Natural deodorant products control odor without exposing the body to toxins and synthetic chemicals. Switching to a natural deodorant product can:
- Maintain a clean, pleasant scent.**
- Deliver antimicrobial compounds.**
- Assist with perspiration issues.**
What are Natural Deodorant Products?
Humans have a long, tangled history with body odor, as well as with the personal care products, like deodorant, that address it. Each year, Americans spend more than $18 billion on products designed to reduce or eliminate body odor and perspiration. This wasn’t always the case. Noted anthropologist Louis Leakey hypothesized that humanity’s naturally rank smell actually served an important purpose: Deterring predators. The New York Times even described this trait as “the survival of the foulest.”**
Why do humans have such as strong smell? Also known as bromhidrosis, body odor is the result of bacteria that thrive in moist, warm environments like armpits. Micro-organisms, such as coryne bacteria, multiply when they come into contact with sweat, then break proteins and other components in perspiration down into acids, resulting in an odor that is distinct to each individual. Though this process is completely natural, many people find body odor unpleasant.**
With the rise of civilization came less of a need for protective odors. The ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans purportedly abhorred natural smells. In these cultures, bathing in oils, using soap to clean the body, and rubbing scents such as cinnamon on the underarms were a popular practice for hundreds of years.**
That all changed in the Middle Ages. Clergy preached of the dangers of nudity -- including while bathing -- and mistaken but widespread beliefs that the Bubonic Plague was spread by water meant that regular bodily cleansing fell out of favor in Europe for centuries. In fact, most Europeans bathed only about once a year, as sweat was believed to protect against the plague. During this time, people used colognes and crushed rose petals both to mask their own scent and to keep them from having to smell other people.**
In the late 1800s, scientists made an important discovery: The existence of sweat glands. Until then, no one had understood the connection between sweating and body odor and, though researchers still didn’t fully grasp the link between perspiration and the odor-causing bacteria that feeds on it, a deodorant called Mum was put on the market that battled odor with zinc oxide, an antibacterial agent. A few years later, the first antiperspirant was made available. Known as Everdry, the formula used aluminum chloride salts to block pores and prevent sweating, a departure from products that either masked odor or used antimicrobials to mitigate it. **
These early products were greasy, messy and also contained alcohols and acids, causing skin irritation and inflammation. Some products were so harsh they even ate away at clothing. By the 1940s, the roll-on had become the delivery system of choice. The deodorant market was well on its way to commercialization.**
Marketing efforts to brand body odor as embarrassing, undesirable and a problem to be fixed were effective, and sales of antiperspirant products continued to grow – and so did scientific investigation of ingredients. Over the next few decades, common ingredients included aluminum zirconium tetracholorohydrate, aluminum formate, cyclomethicones and methylsiloxanes. Subsequent scientific investigations suggest links between a number of health issues and exposure to aluminum, such as immune, brain, bone and kidney problems, underscoring the belief that aluminum contributes to toxic load by remaining in the system for weeks. Plus, methylsiloxanes have been found to accumulate in the environment, adding to toxic load across the globe.**
As more consumers grew aware of these issues, the popularity of antiperspirants derived from natural sources continued to increase. Today, natural products are a popular choice for reducing body odor without resorting to harsh chemicals and toxins such as parabens, endocrine disruptors, and carcinogens. Instead, botanical antimicrobials, such as tea tree, lavender, rosemary, lemongrass and sage essential oils, are used to fight odor-causing bacteria while imparting a clean scent. Many products in this category also include natural emollients such as beeswax and coconut oil to hydrate the skin, and mild astringents such as witch hazel that have a cooling, toning effect.**
Crystal deodorants offer yet another option. When moistened, these natural products – which are sourced from mineral salts such as potassium alum – leave a thin film on the skin. Rather than plugging pores and preventing sweat from escaping, the mineral salts prevent bacteria from multiplying and causing an unpleasant odor. Crystal products are gentle on the skin and last for a long time.**
Natural Deodorant Products
These products may be available in bar, roll-on, cream, paste, gel, spray or crystal form.**
Natural Deodorant Products Directions for Use
Natural products in this category supply varying amounts of active nutrients, so there is no set dosage.**
