Detox your armpits
Doing an armpit detox, or ‘pit detox’, is super simple and totally effective at removing bad odors. It sounds like some kooky new age mumbo jumbo but essentially it is just a mud mask for the armpits!
Ok, I’ll admit the concept of this sounded rather strange to me when I first heard about it. After a bit more research I could see why it made total sense but I wasn’t yet onboard to try it. What tipped me to rub some blackish brown paste under my armpits?? Simple really, I wanted to use natural deodorants without having a red, sometimes sore reaction. In enters the armpit detox and out walked a less smelly, less red armpit! Seriously if you haven’t yet tried it can you promise yourself you will?! It not only helps reduce any irritation but it helps stop you smelling like a boys high school change room!
Why are mainstream deodorants bad
Mainstream deodorants, especially antiperspirants stop your body sweating as it naturally would. This isn’t as good as you may think, as our bodies need to sweat to cool down and is a way for it to expel toxins. Your armpits are also home to your lymph nodes which are responsible for fighting disease. Deodorants block the pores under the arms leaving the toxin laced sweat unable to escape. Not great news for our bodies, which is why more and more people are turning to natural made deodorants. The other good news is a healthy body sweats but doesn’t smell like a boys changeroom!
Not only do antiperspirant deodorants keep the toxins in our body, they also contain many harmful ingredients. Most contain aluminium compounds which can mimic estrogen and is also the ingredient used to stop the sweating process. Parabens are also in most brands and have been linked to breast cancer1. Silica, triclosan, talc and propylene glycol are also current features, and ones to be avoided. Lastly most of them will contain fragrance, a sometimes lovely smelling but very toxic ingredient. If you want more on why you should stay away from all products containing the ingredient fragrance click here.
Ok so hopefully you can see why maybe we should be switching to natural deodorants where we can. For some it could be as simple as ditching the old and bringing in the natural. For most this isn’t the case. The old store brought antiperspirants end up leaving a build up in our pores which isn’t immediately removed when we stop using them. In comes a pit detox to the rescue! Detoxing helps remove the built up chemicals and helps shorten the adjustment period from mainstream to natural deodorants.
Switching to Natural Deodorants
When switching to more natural deodorants you can experience redness and sometimes even soreness under the arms. If this occurs, its best to stop using and try pit detoxing until the symptoms improve. If the irritation occurs again once you start using it again, look into trying different kinds, the active ingredients vary brand to brand. Most importantly listen to your body.
I have made detoxing my armpits part of my beauty routine. Ok so my ‘beauty routine’ is pretty non existent but I make a habit of doing a pit detox about once a month. Not super stringent about it, if I notice my natural deodorant struggling, or any irritation, I mix up a batch and put it on. The thing to remember is our bodies are trying to expel whatever nasties we put in it. So I do notice I tend to smell when I have been eating poorly, like too much processed food. We need to consider every avenue when we are doing anything to detox our bodies. No good removing toxins from one area and then just filling our bodies back up with them somewhere else.
You can buy premade Detox pastes online and in some health food shops. However
If you are looking for a DIY natural deodorant check out our Super Simple Toxin Free Deodorant Paste or our 2 Ingredient Natural Spray Deodorant