When I was researching environmental toxins I had a lightbulb moment when it hit me what a big deal it was in terms of how exposed we have become and the impact that this has on your health. This lightbulb moment was when I connected together the facts that my skin is my biggest organ and my first line of defense because it is the pathway to my blood. The skin absorbs a large amount of what you put on it meaning you are ingesting any chemicals or toxins that are present in products you put directly on there, from the environment or pollutants. Once that hit me and I started thinking of my skin in the same way I think of my heart, lungs, kidneys, liver and what I put inside my body for their benefit I became even more preoccupied with what my skin was exposed to outside of my body.
Hopefully, we would all agree that deodorant is one of those essential every day items! You can't give it up, mainly because you would probably find your social circle dropping off fairly radically as well as colleagues distancing themselves from you - literally. The reality is though that this is a product you are putting directly onto your skin on a daily basis for years and it's being absorbed by your skin.
First of all inspect the ingredient list of your tried and trusted deodorant that you use. Bet you can't pronounce half the words on there. So would you eat your deodorant now you've read the ingredient list? Am guessing that your answer was no before you read the ingredient list and it's still no now that you've read it. You've hopefully cottoned on that eating foods where you can't pronounce the ingredients isn't very good for you health wise and may have even made progress towards cutting these types of food products out of your life for good. So if you apply the same logic to deodorant that you would food (because after all deodorant is going to be absorbed into your body) then you shouldn't be using something with so many chemicals and toxins. In addition be mindful that sweat is a natural detoxing function that your body performs. Many of the nasty stuff in deodorant actually works by blocking your pores from being able to sweat so we are talking a double whammy of toxin build up - by not being able to detox and by putting chemicals directly onto your skin to be absorbed.
So what's in a traditional deodorant that makes it bad for your health?
Aluminum
This is a heavy metal. Yup a heavy metal - you know that, you just didn't realize you were putting it on your skin so now it sounds terrible. This is the compound that blocks your pores and stops you from sweating. It's also been associated with hormone disruption specifically with estrogen receptors in breast cells thereby linking it to the production of cancerous cells. There is some thought that this can increase chances of breast cancer in women. Many companies and organizations are at pains to dispute any link between the two. Regardless of the research I personally just don't want to be lathering myself with metal every day.
Triclosan
The FDA classify this as a pesticide. You know those chemicals that are used to eliminate bugs and creepy crawlies that you've made a huge effort to eliminate by eating organic food? Well the good news is that you aren't eating pesticide anymore, but you're absorbing it. In deodorant it is used as an antibacterial agent. It can cause skin irritation as well as possibly disrupt thyroid and other hormonal function.
Propylene Glycol
Now we are onto cars. What do we use when the bad weather sets in and we start to see the temperatures drop? Anti-freeze! This is now included in some deodorants and it's use to is keep some substances from drying out. This one causes skin, eye irritation, sickness, vomiting and even kidney and liver damage.
Talc
Found in a lot of personal care products it is used for it's absorbent properties. The problem with talc is if it contains something called asbestiform fibers because these are classified as carcinogenic. But no one regulates the inclusion of these fibers in talc so there is simply no way of knowing if the product you are using contains them. Best advice, avoid the product if it has talc in it.
These are just 4 toxins that you might find in deodorant. Unfortunately in many instances there are more. Before you think I am being over-reactive I want to be clear that I am not suggesting that you're going to drop down dead after several uses of deodorant. I had been using the traditional products for years, although I did get cancer so I am in fact probably not the best example. But my point is that it's not the instantaneous impact that I am concerned about - it is the cumulative effect, and no one at this juncture knows what kind of ramifications on our health these toxins could have on us. It is very similar to the rationale for eating organic food. You don't want to be ingesting chemicals and toxins so you shouldn't want to absorb them either.
Great alternative deodorants exist too now as research and product development has progressed. It is much easier for us to look for natural products that don't contain these chemicals in them. An example is this great deodorant which is organic and only uses natural products. Tom's also does a range of products that are not tested on animals and use only natural ingredients. Have a look here. These are a little more mainstream and can be bought online or if you are in the USA at Wholefoods.
Make your own choice about what you're using, just make sure that you actually know what you're putting on your skin. Getting cancer focusses your mind a little more sharply on these issues but this is one that I definitely wish I had been more up on many years ago!
This is a heavy metal. Yup a heavy metal - you know that, you just didn't realize you were putting it on your skin so now it sounds terrible. This is the compound that blocks your pores and stops you from sweating. It's also been associated with hormone disruption specifically with estrogen receptors in breast cells thereby linking it to the production of cancerous cells. There is some thought that this can increase chances of breast cancer in women. Many companies and organizations are at pains to dispute any link between the two. Regardless of the research I personally just don't want to be lathering myself with metal every day.
Triclosan
The FDA classify this as a pesticide. You know those chemicals that are used to eliminate bugs and creepy crawlies that you've made a huge effort to eliminate by eating organic food? Well the good news is that you aren't eating pesticide anymore, but you're absorbing it. In deodorant it is used as an antibacterial agent. It can cause skin irritation as well as possibly disrupt thyroid and other hormonal function.
Propylene Glycol
Now we are onto cars. What do we use when the bad weather sets in and we start to see the temperatures drop? Anti-freeze! This is now included in some deodorants and it's use to is keep some substances from drying out. This one causes skin, eye irritation, sickness, vomiting and even kidney and liver damage.
Talc
Found in a lot of personal care products it is used for it's absorbent properties. The problem with talc is if it contains something called asbestiform fibers because these are classified as carcinogenic. But no one regulates the inclusion of these fibers in talc so there is simply no way of knowing if the product you are using contains them. Best advice, avoid the product if it has talc in it.
These are just 4 toxins that you might find in deodorant. Unfortunately in many instances there are more. Before you think I am being over-reactive I want to be clear that I am not suggesting that you're going to drop down dead after several uses of deodorant. I had been using the traditional products for years, although I did get cancer so I am in fact probably not the best example. But my point is that it's not the instantaneous impact that I am concerned about - it is the cumulative effect, and no one at this juncture knows what kind of ramifications on our health these toxins could have on us. It is very similar to the rationale for eating organic food. You don't want to be ingesting chemicals and toxins so you shouldn't want to absorb them either.
Great alternative deodorants exist too now as research and product development has progressed. It is much easier for us to look for natural products that don't contain these chemicals in them. An example is this great deodorant which is organic and only uses natural products. Tom's also does a range of products that are not tested on animals and use only natural ingredients. Have a look here. These are a little more mainstream and can be bought online or if you are in the USA at Wholefoods.
Make your own choice about what you're using, just make sure that you actually know what you're putting on your skin. Getting cancer focusses your mind a little more sharply on these issues but this is one that I definitely wish I had been more up on many years ago!
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