Armpit Detoxes : Yes, They Exist (and Yes, You Need To Do One...)
how to do an armpit detox : the 7 simple steps that will help you transition to a natural deodorant
Let’s talk about PITS, ba-by!
This has been one of my most requested topics and today I am going to dive straight into the awkward, beautiful, and NECESSARY process of transitioning from a traditional deodorant to a natural deodorant. Let me give it to ya straight: this process isn’t the most glamorous; it’s a bit like a junior high dance (you feel like you’re sweating a lot and you’re nervous you smell bad, but at the end of it all, no one but you noticed your pit stains and you had a beautiful time).
10 points for metaphor, Kate.
MOVING ON…
In this post I will outline:
WHY deodorant in particular is soooo important to go nontoxic
The scary chemicals that make traditional deodorant soooo bad
What will happen during your armpit detox (it’s not what you’re expecting…)
My 2-ingredient magic armpit mask that will do wonders for drawing out armpit toxins
And basically how you can make this detox process as quick + painless (and odorless as possible).
natural deodorant: why it matters
Soooo if you’re like 2016 Kate, you’re wondering, “Why the heck do I need to switch from my deodorant? It’s workin juuuuuust fine.”
It may be “working” great, but what reactions is it having beyond your armpits? Well I’m gonna take ya back to 9th grade human biology real quick. Remember that your skin is your LARGEST organ and that scientists estimate that it absorbs 64% of what is put on it. Yup, all the chemicals, toxins, and man-made compounds go right through your skin like a sponge and directly into your blood supply. Call me crazy, but I don’t want cyclomethicone, tetrachlorohydrex gly, or isopropyl palmitate floating around my body.
Over the past fifteen years, more than 10,000 Americans have had their blood tested by the CDC in attempts to measure their “chemical body burden.” The results: even those who lived in remote areas were found to have hundreds of synthetic chemicals in their bloodstream.
So, Kate, why should I care SOOO much about my deodorant compared to my other products? Even though eventually you should care about all personal-care products, deodorant is especially important because it stays on your skin allllllll day long, lengthening the time that your body is able to absorb it (compared to shampoo which is maybe on your head for 30 seconds).
Also, deodorant is probably the only personal beauty product that you put on every day. Example: you might not put on makeup on a certain day, but you likely still put on deodorant. Therefore, switching up your deo gives you more bang for your buck than switching up other personal health items because you use it more often and it stays on your skin alllll day.
The ingredients in modern deodorants are RIDICULOUS. Let me give it to ya straight: there are some straight up nasty ingredients in that traditional deodorant of yours that you are lathering on every morning, and you are allowing your body to absorb it ALL. DAY. LONG.
the bad boys (aka a chemical gang hanging out under your pits)
Conventional antiperspirants contain a cocktail of chemicals but here are the 5 bad boys you should be particularly concerned about:
Aluminum
Aluminum is the active ingredient in antiperspirant (not deodorant). It’s what keeps your armpits from actually producing sweat. Simply put, the aluminum ions cause the sweat ducts to swell up and squeeze shut—trapping the toxins in (that your body so desperately wants to sweat out).
Also, the plot thickens in the fact that cancerous tumors are most likely to appear in the parts of the female breast that are closest to where antiperspirants are applied (the outer left quadrant of the breast). Of the women studied, it was found that cysts in the armpit area of the breast had 25x more aluminum than the common amount found in blood… Okay. Yikes.
Parabens
Parabens act as preservatives in countless personal care products. The reason they are no bueno is because they contain estrogen-like properties and can affect your body’s hormonal balance. No thank you.
Phthalates
Let me start by saying phthalates have been BANNED from personal care products in the EU since 2005 and they still can be in found free rein here in the good ol’ US of A. Phthalates are a known reproductive toxicant, linked to birth defects and compromised fertility. Oh, okay. YIKES.
Triclosan
Triclosan is an antimicrobial that kills bacteria and fungus (they do this to kill the smelly part of sweat). Sounds great, right? Welp… It is classified as a pesticide by the FDA and as a probable carcinogen by the EPA. Again, no, thank you.
