Freshen Up with Natural Deodorants

Start Using Chemical Free and Organic Deodorants

By Maryruth Belsey Priebe

We’re all concerned about smelling our best. After all, there’s nothing more annoying than having to keep your arms glued to your sides all day because of bad body odor.  But conventional antiperspirant products are less than friendly for your body and most have negative consequences for the planet too. Read on to find out which chemicals to avoid and how to purchase natural deodorants that are full of wonderful ingredients. 

Ingredients to avoid in conventional deodorants

Store bought antiperspirants often come with unintended consequences, like hormone disruption. And since our skin can absorb much of what we apply to it, it’s best not to apply things that can harm, right? In particular, you’ll want to avoid antiperspirants and deodorants made with the following ingredients:

  • Aluminum compounds
  • Bronopol
  • Diazolidinyl urea
  • Diethanolamine (DEA)
  • DMDM hydantoin
  • Formaldehyde (found in many preservatives listed here)
  • Imidazolidinyl urea
  • Mineral oil
  • Parabens
  • Propylene glycol
  • Quaternium-15
  • Steareths (steareth-15 for instance)
  • Triclosan

 

Natural deodorant ingredients and tips

Instead seek out natural deodorants that contain safe, eco-friendly ingredients such as:

  • Astringents (sage, witch hazel)
  • Clay minerals (kaolin, bentonite)
  • Mineral salts (ammonium, potassium alum)
  • Natural powders (cornstarch, arrowroot)

Here are a few eco deodorant tips to help you buy the greenest scent-stopping product available:

  • Stay away from aerosol spray deodorants as they contain substances like butane and propane (in themselves not so healthy for you) that are non-renewable fossil fuels. These containers are also not always accepted when recycling.
  • Avoid antiperspirants since these actually work to stop your body from perspiring, which can be unhealthy. Your skin is your largest detox organ and should be allowed to eliminate toxins naturally (one way of doing this is through sweating).
  • Choose organic certified deodorants as they are regulated so you can ensure they do not contain harmful chemicals. 

 

The best natural deodorants

We hope that the above information gives you a good guideline to live by when shopping for deodorants. To save you the time we have compiled a short list of a few safe, natural deodorants. 





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