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Healthy Home Economist / Archives / Green Living / 10 Reasons Why Store Deodorant STINKS!

10 Reasons Why Store Deodorant STINKS!

by Sarah Pope / Affiliate Links ✔

Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
  • #1:  Parabens
  • #2:  Aluminum
  • #3:  Triclosan
  • #4:  Fragrances
  • #5:  Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
  • #6:  Sweat Blockage
  • #7:  Deceptive Marketing
  • #8:  Staining and Clumping
  • #9:  Ineffectiveness
  • #10:  Store Deodorant is So Uncool!
  • Sourcing Quality Deodorant

Reasons why antiperspirants and deodorant from the store are toxic products no one should be using near delicate breast and glandular tissue and the scientific studies on the dangers of these common ingredients.young woman applying roll-on in the bathroom

If you are eating a wholesome, healthy diet and are still using underarm deodorant from the store, it’s time to wake up and smell the roses.

Store deodorant is loaded with chemicals and toxins that easily penetrate the skin, getting into the blood supply.

It’s even worse if these products are applied soon after shaving.  Tiny nicks in the skin provide an even easier route for chemicals to penetrate the skin barrier directly into the bloodstream.

Drug companies are taking advantage of the ability of skin to absorb chemicals of all kinds with the smokers’ patch being one of the most well known.  There are now skin patches for birth control and a patch for motion sickness when you take a cruise or fly in a plane.

Slathering on the chemicals and heavy metals contained in underarm products day in and day out is a dangerous practice and one that no doubt can contribute to a host of health woes in the long run.

Need some concrete reasons to ditch the store deodorant?  Here is the top ten list to consider before your next shower and where to find nontoxic brands that actually work.

#1:  Parabens

Most deodorants, even those labeled as “natural,” still contain harmful ingredients like parabens affixed to one of the following common prefixes:  methyl, ethyl, propyl, benzyl and butyl.

Parabens are dangerous substances, particularly when put on the delicate underarm skin which is so near the breasts.

The Breast Cancer Fund reports that measurable concentrations of six different types of parabens have been identified in breast cancer tumor biopsies. (1)

What’s even more telling is that the concentration of the parabens in the biopsies were in the same approximate concentration that would be found in paraben containing cosmetics like underarm deodorant.

Parabens are not just a risk for the breasts.  Samples of a diverse sample of US adults found parabens in nearly all urine samples as well indicating that these chemicals get into the blood and move around the body before being excreted.

#2:  Aluminum

The heavy metal aluminum is contained in most deodorants and is even disguised in some natural deodorants under the word “alum”. Any compound containing the word “aluminum” would be a problem such as aluminum chlorohydrate or aluminum zirconium tetrachlorohydrex gly.

Scientific evidence has demonstrated that aluminum exposure is associated with the development of Alzheimer’s Disease. (2)

#3:  Triclosan

Triclosan is an antibacterial and antifungal agent. Preliminary analysis indicates it may be carcinogenic due to potential contamination with dioxin. Triclosan easily crosses cell membranes and is stored in body fat.

A 2006 study has shown that low doses of triclosan act as an endocrine disruptor in the North American bullfrog. In 2008, a study of juvenile male rats showed that triclosan exposure significantly impacts thyroid hormone concentrations.

More recently, a 2016 study showed that this chemical disrupted the placental hormones of pregnant rats. (3)

Triclosan is in many deodorants labeled as natural so buying at the health food store is no protection from this chemical.

#4:  Fragrances

Love the smell of your deodorant?  Even natural smelling fragrances like rose might be something else entirely. The fragrance industry takes great care to hide from the consumer exactly how chemical fragrances are concocted using any blend of the 3,100 stock chemical ingredients that are available. The Environmental Working Group reports that:

The average fragrance product tested contained 14 secret chemicals not listed on the label. Among them are chemicals associated with hormone disruption and allergic reactions, and many substances that have not been assessed for safety in personal care products. (4)

Bottom line?  If your deodorant has “fragrance” listed in the ingredients, you really don’t know what’s in it!

#5:  Sodium Lauryl Sulfate

Yet another chemical popular in deodorant, sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) has been banned in Europe. A well-known skin irritant, SLS is also a  suspected carcinogen and has been linked to kidney and liver damage; nervous system disruption; damage to eyes leading to cataracts; eczema, and dermatitis. (6)

#6:  Sweat Blockage

Sweating is good!  You want to sweat to release toxins and it is a normal cooling response the body needs.  Blocking sweat with antiperspirant ingredients is an unhealthy practice and can cause blockage of toxins.

#7:  Deceptive Marketing

Some deodorants, even natural and organic ones like salt crystals and salt sprays, state that they have no aluminum chloride.

However, if you examine the label in detail you notice that they contain potassium alum. The full chemical name of potassium alum is potassium aluminum sulfate, which is still aluminum!

Stay away!

#8:  Staining and Clumping

What in the world are those clumps left on your skin by conventional deodorants?

This stuff doesn’t completely lather off in the shower either and eventually ruins your shirts by leaving yellow stains that don’t wash out (that’s from the aluminum).

They are also embarrassing when they end up on your yoga mat while you’re trying to relax in child’s pose.

#9:  Ineffectiveness

Many people report that natural versions of conventional deodorants found at the health food store are ineffective or only work for a short period of time. This funny video below satirizes this point very well!

#10:  Store Deodorant is So Uncool!

