Are you concerned about all the strange and hard to pronounce substances when you read the ingredient list of your regular antiperspirant deodorants? Have you tried natural deodorants but not impressed by the results?
We’ll give you the low down of why it’s best to sweat, and how you can easily tame B.O. with natural cream deodorants.
Why do we sweat?
Sweating is a natural physiological process which is designed to cool our body down when we are overheated, so our body can maintain a relatively constant and comfortable body temperature to function as normal. We might sweat during exertion or exercise, stressful situations, when we have a fever to fight off an infection or when we have hormonal changes.
Yep that’s right, everybody sweats and it’s good for them (no matter what they’d like you to believe)!
Why is sweat a tad…pungent?
In actual fact, sweat itself does not smell. Body odour, or B.O., is produced by the bacteria in the skin breaking down the sweat secreted from the sweat glands i.e. under the arms. The warm and damp conditions found in the armpits is the perfect condition for the bacteria to live in and create pungent odours.
What is the difference between an antiperspirant and a deodorant?
An antiperspirant is designed to reduce the funkiness of body odour by blocking the sweat glands so they can’t produce sweat, and by reducing the amount of bacteria that produce that funk. They generally use various synthetic ingredients such as aluminium salts to achieve this. A deodorant on the other hand contains antimicrobial agents to counteract the activity of the bacteria that produce body odour.
What is a Natural Cream deodorant?
A Natural Cream deodorant uses all natural ingredients (such as arrowroot and baking soda) to actually soak up the sweat present under the arms. This means less sweat for the bacteria to act on and cause that pong. Other natural ingredients (such as various essential oils) that are anti-microbial in nature may neutralise the bacteria present under the arms and smell nice as well.
Why use a Natural Cream Deodorant?
If you’ve used other natural deodorants in the past, you may have noticed they can struggle to soak up the sweat due to the fact that they are in a roll on or spray form, and can only use certain ingredients because of this. Not so with cream or paste deodorants! Because they come in a cream form, applied directly to the armpit, they are able to use more effective ingredients to tame that ever familiar whiff of body odour.
How do I use a Cream deodorant?
- Cream deodorants are applied directly from the pot to your armpit - a pea sized amount once a day usually does the trick. Some brands come with a mini spatula or you can use a standard makeup spatula to scoop a little product from the pot if you prefer.
- When you start using a natural and aluminium free deodorant you can expect up to a 2 weeks detox period while your skin adjusts to a new type of deodorant.
- Some people may have a sensitivity to the sodium bicarbonate in cream deodorants, as it has a different pH to the level in our skin. If this occurs you can treat your underarms with a small amount of coconut oil twice a day until things settle down.
- Everybody is different! And so are the way that natural cream deodorants work for every person. You may need to try a few (for at least 2 weeks at a time) before you find your perfect match.
So get out there and embrace summer, stink free!
