze agent. It is a neurotoxin and is known to cause dermatitis, kidney damage and liver damage. It has also been linked to eye and skin irritation, gastrointestinal irritation, discomfort, nausea, headaches, vomiting and central nervous depression.
So there is of course a happy ending to this tale… you can switch to a more natural deodorant, free from these baddies!

MY TOP PICKS FOR BEST NATURAL DEODORANT:

This is my favourite it is infused with with spearmint, mint and antioxidants from white tea, lemongrass, sage and tea tree extracts. I love the fresh minty smell and it feels cool when you apply it.  I've tried millions of natural deodorants - and this one really works.  Its a little on the pricey side - but it lasts for ages so I think its well worth it.

This is a cream, so you rub it on, which I found to be a bit awkward.  But it delivers the goods. I'd say out of all of them this one would be my 2nd favourite -  but you might prefer a roll on or spray instead of a cream

So I decided to try this one based on all the fantastic Amazon reviews (you can buy online or in Holland and Barratt).  I didn't realise when purchasing - you have to wet it every time you use it.  Really didn't like this at all.  But that is a personal thing.  I didn't like that it contains Potassium Alum - which is a different form of aluminium than used in most deodorants.  However if you are trying to absorb aluminium for health reasons I'm not sure that this is ideal.   But the real thing I didn't like about this deodorant is that it just didn't work for me.

This light fresh deodorant is super easy to use and really light.  I think my accurate review would be that it is 'nice' but not completely trustworthy !