Your armpit is a direct highway to your lymphatic system. Lymph helps transfer nutrients as well as remove waste. The fact that your armpit is a moist, warm environment enhances absorption. In addition, it’s an area where many women shave, creating an additional gateway for toxins to enter. Anything you put under your armpit may affect your entire system, so start reading labels!
Mainstream health and media will tell you that commercial deodorants are safe. However, the list of ingredients in many over-the-counter standard deodorants are questionable and should cause concern.
One main ingredient in anti-antiperspirants and deodorants is aluminum, which can be absorbed through the skin. Health effects of aluminum have demonstrated that it is a possible carcinogen that can cause DNA damage. It is also thought to be a neurotoxin responsible for Alzheimer’s, autism, ALS and other neurological disorders.
Can aluminum in deodorants cause breast cancer? Animal studies have raised concerns. Mice treated with aluminum chloride at similar concentrations that have been found in breast tissue (thought to be from deodorant application in the armpit) formed metastatic breast tumors.
In humans, a study showed that women who used antiperspirants and deodorants (which contain aluminum) had higher aluminum levels in their breasts. Women with breast cancer in the study also had higher concentrations of aluminum in their breasts than those who didn’t have breast cancer, showing that aluminum may be associated with breast cancer.
A study published in the European Journal of Cancer demonstrated a possible link between shaving underarms and using aluminum-containing deodorant and breast cancer rates. Those who shaved at least three times a week and applied deodorant at least twice a week were almost 15 years younger when diagnosed than women who did neither.
Aluminum blocks your body’s ability to sweat, which is why it’s in deodorants that are also called antiperspirants. If you see antiperspirant in its description, the product likely contains aluminum. A deodorant simply helps stop odor.
Sweating is vital to proper detoxification. When your body sweats, it is releasing toxins via your armpits and cleansing your system. When you block this process, you are trapping harmful toxins in your system.
Blocking your body’s ability to sweat can cause a variety of other issues, as well. Sweat releases excess salt and calcium from your system. Blocking your body’s ability to release these can increase your chances of developing kidney stones. Sweating also helps regulate body temperature. Blocking sweat glands may also cause skin breakouts.
But it’s not just aluminum that you have to banish from your deodorant regimen. There's a long list of chemicals lurking in mainstream deodorants. This is why it’s important to read the labels and know what you’re putting in and on your body!
Your skin is your largest detox organ, and it absorbs your lotions and potions through its pores. These toxins can affect your organs and every bodily system.
Propylene glycol, also known as antifreeze, softens commercial products. In your body, it can affect multiple organs, including your heart.
Watch out for artificial fragrances. These are riddled with endocrine disruptors and may contain phthalates, chemicals linked to birth defects and other serious health issues. Phthalates are used in deodorants and perfumes to extend the life of fragrances. Phthalates have also been linked to breast cancer, according to research.
Parabens are also common in deodorants and are associated with hormone-related cancers and systemic toxicity.
Your thyroid, skin and immune function may suffer from Triclosan, a chemical already flagged by the FDA as being a possible carcinogen is found in some commercial deodorants. It’s also in anti-bacterial soaps and hand sanitizers and can cause antibiotic-resistant superbugs as well as hormone disruption.
Another toxic chemical to look out for is DEA, or Diethanolamine, which is in many personal care products and is linked to cancer.
If you use an aerosol deodorant, stop! The butane and isobutane used as propellants are known carcinogens and endocrine disruptors.
Look for products with simple ingredients that are easy to pronounce. If it says “fragrance added” but does not provide additional information on what ingredients created those fragrances, let that product go! It could contain hundreds of toxic ingredients that aren’t required by law to be listed.
Choose deodorants which contain essential oils to control bacteria overgrowth and odor. Stay away from antiperspirants. Natural ingredients such as arrowroot, activated charcoal, baking soda and natural salts help to control wetness without stopping your body from perspiring.
Switching from a commercial deodorant to a natural one requires about a month of transition time for your body to detox heavy metals as well as regulate your skin's microbiota. Even good bacteria on your skin can be destroyed by the harsh chemicals in deodorant, and these friendly bacteria help keep odor in check. Give your body time to adjust to a natural deodorant before giving it a grade for how well it works.
To help your body with this detoxification process, it’s also important to detoxify from the inside out. A healthy gut microflora and optimal liver function will have you feeling better and smelling better!
Our Power Probiotic Daily helps replenish your gut microbiome, which helps digestion and elimination of toxins. Our well-researched, four-strain formulation also helps support optimal immune function. Taking a probiotic daily can support a cleaner, healthier you from the inside out.
Our Liposomal Liver Detox+ provides your liver with supporting herbs, such as milk thistle and artichoke extract as well as co-factors important for glutathione upregulation. This formulation helps minimize detox symptoms during a cleanse and promote optimal detoxification.
To help provide antioxidant protection as well as open detox pathways, try our Nrf2 Boost. With turmeric to help fight inflammation and antioxidant protection from glucoraphanin and myrosinase, our formulation contains bioavailable ingredients clinically proven to activate the Nrf2 pathway.
Sources:
https://www.madesafe.org/education/whats-in-that/deodorant/
https://earth911.com/living-well-being/deodorant-dos-and-donts/
https://www.trulysnaturaldeodorant.com/pages/deodorant-ingredients-to-avoid
https://www.ewg.org/news-and-analysis/2019/12/antiperspirants-and-breast-cancer-there-link
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352396417302335
https://journals.lww.com/eurjcancerprev/Citation/2004/04000/Underarm_cosmetics_and_breast_cancer.13.aspx
https://www.bcpp.org/resource/phthalates/#:~:text=Phthalates%20are%20endocrine%20disruptors%2C%20and,used%20in%20many%20consumer%20products.
https://www.deodorant-reviews.com/the-no-bs-guide-to-natural-deodorant/