Let’s face it. Everything about store deodorant is uncool from the chemicals in the supermarket versions to the hidden baddies and ineffectiveness of the so-called “natural” brands at the health food store.

What Deodorant is Nontoxic AND Actually Works?

Consumers deserve a deodorant that is safe AND effective, don’t we?  Is that really so much to ask?

Fortunately, there are nontoxic deodorants out there that actually work and claim to be what they say they are.

I am pleased to say that my family and I use such quality products. They work even for friends of mine who are extreme athletes working out in extreme heat and humidity.

If made properly, natural products really can withstand all sports, endurance races, mud events, WOD (CrossFit for “work out of the day”), and athletic competitions.

Sourcing Quality Deodorant

If you find yourself throwing up your hands about the deodorants on the market that are either incredibly toxic or natural but completely ineffective as shown in this humorous video below, then click over to the Personal Care section of my Resources page to check out brands with vetted products that actually work and won’t harm your health!

In my home, we use activated charcoal/magnesium deodorant and ozonated deodorant. Both of these actually work AND are completely safe to put on your skin day after day.

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Category: Green Living
Sarah Pope

Sarah Pope MGA has been a Health and Nutrition Educator since 2002. She is a summa cum laude graduate in Economics from Furman University and holds a Master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

She is the author of three books: Amazon #1 bestseller Get Your Fats Straight, Traditional Remedies for Modern Families, and Living Green in an Artificial World.

Her four eBooks Good Diet…Bad Diet, Real Food Fermentation, Ketonomics, and Ancestrally Inspired Dairy-Free Recipes are available for complimentary download via Healthy Home Plus.

Her mission is dedicated to helping families effectively incorporate the principles of ancestral diets within the modern household. She is a sought after lecturer around the world for conferences, summits, and podcasts.

Sarah was awarded Activist of the Year in 2010 at the International Wise Traditions Conference, subsequently serving on the Board of Directors of the nutrition nonprofit the Weston A. Price Foundation for seven years.

Her work has been covered by numerous independent and major media including USA Today, ABC, and NBC among many others.

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Reader Interactions

Comments (185)

  1. Amanda Milosavljevic via Facebook

    Feb 12, 2013 at 2:47 pm

    I make one with coconut oil, arrowroot, and baking soda. Works great!

    Reply
  2. Ti Bergenn via Facebook

    Feb 12, 2013 at 2:46 pm

    Decades ago I learned: Use Zinc when you Stink. The foul odor of the axillary glands often indicates a mineral imbalance. To read about foods with zinc, here is one article. http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/foods-high-in-zinc/

    Reply
  3. Ti Bergenn via Facebook

    Feb 12, 2013 at 2:46 pm

    Decades ago I learned: Use Zinc when you Stink. The foul odor of the axillary glands often indicates a mineral imbalance. To read about foods with zinc, here is one article. http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/foods-high-in-zinc/

    Reply
  4. Hannah Marie Wood via Facebook

    Feb 12, 2013 at 2:37 pm

    Super easy home made version that works WONDERFULLY! 3 T Coconut Oil
    4 T Baking Soda
    2 T Shea Butter
    Combine oil and butter into a mason jar; close, put in boiling water til melted. Remove and add baking soda and any essential oil you’d like. Mix, allow to cool some. Put in old deo stick containers. From http://wellnessmama.com/1523/how-to-make-natural-deodorant-beating-the-b-o-with-natural-deo/

    Reply
  5. Michael Weyenberg via Facebook

    Feb 12, 2013 at 3:30 pm

    Crystal

    Reply
  6. Jeremy 'n Bonny via Facebook

    Feb 12, 2013 at 3:29 pm

    Thanks! I knew deodorant was bad, but just didn’t know how bad nor about an alternative yet. I’m throwing out our deodorants today. =)

    Reply
  7. Suzanne

    Feb 12, 2013 at 3:02 pm

    Put a dab of coconut oil in the palm of your hand. Sprinkle on some baking soda and rub on your armpits. Works like a charm.

    Reply
  8. Carol Straquadine via Facebook

    Feb 12, 2013 at 1:41 pm

    My favorite is Burt’s bees spray with oil of sage! I won’t go anywhere without it!

    Reply
  9. Jennifer B

    Feb 12, 2013 at 2:41 pm

    Giving up conventional deodorant was tricky, since I’m a ballet teacher. I didn’t want to smell bad around my armpit-tall students. I use a salt crystal that is free of fragrance, paraben, and aluminum chlorohydrate, just ammonium alum (natural mineral salts).

    The biggest thing that has made a difference for me is magnesium, like has been mentioned on Cheeseslave’s and Gutsy’s blogs. I use a spray on my torso, belly especially, and absorb it transdermally. When I keep up with that daily, I just don’t smell at all. Sounds crazy, but whatever works, right? I started the magnesium for other reasons, but as side effects go, lack of body odor is okay by me.

    Reply
  10. Tiffany Libbey via Facebook

    Feb 12, 2013 at 1:38 pm

    I tried 5 different natural deodorants like Jason and Tom’s and they all gave me rashes. On top of that I am a heavy sweater and I would have to apply them constantly throughout the day and I still smelled. I finally decided to just buy Toms deodorant with aluminum because its the only one that works and at least it doesn’t have parabens, silicones, and petroleum. I hate that I’m still applying aluminum to my skin but I feel hopeless!!

    Reply
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