Honestly? For all my talk of making changes, switching to natural deodorant was one change I’d been avoiding for years! Firstly, it had taken me most of my adult life to find a deodorant I liked so I was very reluctant to make any change. Secondly I hadn’t really considered what I was putting on (and therefore into) my skin. The options seemed daunting and I really didn’t want to end up smelling weird!
Why swap?
My reasons in the end were twofold, I saw it as a simple way to reduce a little plastic and more importantly a way to remove some ingredients I just wasn’t happy about using.
A wake up call
We all know that our skin is our biggest organ but I know I certainly hadn’t thought too deeply about what I put on it. Then one day I started wondering ‘how come my deodorant is so effective?’. ‘Surely there had to be something pretty powerful in it to stop the sweat?!’. For the first time I actually read the ingredients, I was surprised to find aluminium listed. I started researching and discovered that aluminium is one ingredient (along with others) used in antiperspirants to block the sweat glands. I discovered that the nice smell was all synthetic and hidden in the words ‘fragrance’ or ‘perfume’ were all sorts of unknown extras. This sounded like something I was keen to cut out and so embarked on my first deodorant detox.
The Products
I used two different deodorants from Kutis and Pit Putty. Kutis is a stick so a more traditional way to put on deodorant and I found this useful when I was in a rush. To my own surprise I absolutely loved Pit Putty. I wasn’t sure how I’d get on with a product you had to apply directly with your hands but it smells lovely and is so moisturising it didn’t bother me at all.
The detox
- Week one – Better than expected, I liked the smell and feel of the natural deodorants and felt slightly smug at how easy this change had been!
- Week two – Definitely felt more sweaty, I’ve been using deodorant and specifically antiperspirants since I was a teenager so this was a slightly disconcerting feeling.
- Week three – All my smugness went out of the window. This was not a pretty week, I felt sweaty, stinky and nearly gave up. The smell was the worst! Turns out my blocked sweat glands had some readjusting to do after 20 years of not functioning properly. This was the point I nearly threw the towel in and now I totally understand why people give up at this point, it was grim.
- Week four – Breakthrough! Suddenly is all got better, lots better. I could only smell the deodorant and my tired armpits breathed a sigh of relief!
This wasn’t the easiest change I’ve embarked on, I was very close to giving up mid-way through week three but I’m so glad I persisted and I now feel much more confident and informed about the choices I’m making.
Anyone else done their own ‘deodorant detox’? Would love to hear how you got on?