If curried onion scent is your thang, then by all means… but if you’d rather smell like the beautiful lavender fields of Nice, then please read on. I’m sure some of you know about the good ol’ armpit detox, but for some, this might be the first time you’re hearing about it. 

What I’m proposing is NOW is the perfect time to let your pits do the work they were born to do. Be warned before you go cold turkey, know that the process is not the most pleasant. 

I went cold turkey for 6 weeks, no deodorant, nothing, just my usual loofah and body wash in the shower. While I don’t usually sweat very much, I found myself sweating profusely after quitting deodorant. At first, it wasn’t so bad, but I noticed some days were a little more horrid than others, especially before my period but mainly just really sweaty.

First of all, armpit detox? WTF? Why would anyone in their right mind want to stop using deodorant and antiperspirants? I spoke with Chris and Melanie from No-Pong Natural Deodorants to find out the facts.

What are we at risk of if we continue to use antiperspirants every day?

The short answer is a possible risk of breast cancer and Alzheimer’s. 

Long answer…there have been countless studies around antiperspirants linking to the increased risk of breast cancer and Alzheimer’s, although there has been insufficient evidence to support the claim as stated by a report from The Cancer Council. Even with the current lack of evidence, the search to prove this theory still persists.

So if there is a lack of evidence and the theory hasn’t been proven, then why are we bothering with armpit detoxes?  Well, to be honest, who would want to sit around and take the risk? If we can stop the possibility of being at risk of cancer with healthier alternatives and prevent rather than cure, then I sure as shit will get on board with it.  

What about sweat? We can’t be walking around town with sweat patches?  

Chris and Melanie from No-Pong Natural Deodorant advise that if you have really conditioned your body to antiperspirants for a long time you may find that you sweat more when first making the change to a natural deodorant. 

“You can imagine that after having blocked your pores for years, once you stop doing that they’re going to want to do their job for a little while!  That said, from our (Chris and Melanie) experience and many of our customers, we’ve found we actually sweat less than we ever used to.”

If you’re a very heavy sweater, and have been reliant on antiperspirants for a long time and feel like you may need some clear spacing to make the switch you could try to transition on an outdoorsy holiday, or maybe in winter.  It’s definitely worth it in the long run. 

There are some other things that can help, like wearing loose clothing and staying clear of hot and/or spicy food on warm days.  

Dropping your shower temperature a few degrees on a hot morning can also help you get the day off to a cooler start. Cooler showers are the go.

The Armpit Detox

A quick search on Google led me to many recipes that all seem to call for a mixture of Bentonite Clay, Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) and Water for an at-home remedy, which basically requires:

-1 Tablespoon of Bentonite Clay and either 

-1 Teaspoon of Unfiltered ACV or 1 Tablespoon of Unfiltered ACV

-1-2 Tablespoons of water to make the mixture easier to spread

-Leave on for 15-20mins and wash off

Why ACV? Melanie informs that “weak acids like apple cider vinegar or lemon juice can help to restore the skins acid mantle which is like a protective layer on the skin. Almost all soaps are alkaline and added to that, most deodorants are also alkaline, so if you’re scrubbing your armpit and then applying deodorants you might at some point weaken that protective later.

From this perspective, using products containing apple cider vinegar could help give your armpits a little acid mantle boost” 

If you’re not so keen on adding vinegar to your pits, then you can do what I did and grab yourself The Armpit Detox by Kind-ly which has a mixture of natural ingredients, essential oils, bentonite clay and smells lovely! I felt a slight minty tingle when I first applied it, but after the second application, I felt nothing at all.

If you ask me, should you go cold turkey or detox to transition into natural deodorant…I’d say obvi the detox! 

The Armpit Detox by Kind-ly only lasts 7 days, however, my overall efforts to do it cold turkey had me worried sick for 6 weeks especially when I had to go to the gym (you really can’t hide your armpits when you work out)

Once you’ve detoxed your armpits, choosing a deodorant to keep the smell at bay is paramount, but not the types from supermarket shelves as some brands contain nasties like man-made synthetic antibacterial chemicals, synthetic fragrances and ingredients (this is probably why I started sweating so much when I went cold turkey).

No stress, I’ve rounded up our favourite natural deodorants below.

Still not convinced?

Did you know that the apocrine sweat glands in our armpits produce steroid sex pheromones? Not to be confused with the unpleasant smell of body odour which deodorants work on as pheromones typically have no defined odour characteristics at all. 

So….if you’ve been blocking your pores with antiperspirants for years it is possible you could find yourself ever so slightly on the unluckier side of love from blocking those pheromones! Just something to think about…

Signing out with my pits out. Thanks for reading.