Polski
I don’t have a problem with excessive sweating, so I thought that discarding antiperspirants would be limited only to choosing a new, favorite fragrance. I had no idea that switching to a natural deodorant would not go smoothly, that it would be literally a detoxification process.
An antiperspirant is an antiperspirant – just a gel that your rub into the skin so it smells nice.
But when you stop using it, problems pile up.
I tested everything that was available at the time as an ‘idea from the internet’ or a ‘natural product’ on the market, that is:
– baking soda – terrible: strange smell, the skin itches and darkens,
– coconut oil – it doesn’t work for me at all, and the fat under the armpits is really yucky,
– baking soda and coconut oil paste with essential oils – exactly as above, only with essential oils,
– plant deodorants, aloe vera – completely ineffective,
– deodorants with silver – also a complete flop.
After a few months of trial and error, I reach a state in which I couldn’t stand my own smell.
To complicate matters further, I was just halfway through my pregnancy and at the beginning of my iodine supplementation, and, what some of you might not be aware of, people with iodine deficiency do not sweat. So when I started to supplement this iodine (generously) and at the same time stopped reducing perspiration, I started releasing such smells that I could only go among people in a buttoned coat.
I started getting desperate.
It was then that I learned about the traditional use of alum crystals and, despite my distrust for aluminum, I decided that I had to investigate the topic.
I can’t say that it’s easy to find reliable information about alum on the internet. The ‘safety of antiperspirants’ seems to be such a well-established opinion among scientists that they don’t feel the need to explore alternatives, even from the same field. In any case, I did not find any meaningful research, only descriptions of historical applications and a lot of opinions of practitioners.
However, I was able to find out that the naturally occurring alum (crystal) has a molecule that is larger than the diameter of the pores of the skin, which prevents it mechanically from being absorbed through undamaged skin. That convinced me.
In addition, since aluminum ranks fourth among all minerals in terms of their content in the Earth’s crust, I decided that there must be a difference between what is natural and what is designed in the laboratory. There must be a difference between a natural and synthetic aluminum compound, between aluminum that is injected, swallowed and that comes into contact with the skin. If it were not so, such high concentration in the earth’s crust would have killed us a long time ago.
At the same time, I knew that naturopaths often associate, for example, breast cancer with the use of antiperspirants, and I wanted to keep this in mind. After all, blocking the lymphatic system’s ability to remove metabolic products with sweat does not sound like a good idea.
There were no alum deodorants in Poland at that time, and certainly no such roll-on deodorants, so I decided to create one for myself. In addition to this unfortunate alum, which I still wasn’t sure about, I wanted it to only consist of health-promoting goodness so I combined organic orange peel hydrolate with Kołobrzeg peat distillate and anti-inflammatory citrus oils. I thickened it with organic guar (beans) and xanthan (algae). The result was phenomenal and since then I have never used any other deodorant again.
In the 5 years of use, it failed me only once and it was a situation of extreme stress related to death.
Other than that it was perfect.
At the same time, I created a similar version for my friends struggling with cancer, packed with oils known for their anti-cancer properties (incense, sandalwood, cloves, etc.), because for such people there is absolutely NOTHING on the market.
But I had to do something with that horrible smell first.
Salt baths and detoxifying masks with clay helped me.
The recipe for the mask is super simple – just mix bentonite with unpasteurized (this is important!) apple cider vinegar and lubricate your armpits with such a thick slurry, preferably while sitting in the bathtub, and rinse after a few minutes. You can apply it to the face – it will also cleanse and acidify the skin 😉 nicely
I decided to repeat this treatment every day until I could start breathing peacefully in my own company. After the fifth bath, I could again “bear with myself”. 🙂
For some time my skin was hypersensitive, sometimes it reddened, sometimes it stung in contact with soap, but I was clearly getting better.
So what is all this about?
Why this level of confusion when you change the type of a daily care product that has been used by billions of people around the world for at least two decades?
Many dermatologists scoff at the idea that toxins accumulate gradually, but I don’t think that you can ignore the fact that pores under the armpits, where we sweat the most, are permanently blocked. Sweat has a function, sweat serves a purpose.
I can’t count how many stories I’ve heard similar to mine, when after years of using antiperspirants or even sweat blockers, people suddenly start… to stink. They continue to wash themselves, change into clean clothes, but their body odor becomes difficult to bear.
Really, I’ve heard a million such stories, and not on the Internet, but directly from our health-conscious customers.
That’s why I think it’s important to observe yourself, and especially if you suspect problems with detoxification (cancer, chronic diseases, skin diseases, water retention, etc.), you should stop using antiperspirants in favor of any alternative that allows you to sweat, even for a few months, so that you can check if the antiperspirant wasn’t part of the problem. You can also use nothing and simply wash yourself more often – this option is also on the table🙂
A deodorant differs from an antiperspirant in that it does not block sweat, it only eliminates its smell.
In most life situations, this is enough, and for a healthy cleansing of the body it is absolutely essential.
I think if I were a professional dancer, I would use antiperspirants for performances, but not for daily training. All you need is slightly less tight clothing and the problem of wet spots goes away.
So how do you switch to a natural deodorant relatively painlessly?
1. be aware that most likely it will not be a single smooth step,
2. you will be cleansing yourself of toxins, so for some time you may sweat more and smell bad,
3. the lymph nodes may be swollen and hypersensitive, and the skin may be irritated,
therefore:
4. drink a lot of highly mineralized water,
5. take detoxifying baths in magnesium and salts, if you can – use the sauna and jump on the trampoline to get your lymphatic system moving,
6. do not use aggressive soaps based on detergents, which could further irritate the skin,
7. detox the armpits by putting on a clay and vinegar lotion or, for example, activated charcoal,
8. actively avoid toxins in your diet and lifestyle (aggressive soaps, washing powders; cigarettes, alcohol, junk food),
9. choose airy clothes, loose under the armpits,
10. Prepare for a transition period that will take a few weeks.
From the stories I know, on average after a week, or at most after a month, you will feel like a new person.
You may also find that, as a result, you sweat less than before. Due to the change in the pH of the skin and bacterial flora, the smell of sweat itself can also become more pleasant.
Our effective mud deodorant with alum can be found here