When they take the plunge and switch to natural deodorants, some people find the transition is a little bit of a rocky road. And, there are good reasons for this!
A natural deodorant acts by 'de-odorising'. Your body can process its natural need to sweat, but the deodorant acts to ensure that the sweat does not smell bad. A natural deodorant combats odor-causing bacteria to keeping your sweat odor-free, and you smelling fresh.
However, when we use antiperspirants, they literally act to block sweat pores, in order to keep your armpits dry. This isn't ideal for two reasons - sweat is designed to help regulate our body temperature, and to help eliminate (sweat out) toxins from our body.
Are you ready for this?
This means that if you've always used a normal, aluminium based antiperspirant, your armpits have had years of not being able to sweat naturally freely, and commonly have a build up of material (which would normally contain aluminium, preservatives, and toxins) in the pores of the armpit.
Umm, yuck!
When you change to a natural deodorant, your body can finally cleanse those plugged up pores, and the release of this material is what contributes to some people experiencing the 'detox pong' - which can last 2-4 weeks.
Don't panic if you find you are suddenly sweating a lot more.
Once your body has detoxed, it is likely to sweat less than during the detox process, as it will no longer be trying to cleanse your pits! Your body's natural balance will stabilise and you will feel a lot more normal.
There are a few things you can do to help fast-track this armpit detox:
- Drink lots of water - hydration is a great help to detoxification processes.
- Go for a run - you'll sweat out the residue faster.
- Use a clay or charcoal face mask on your armpits for 10 minutes - clay and charcoal both help draw out impurities. Ideally do this just after a shower when your body is warm.
- Try a vinegar wash - half way through your shower, soak a cloth in vinegar and hold it against your armpit for a minute. Vinegar contains acetic acid, which neutralizes odors by killing the bacteria that make the smells. Prefer lemon juice? No problem. The odors react with the citric acid in lemon juice to form salts that don't become airborne (so we don't smell them).
Make sure you use these before shaving, so you don't sting any small cuts!
If you have any questions during your change to natural deodorants, drop us a line. We're here to help!
