Putting deodorant on in the morning is part of our daily routine, it’s almost autonomous, such as brushing our teeth or having a shower.

But have you ever stopped to think about what's in most generic store bought deodorants?

Unfortunately, your favourite under antiperspirant could contain things like parabens, aluminium and other various toxic chemicals that have been linked to cancer and other related chronic health conditions (Willhite et al, 2016).

The good news is, there are natural deodorants out there that have none of these chemicals (such as all of these!), and in most instances, work better than their more synthetic counterparts

But what are the actual benefits of using a more natural deodorant? In this article, we will discuss these benefits, and give you guidance on some of the best natural deodorants available to the market today.

1. Natural Deodorants Contain Less Harmful Ingredients

The major difference between generic and natural deodorants is the sheer amount of potentially harmful ingredients found in your everyday store bought deodorant.

Compounds such as aluminium, which is used to temporarily block our pores and stop sweat (which we shouldn’t be doing), and has studies linked chronic exposure to an increased risk of Alzheimer’s Disease (Wang, 2016).

Parabens can be also found in many generic deodorants, which may cause an imbalance to our endocrine system, leading to hormonal disruption, undesirable weight pain, and potentially more (Nowak, 2018).

Just this benefit alone may give you enough reason to make the switch to a more natural alternative.

2. Naturally Stops Odour

When it comes to sweating, the sweat we produce isn’t actually what creates the smell, but more so that we create it when sweat is combined with the bacteria that live on our skin.

In fact, most people don’t know that our sweat glands are actually a form of detoxification, a way to remove toxins and waste products (Baker, 2019), and are also used to cool the body down.

When we use more natural deodorants, we allow our sweat glands to function normally, but neutralise the bad smelling odour that's produced in the process.

3. Gentle on the Skin

Most often, many good natural deodorants include minimal ingredients, and in most cases, prioritise the inclusion of compounds that are compatible for any skin type.

For example, our Moogoo Oat & Honey Natural Deodorant includes Oat extract, often used for skin conditions such as eczema, skin rashes and dry skin (Ilnytska, 2016).

In some instances, you can get fragrance free natural deodorants, perfect for any skin type, leaving your pits absolutely smell free.

4. Allows You to Sweat Naturally

As we mentioned earlier, we actually need our sweat glands to perform some basic important physiological functions, including detoxification and removal of waste products, to cool our body.

When we block this sweat mechanism, which is often the result of aluminum found in generic deodorants that build up in the skin, we hinder this process.

If we continue to block the sweat we produce, we may actually also increase the development of body odour (BO) by increasing the level of odour-causing bacteria in the armpit (Callewaert, 2014).

This could lead to a worsening of that BO smell over time, which is something we’re trying to reduce!

5. Feel Better About Your Health

The final note about using natural deodorants is that you feel better about your health.

If you’ve ever been questioning the chemicals in your favourite underarm roll-on, worrying that some of this could do harm, you no longer have to.

Using a natural deodorant creates a more feel good approach to knowing what you’re using on your body is both better for you skin, and is a more effective method in staying odour free.

The Takeaway

If you’re thinking about switching from your favourite underarm odour blocker to a more natural deodorant alternative, we’re hoping this gives you reason enough to make the change.

Although the research on many of these toxic compounds can be conflicting at times, there is enough evidence out there on the benefits of natural deodorants, so why not make the switch?

If you’re looking for a little guidance on which natural deodorant to use, practically all our deodorants we sell online are perfect, including MooGoo, No Pong and Black Chicken.

If you’re after more guidance, get in touch with us in-store on online and we’ll be happy to help out!

About The Author: Stephen Brumwell

As a Nutritionist, Biohacking enthusiast, self-experimenter, research fanatic, and self-taught writer, Stephen immerses himself deep into the literature of human optimisation and holistic wellbeing. His goal is to help people better understand the science of human health, and how they can use it to perform better and live a life that is absolutely limitless.

References

• Baker L. B. (2019). Physiology of sweat gland function: The roles of sweating and sweat composition in human health. Temperature (Austin, Tex.), 6(3), 211–259. https://doi.org/10.1080/23328940.2019.1632145
• Callewaert, C., Hutapea, P., Van de Wiele, T. et al. Deodorants and antiperspirants affect the axillary bacterial community. Arch Dermatol Res 306, 701–710 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00403-014-1487-1
• Ilnytska, O., Kaur, S., Chon, S., Reynertson, K. A., Nebus, J., Garay, M., Mahmood, K., & Southall, M. D. (2016). Colloidal Oatmeal (Avena Sativa) Improves Skin Barrier Through Multi-Therapy Activity. Journal of drugs in dermatology : JDD, 15(6), 684–690.
• Nowak, K., Ratajczak-Wrona, W., Górska, M., & Jabłońska, E. (2018). Parabens and their effects on the endocrine system. Molecular and cellular endocrinology, 474, 238–251. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mce.2018.03.014
• Wang, Z., Wei, X., Yang, J., Suo, J., Chen, J., Liu, X., & Zhao, X. (2016). Chronic exposure to aluminum and risk of Alzheimer's disease: A meta-analysis. Neuroscience letters, 610, 200–206. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neulet.2015.11.014
• Willhite, C. C., Karyakina, N. A., Yokel, R. A., Yenugadhati, N., Wisniewski, T. M., Arnold, I. M., Momoli, F., & Krewski, D. (2014). Systematic review of potential health risks posed by pharmaceutical, occupational and consumer exposures to metallic and nanoscale aluminum, aluminum oxides, aluminum hydroxide and its soluble salts. Critical reviews in toxicology, 44 Suppl 4(Suppl 4), 1–80. https://doi.org/10.3109/10408444.2014.934439