BYE BYE Mainstream Deodorant!

Hey, so I have some news for you guys.

I am ditching mainstream deodorant.

*GASP*

Yep, you heard that right.

Let me get into the (seriously) dirty details about mainstream deodorants and why I have decided to branch outside of the drugstore.

First things first, let's talk about ingredients. As you guys know, I like knowing how to pronounce my food ingredients, and now I am moving onto skincare, too. Your skin is the largest organ, and the thought of slathering a bunch of unknown substances on myself gives me the creeps.

And so does sticking chemicals under my arm pits. I was doing some research about these ingredients and this is what I found:

- ALUMINUM is disgusting and it's one of the main ingredients in deodorant. This helps block your pores and stop your sweat glands from doing their job - sweating! Sweating is so, so important at flushing out your body of toxins. Additionally, aluminum has been linked to breast cancer in women and linked to an increase in Alzheimer's.

- Parabens are part of a larger group of synthetic preservatives and are found in EVERYTHING. I have started buying shampoo with no parabens and sulfates for the sake of my hair and skin health. Parabens are said to disrupt hormone balances, organ toxicity and even birth defects. YIKES!!

- Propylene glycol is a petroleum based material that makes products soft. In deodorant and antiperspirant, this makes it spread easier under your pits. Too much propylene glycol is said to damage the central nervous system in large quantities.

- Phthalates, like parabens, are part of a bigger, ugly class of chemicals that help dissolve other ingredients, create a lather in cosmetics like shampoo and hair products, and have been connected with SO many health issues. These health issues include hormone disruption and cell mutation. Ew, ew, ew.

- Triclosan is used as the actual odor killing component in deodorants and antiperspirants. While it does have anti-bacterial properties (ahem, so does coconut oil), it is technically classified as a pesticide. Nothing better than putting some pesticides under the pits!

SO, here's the question you guys probably have for me now. What the heck are you using? Nothing? Going completely granola and not having any kind of underarm protection?

No, no. No.

I am currently on the hunt for the perfect natural deodorant, but this is what I have been using lately. It isn't as slick as, say, a swipe of Lady Speedstick, but it does the trick. It is free of aluminum, parabens, and synthetic fragrances. Winning.

I haven't used it during extremely sweaty workouts. The thing is, this isn't going to stop me from sweating as it is still allowing my sweat glands to breathe rather than blocking them altogether. One thing I like about this deodorant though, I must say, is the smell. It is feminine but not sickly sweet, and has a little bit of a masculine touch to it.

I am in the midst of looking for another natural deodorant to try out as well. Any others that you would recommend? Looking forward to sharing my reviews of them on the blog!