Synthetic fragrance
The term “fragrance” is a generic word that can involve thousands of chemicals that were mixed and matched together to form that particular smell. Synthetic scents have been correlated with accumulating in your tissues over time and have been linked to hormone disruption and other serious health effects.
Now let’s contrast this with the ingredients in my fav natural deodorant…looks a lil different, doesn’t it?
how to do an armpit detox : the 7 simple steps that will help you transition to a natural deodorant
the armpit detox 101:
Yikes. Are you ready to make the switch to natural deodorant yet? Thought so.
SOOOOO let’s cover the basics. Deodorant is what you put on to mask the odor of sweat, while on the other hand, antiperspirant is something that inhibits the body’s ability to sweat. You can buy these in their own form, but most modern deodorant options are a combination of these two: made to keep you from sweating and smelling (and lathering you in chemicals to do it).
Here's the bottom line: sweating is a natural, crucial, beautiful process. Sweating is a way that the body detoxifies, regulates temp…so why would we inhibit this?
If there’s a bodily process that helps me naturally detox every day, sign me up! AKA do you really want toxins building up that your body so desperately wants to sweat out? No, thank you.
This is where the armpit detox comes in. This is the process of switching from your traditional deodorant/antiperspirant to a natural deodorant. For years, your body has been holding in sweat, toxins, and chemical compounds that it wasn’t able to sweat out because of the aluminum in your traditional deo. By suddenly releasing the blockade of antiperspirant, your body is going to “dump” all of these yuckies out. It’s easy to assume a new natural deodorant just isn't working, but the reality is, your body is just detoxing
Therefore, during the armpit detox process, it is completeeeeely normal to:
- sweat more
- have stronger smelling sweat
- need to reapply deodorant multiple times a day
AKA…you’ll kind of feel like your middle school self for a few weeks: a lil sweaty, a lil stinky, and growing into something better. :) The beautiful part of this is the light at the end of the tunnel: once your body detoxes, your sweat becomes nearly odorless. It’s not the actual liquid sweat that smells, but everything within the sweat. I almost believed it wouldn’t happen (I was a verrrry smelly gal), but WOW now my sweat is nearly odorless.
PIT DETOX FUN FACT: it’s not your sweat that smells—it’s the buildup of toxins, bodily waste, and chemicals that your traditional deodorant held in that has accumulated over the years. For years your body has been wanting to sweeeeaaaat out all these chemicals, but finally your sweat is clean! (It was helpful for me to think of my sweat as a sort of “blank slate.”)
the secrets to making your armpit detox as easyyyyy as possible:
1. Commit to a few weeks of awkwardness.
Map out a 2–3 week period where you’ll be ready to be a little stinky or re-apply deodorant multiple times per day. During the time you will be detoxing, your body will finally have a chance to relearn how to sweat and get rid of the aluminums, toxins, and fragrances that have stored up over your antiperspirant use. Give yourself this time to fully embrace the process and then you’ll be DONE. Do not, I repeat, do NOT switch back and forth between your traditional deodorant and your natural one. You will confuse your body and draaaag out this process so much longer than necessary. Stick it out, commit to the awkwardness, and then you will be a natural deodorant goddess.
2. Pick your natural deodorant.
This sounds like a simple step but I tried probably 4 different brands before finding the brand. Some brands can cause underarm rash, and some are just straight up ineffective, but I’ve found that what works for one person may not work for the rest. I personally tried out a bunch of brands and here’s the thing—I didn’t hate any of them. But I just felt like they were lacking in what they promised. They did work…but only if I applied 4 times per day. Or their smell wasn’t top-notch. Or the texture was just weird. They were all just…fine. Like, we’re talking a 7/10 rating type of thing. Good, but not great. I knew I needed something better if I was actually going to stick to this whole natural deodorant world.
