The Real Deal About Deodorant

Sweat. Not many people associate this word with positive thoughts... smelly, sticky, hot, uncomfortable, the list goes on and let me tell you, I am all too familiar with each and every description. Why you ask? Because I was lucky enough to be blessed with the sweaty genes of my father. I was always the one after basketball practice with a head full of 'sweat soaked' hair, while all of the other girls had barely a rosy cheek. Not once have I been able to go on a run or to the gym and then let my gorgeous locks fall onto my shoulders as I ran to the grocery store for the last essential ingredient to my dinner. Nope, it's more like "you better get out the hose, Brit's home!" That may be an exaggeration, but seriously I sweat more than the majority of people I know and many times this can be very embarrassing. I no longer exercise in cotton because well, that shit doesn't dry AT ALL. I'm fully aware that sweating is good for you, it's your body's natural way of cooling you off, however I doubt that guy/girl next to me on the stair master will find my dripping T-shirt a sign that I have great internal temperature regulation.

The blessings from my family don't stop there. I inherited the all too annoying "nervous sweat" from the other half of my chromosomes. If you think that sweating while exercising is gross, just imagine that you're dressed all nice and headed on a date or giving a speech in front of a large group of people and you look down only to notice that your pits are soaked! If this is something you've never experienced, let me tell you... you're missing out! I don't know many other feelings that are as mortifying as the one I just described. Fact of the matter is that we all sweat (at least the majority of us) and because of this we use deodorant, which leads me to my next point.

Do you know what all the ingredients are in the deodorant or antiperspirant you use? Applying deodorant every morning has slowly but surely become a habit of every day life and what more, as we grow older we become addicted. By our teenage years we are much too afraid of the odor we will give off to ever forget to use it. The reality of conventional deodorants is that they are packed with not only harmful, but toxic ingredients that may be detrimental to our health. For starters, antiperspirants may be thought to work the best when trying to eliminate the wet spots beneath our arms. However, we are human and we are made to sweat. Not only is this the body's natural way of cooling itself, this is how we maintain a homeostatic state. Antiperspirants can also alter the bacteria that lives in our armpits, making us smell WORSE than if we were not to use them at all.

Aluminum is very prevalent in conventional antiperspirants and deodorants, yet is one of the most toxic ingredients. Did you know that each time you apply deodorant 0.12% of it is absorbed back into your bloodstream? Now multiply 0.12% by 1x/day by 365 days/year by your age. That's a lot of aluminum entering your body over the course of your life. Aluminum, a neurotoxin, can accumulate in the brain tissue and has been found to result in Alzheimer-like symptoms. In fact, Alzheimer's patients generally have elevated aluminum levels in their brain. Pretty scary huh? Paragons and Phthalates are other common ingredients in conventional deodorants that have been linked to an increased risk of cancer. Aluminum is found hidden behind many other names such as: alum, hydrated aluminum sulfate, and ammonium alum so please be careful when choosing your next deodorant and pay close attention to the ingredients.

As for me, I've found what I believe to be one of the best products on earth, Primally Pure Deodorant. This is a 100% real ingredient skin care line that I stumbled upon during some interaction with the IG paleo community. This is the first natural deodorant that has actually worked for me. Yes, me, the girl who used to wear mens deodorant to the gym to avoid unpleasant smells, can apply this stuff and not have to worry about smelling... EVER! The owner, Bethany, developed an entire line of Organic & Fair Trade skin care products made with only the most natural ingredients. It feels wonderful to not only use a product designed by someone who cares about their health just as much as I do, but to also support a fellow business owner on her journey to educate people and rid their lives of toxicity.

I encourage you all to check out this product line and most importantly, think twice about the products you are putting ON your body.

XOXO -brit