Keeping Your Pits Sweet and Safe

You may already know about the health issues associated with deodorant. It’s not surprising though, right? We pay to have lead added to our toys to make them brighter—why not to have aluminum added to make our pits stink less?

Honestly, since I’ve heard about the stuff that’s in antiperspirants, I’ve always wondered if that’s what’s been causing so many cases of breast cancer in our country. After all, lumps aren’t often detected first within the breast, but beneath the arm. It turns out that some deodorants have been linked to causing that very problem. Here are just some of the issues associated with deodorants/antiperspirants. Check to see if your container has these ingredients.

Sulfate (Aluminum Chloride): This is the active ingredient in antiperspirants that makes you stop sweating. As you also probably know, your body is supposed to sweat to release toxic crap out of your skin—as well as to help you keep cool. It’s like a natural heating and cooling system—and lucky us, no charge. But we’re embarrassed about sweating—though why should we be? Like farting, burping, and “going number 2,” everybody does it—so we try to curb it as much as we can.

By doing so (using sulfates), we are increasing our risk of breast cancer. Aluminum is considered a neurotoxin, which interferes with nerve cells and affects the blood-brain barrier. This means that it can actually change your DNA, and along with cancer, it may also be connected with Alzheimer’s.

Parabens: Parabens are often used as a preservative in many cosmetic products. Unfortunately, they are like added estrogen to the body, causing hormonal disruption. They, too, have been linked to breast cancer.

So what can you do to avoid these nasties while still staying sweet-smelling? Avoid these ingredients at all costs, to start. Check your products before you buy. Some products that are considered safer alternatives include Herbal Clear, Kiss My Face (this one’s my favorite—I like the patchouli scent, but they also have unscented and lavender), Tom’s of Maine, Burt’s Bees Herbal Deodorant, and crystal or rock deodorant.

Of course, you can always skip the deodorant, as Matthew McConaughey and Orlando Bloom are known to do!

Did you know that some raw foodists and vegans say that after following their diets, you may no longer have a body odor associated with your sweat—and that the smells in your sweat are actually attributed to caffeine, processed foods, and other “unnatural” foodstuffs? I’m not sure if that’s true—though I’m mostly vegetarian, I’ve never gone vegan, and I’ve smelled plenty of mostly-vegan monkeys that aren’t so pleasant. Then again, they pretty much groom rather than bathe, don’t they? And they do eat bugs…