But then I met Primally Pure which is the ONLY deodorant that I would give a 9.999999/10 rating to. I would rate it as a 10/10 but then you’d think I was being cheesy, haha (but actually it’s that good). I don’t have a complaint. If you want to experiment to find the brand for you, feel free! But if you’re ready to cut right to the good stuff, I have a Primally Pure discount code for ya: code KATE10 will save ya 10% if you are ready to take the plunge into the natural deo world! Remember, the goal here is not stop yourself from sweating, but to find a brand that jives with your skin, is filled with beautiful, natural ingredients, and neutralizes odor so that your lovely pits can be covered in pure, natural (and effective), deodorant, day after day.
3. Hydrate up!
Yeah, yeah, Kate…I always drink water, blah blah blah. But, guys! DRINK UP. Staying hydrated is always important but during this process make it a priority! This extra fluid will rev up your lymph system (this is crucial in a detox) and will help your body expel the toxins more quickly and efficiently.
4. Dry brush
Another process that will rev up your lymph system to help the detox process is dry brushing. Yes, I am a broken record about dry brushing, but GUYS. You need to do it. Check out my full post here, but basically: get a dry brush (I recommend this one), use it every morning, and focus specifically under your armpits (this will stimulate the pit lymph nodes and increase rate of detox).
5. Let’s get sweaty, baby!
To get these toxins out, you’ll need to sweat. Trust me, you’ll be sweating on your own, but if you can increase the rate of sweat, you’re more quickly on your way to completing the detox process. Work out, hot yoga, sauna, take a hot bath—whatever you want!
5. Keep your friends close (…and your deodorant closer)
Alright, friends. Let me give it to ya straight. During your pit detox, you will likely need to apply your natural deodorant multiple times per day to combat the stank. At the end of the detox when your sweat is finally clear, this will not be the case. But be prepared to apply it many times a day to keep the smell at bay! This is weird, but I also traveled around with these natural body wipes in case I had to do a quick wipe down out in public.
6. Spritz it up!
Okay, this is also so random, but I also LOVED spraying this all-natural toner on my pits during the detox process. I felt sooo weird spritzing on my pits, but heck it is called the “everything spray,” right???? It felt so refreshing on my armpits…which may be the weirdest thing I’ve ever typed. Okay, moving on.
See the ingredients and you’ll understand why I loved it so much. Witch hazel (an astringent) reduces inflammation, apple cider vinegar balances pH, tea tree oil disinfects and lavender oil regenerates…it’s like a cocktail of natural ingredients that are PERFECT for an armpit detox.
I have NO idea if you guys will love this step as much as I did, but it was one of the most refreshing parts of my pit detox and I highly recommend spritzing this throughout the day for a burst of great ingredients to help you power through the detox! (Again, code KATE10 will save ya 10% on this!)
7. MY BEST KEPT PIT DETOX SECRET: Kinda like a face mask…. but for your armpits
This is hands down my best kept secret for the detox process. This two-ingredient clay mask is great for drawing toxins out of the armpits. A mixture of all-natural Bentonite clay and apple cider vinegar is a phenomenal tool to bring toxins to the surface (this will expedite the detox process).
Mix the two ingredients together (with a splash of water!) into a paste-like texture, apply it to your underarms, let it dry (just like a normal face mask), and rinse it off. Repeat a couple of times a week during this transition period and it does WONDERS at drawing out all the stinky stuff quickly.
8. Beeee patient, friend.
The 2–3 weeks that you are detoxing will feel long, but each and every day you’ll notice the stank get better—the end is in sight! What I urge you to do is not to think about the short-term sweat, but to think about what a GIFT this is to your body—to allow it to do something that it was literally designed to do! Armpits get a bad rep, but they LITERALLY are detoxing for you all day, every day. And it’s time you gave them the gift of an armpit detox—your whole body will thank ya. :) Alright friends, you are on your way to becoming natural deodorant goddesses! (If armpits could give high-fives, they totally would cheer for you right now.)
get everything you need for under $30 total
natural deodorant // bentonite clay (for armpit mask)
OPTIONAL:
apple cider vinegar (for armpit mask) // natural body wipes for on-the-go odor checks // everything spray from primally pure // dry brush
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