Natural Deodorant - That Works!

Take a look at your deodorant and see if any of these are listed: aluminum, parabens, propylene glycol, phthalates or triclosan.  Chances are at least one of these is in there as they are all common ingredients in today's deodorants and antiperspirants.  Aluminum is a metal and is often used in antiperspirants to help block the sweat from escaping pores.  It has also been linked to breast cancer in women.  I don't want to scare you but ANYTHING that we put on our skin (our body's largest organ) WILL be absorbed by our body.  Parabens scare me - not only are they contained in an alarming amount of our body care products and makeup but the absorption of them can and will disrupt our delicate hormonal balance.  This can lead to things like early puberty in children and an increased risk of hormonal cancers among other things.  Propylene glycol is a little bit tamer; however, I feel that over time even this ingredient can cause damage to the central nervous system, liver and heart.  Phthalates have also been linked to a variety of health issues and they may even disrupt hormone receptors as well as increase the likelihood of cell mutation (birth defects).  Triclosan has anti-bacterial properties and is actually classified as a pesticide by the FDA.  The Environmental Protection Agency classifies it as a probably carcinogen.  Some companies are working to remove triclosan from their products, a positive step in the right direction.

So, what does this all mean and what can you do?  First off, the very places on our bodies where we put deodorant are right where our axillary lymph nodes are.  So what we put in that spot will be absorbed into our lymph nodes (and of course our body).  The axillary lymph node area filters the lymph fluid draining away from the breast area.  Since the job of the lymph nodes is to filter out "bad guys" like cancer cells, this can be an area that is susceptible to cancer and the spread of cancer. Not good.  Lymph nodes also filter out and trap bacteria, viruses, and other unwanted substances and wastes from our bodies and make sure that they are safely eliminated from the body.

You want to keep your lymph nodes working well and without any unneeded chemicals from deodorants that will be absorbed!!

After trying out various natural deodorants I've found an easy recipe that you can make at home.  Although not necessarily GAPS legal, if you are on GAPS and in need of a deodorant I feel that this one has better ingredients versus purchasing one.  Here it is:

Natural Deodorant

 

5 Tablespoons coconut oil

4 Tablespoons baking soda

4 Tablespoons cornstarch

5 drops tea tree oil (or other essential oil; I like lavender oil)

 

Mix together well with a spoon and put in a container.  Will last a long time and you can halve the recipe if you like.

 



The Truth About Parabens

When I was grocery shopping the other day I was shocked - very shocked - to see both methylparaben and polyparaben listed as ingredients on the bakery buns.  YIKES! I did know that parabens are found in many common cosmetics, skin care items, shampoos, deodorants and suntan lotions; however, the fact that some food manufacturers use it as a preservative in FOOD came as a complete surprise!

Parabens are a class of chemicals that, because of antifungal and antibacterial properties, offer the manufacturer a cheap means of preserving an item.  This is at the expense of us, the consumer.  Parabens mimic estrogen in the body, which is known to play a role in the development of breast cancer.  According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG - a group that works hard to educate the public on the dangers of many chemicals), parabens can disrupt the hormone (endocrine) system, and were found in the breast cancer tumors of 19 of the 20 women studied!  On top of this, parabens may affect the development and growth of babies and children!

Nearly all parabens are man-made and not found in nature (this should tell us something right there).  There are studies on both sides of this but I choose the precautionary route and try to avoid these as much as possible.  I would rather err on the side of safety when it comes to my body!  Again, let me stress the fact that parabens MIMIC ESTROGEN in the body.  Not good!!

The Breast Cancer Fund's website states this, "Measurable concentrations of six different parabens have been identified in biopsy samples from breast tumors (Darbre, 2004). The particular parabens were found in relative concentrations that closely parallel their use in the synthesis of cosmetic products (Rastogi, 1995)."  In an attempt to look younger and prettier, us poor women are bombarded with more and more chemicals that have the potential to create havoc in our bodies!  

What can you do?  Read labels - you'll be surprised by how many products contain parabens (since there are many different parabens, just look for ingredients ending with "paraben").  Thankfully, there are some wonderful manufacturers out there who choose to AVOID junk and instead choose healthier ingredients.  Jason Naturals and Burt's Bees are two of my favorites but there are many companies out there that choose to go this route.  If there is one product that you want to start out with I would recommend lotion.  Our skin is our biggest organ and anything that is put on it is absorbed into our bodies.  Lotion would include sunblock lotion as well, especially for children.  Jason Naturals has a great sunblock with an SPF of 45 called Jason Sunblock Family which we use and love.  

EWG offers a wonderful resource that you can check out (just click on the link below).  You can search for your favorite products and see what the "danger" rating is as well as find safer alternatives. And, as always, if you have any questions at all please let me know!

http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/