Why Natural Deodorant is Good for Your Health

Image source: Kaylee Garrett on Unsplash

Deodorant is an important part of your personal hygiene routine, whether you're sweating it out on a run or just going about your day. However, most traditional deodorants contain chemicals that are known to cause skin irritation and even pose health risks. If you want to feel great about the products you use from your head to your toes to your armpits, natural deodorant may be the perfect solution! Check out these benefits to learn why natural deodorant is good for your health.

You’re supposed to sweat.

Many people use deodorants and antiperspirants to prevent underarm wetness and neutralize bad odors. But sweating is natural; it helps regulate your body temperature and release toxins that have made their way into your system. Many traditional deodorants and antiperspirants clog pores with chemical-laden and aluminum-based compounds, making it harder for your body to sweat the way it’s supposed to.

Luckily for our bodies, sweat isn’t what actually smells; it’s just a mixture of salt and water. What does cause unwanted body odor is when sweat comes into contact with the natural bacteria that lives on our skin. Changing this reaction is easily done with natural deodorant.

Natural deodorant lets the sensitive skin under your arms breathe with plant-based fragrances and ingredients. It helps to prevent odor by keeping natural bacteria from mixing with the salt and water on the skin, while allowing your body to sweat the way it should.

Some diseases have been linked to traditional deodorants.

Because antiperspirants are applied often and on skin near the breasts, some reports claim that the chemicals present in traditional deodorants could be absorbed through your skin and disrupt your natural hormones — like parabens, a common group of preservatives that remain within breast tissue long-term, thus increasing the risk of breast cancer. Parabens are also believed to disrupt normal endocrine function by mimicking estrogen, a hormone that plays a large part in breast cancer formation (Byford 2002, Kim 2011, Vo 2011). Other scientific studies suggest that parabens can harm fertility and reproductive organs, affect birth outcomes, and cause skin irritation (Smith 2013, Nishihama 2016, Geer 2017, Vo 2010, Zhang 2014).

By avoiding paraben-heavy products like traditional deodorant, you can help mitigate your health risks.

Natural deodorants actually have benefits for your health.

Not only does the use of natural ingredients limit the skin issues and diseases possible from their traditional counterparts, they also provide many benefits themselves. Natural deodorants don’t block pores, so the good bacteria keeps working, resulting in less odor even when you’re not wearing any deodorant. Plus, an irritation-free armpit results in a closer (and longer-lasting) shave. Some ingredients used in natural deodorants, like vitamin E oil, can even help smooth razor burn and shrink pores.

Carmel Naturals deodorant even contains probiotics, which actively nurture the biodiversity of the skin’s microbiome with friendly bacteria that naturally combat the microorganisms that cause body odor.

By using better products that work with our bodies rather than against them, we can ensure healthy, happy, and beautiful skin.