Everybody stinks from time to time, so everyone needs deodorant or anti-perspirant. But which should you use? Deodorant or antiperspirant? When you’ve settled on which you should use, then you have to choose whether to go organic. In order to make this decision, you must first understand: What makes a deodorant or antiperspirant all-natural?
Deodorant vs. Antiperspirant
First of all, we must acknowledge that most antiperspirants cannot be classified as all-natural because they contain derivatives of aluminum that stop sweating entirely. For example: Old Spice’s Fiji Antiperspirant contains the following as its active ingredient: Aluminum Zirconium Trichlorohydrex Gly (18%) (Anhydrous). Rather, all-natural deodorants contain ingredients that kill the bacteria that cause foul odors.
Essentially, the difference between deodorant and antiperspirant is that the former kills odor-causing bacteria while the latter stops sweating. The reality is that there are no chemicals found in nature that actually stop sweating, so only deodorant can be made without artificial ingredients.
What Makes a Deodorant All-Natural?
Essentially, a deodorant is considered all natural when it is made entirely of ingredients found in nature, such as natural oils or waxes. Often, natural deodorants will contain natural oils to form the base of the product. Then, some type of powder or starch is added for absorption and odor control.
Some essential oils actually have antibacterial properties, such as lemon grass, rosemary, sage and tea tree oil. In addition to killing odor-causing bacteria, these essential oils add a natural fragrance to the deodorant product.
Finally, many natural deodorants will contain a wax that lends the product the texture that big name deodorants have.
Zinc Oxide and Magnesium Deodorant
One powerful natural deodorizing combination is zinc oxide and magnesium, which is used in innovative new products such as Primal Life Organics’ “Stick Up Natural Deodorant”. According to the product’s webpage, “applying magnesium topically can help deodorize the body more efficiently,” and “zinc oxide reacts with the short fatty acids that are responsible for body odor and converts them into odorless salts.”
Sweating purges your body of toxins. So when you apply antiperspirants, those toxins end up trapped in your body, threatening your lymph nodes. One study actually found that aluminum-derived antiperspirants can elevate a woman’s risk of breast cancer.
So go natural! There are many brands on the market. Find the one that works for you!
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Chad Weisman—CEO, Golden Strands Communication; ‘creative type’; surfer on the amber waves of grain; avid concert attendee.