Thursday, July 31, 2014

Stop Buying Deodorant! (no offense)

Why - and How to Live Without Antiperspirants or Deodorants - Without Offense

I gave up on antiperspirants years ago when I learned that we absorb through our skin a percentage of the aluminum we smear on. Aluminum makes great kitchen foil and engine blocks that weigh less than iron, but aluminum is not known to be a good thing to ingest:

1) Aluminum is not a nutrient. Our bodies don't need it.
2) Aluminum testing with animals demonstrate a link to nervous system health.
3) While it's controversial, and the jury is still out, many people think there is a link between aluminum ingestion and Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Disease.
4) Human skin is porous, and tiny percentages of the aluminum we smear onto our armpits are absorbed. Daily use for years can imply a lot of ingested aluminum.
5) When shirts (and undershirts) get yellow in the armpit, it's because of the aluminum in antiperspirants.
6) I have developed some horrible allergies to chemicals (necessity really is the mother of invention).

That said, I'm not a fan of body odor, so I have been using deodorants (not antiperspirants) for years. Sadly, after using any given brand for a few weeks, I develop hives and edema. So I try a different brand, and after a few weeks, hives and edema again. I even tried so-called "Natural" deodorants. Still, hives and edema.

Enough of that!

So I researched and discovered that body odor doesn't come directly from sweat; it's caused by bacteria that are attracted to the sweat. So for a couple weeks I tried smearing on Neosporin. It kills bacteria, and it worked. But Neosporin is oily. No wonder my shirts developed oil stains in the pits.

Back to the drawing board...

So here's what I use now, and it's been awesome! It's so obvious, I wonder why I didn't think of it years ago. drum roll please...

After showering with anti-bacterial deodorant soap (I use Safeguard), I dry off, and then I dampen a bar of the same soap, and smear it onto my pits. That's it. Safeguard kills bacteria. It looks like deodorant when it goes on. My shirts don't get marked in the pits. I save $$ on deodorants. No aluminum. No rash. No hives. No edema. And I don't get body odor! The easiest solutions are sometimes the healthiest and cheapest!

Links for more information:
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaqs/TF.asp?id=190&tid=34
http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/concerned-about-aluminum-dangers/
http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/features/antiperspirant-facts-safety

What is your experience? Share it with us!