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So Deodorant. We all know what it is...and I'd say probably 99% of us use it. Why? Well, originally it started off as a way to keep away the smell from sweating that was caused by dirt and bacteria. But as times changed the newest and greatest thing was added to many deodorants..... ANTIPERSPIRANT.
I am certain that the majority of people purchase their Antiperspirant Deodorants with out even giving a seconds thought to what they are putting on their body and what this product is actually doing to them.
Let's take a look at the ingredients list on the back of a deodorant container...
So the main ingredient I want to talk about just so happens to be the #1 Active Ingredient in an Antiperspirant Deodorant: Aluminum Zirconium Tetrachlorohydrex...now if that doesn't sound scary enough as it is....let's see what it does... Unfortunately Aluminum is found in many of the things we come in contact with during our daily lives such as in utensils, appliances, building materials and containers and is used in the production of glass, ceramics and rubber and is found in paints and fireworks..It is most harmful when used in products that are ingested or applied topically to the body. It is used in products such as antacids, astringents, buffered aspirin, antiperspirants and food additives. (1)
Aluminum is very poorly absorbed by the gastrointestinal tract...only 0.1% of intake actually being absorbed. (2) There have been studies that show that a high level of exposure to aluminum can cause neurological and lung damage.
Even though the effects of orally ingesting aluminum are so harmful, a study that was done on mice showed that when applied topically to the skin, aluminum was even more dangerous to the body. A study that was done in 2001 showed that one application or an aluminum based antiperspirant under the arm allowed the body to absorb the aluminum through the skin and the aluminum remained in the bloodstream 15 FIFTEEN days after the one application under the arm. (3) This means that by applying aluminum to your skin, you are allowing the aluminum to end up in your body, blood stream and your brain.
Aluminum was first recognized as a human neurotoxin in 1886. (4) A neurotoxin is something that causes damage to nerves or nerve tissue. Post-mortem analysis of Alzheimer’s infected brains has shown increased levels of aluminum compared to people that did not die from Alzheimer’s. The short term symptoms of aluminum toxicity include memory loss, learning difficulty, loss of coordination, disorientation, mental confusion, colic, heartburn, flatulence, and headaches.(5)
The reason aluminum is used in deodorant is because it serves in blocking the pores under your arms. Making it difficult to impossible for your body to release sweat through them. While many see sweating as something "gross" or to be avoided...sweating is actually a natural occurrence that is very important for your body to do in order to maintain temperature. Sweating allows the body to regulate its temperature. Sweating causes a decrease in core temperature through evaporative cooling at the skin surface. (6) By preventing your body from being able to naturally maintain its core temperature, you are disrupting the normal function of the body.
The main focus in a deodorant should be to prevent odor causing bacteria. NOT to prevent your body from actually sweating. Sweat is not gross, it is totally natural, and everyone does it.
There are many other chemicals and ingredients that can actually be irritants to the skin if not even more harmful.
You may not be one of the people who's skin is more irritated when using deodorant than not, and you may not notice any of the symptoms of aluminum toxicity..but why risk it for your body? After years of using these products on myself, I feel jipped for not learning sooner how awful they were. And I feel it is my responsibility to learn all of these things so that I can properly educate my daughter so that she does not also have to be dragged into the typical path that society walks down of polluting our bodies without even knowing we are doing it.
Do your body a favor and take a look at what you are putting in or on it. You deserve better. It is so easy to make many of your own products. I will continue posting blogs with recipes and videos showing you how to make things. And as I perfect my recipes I will list them on my website: www.SimplyNaturalSoaps.net for you to buy should you not have the time or energy to make them yourselves. There are so many resources out there making it easier and easier for you to have access to all natural products that will not harm your body!
1. “Definition of Aluminum.” MedicineNet.Com. 9 Jan. 2008 <http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=39609>.
2. Flaten, Trond P. “Aluminium as a Risk Factor in Alzheimer’s Disease, with Emphasis on Drinking Water.”Brain Research Bulletin 55 (2001): 187-196. 19 Jan. 2008http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/03619230.
3. Flarend, R, T Bin, D Elmore, and S L. Hemb. “A Preliminary Study of the Dermal Absorption of Aluminium From Antiperspirants Using Aluminium-26.” Food and Chemical Toxicology 39 (2001): 163-168. 22 Jan. 2008 <http://www.elsevier.com/locate/foodchemtox>.
4. Jansson, Erik T. “Aluminum Exposure and Alzheimer’s Disease.” Journal of Alzheimer\’s Disease 3 (2001): 541-549. 9 Jan. 2008 <http://iospress.metapress.com/link.asp?id=wb0qym7m9212er2t>.
Also available at: http://www.deptplanetearth.com/pub/jad3jansson.html
5. “Heavy Metal Toxicity.” Life Extension. 17 Jan. 2008 <http://www.lef.org/protocols/prtcl-156a.shtml#alum2>.
6. "Perspiration". Wikipedia. 29 Dec. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perspiration>.
