Why natural?
It comes down to the ingredients. At the end of the day, what you put on your skin gets absorbed into your system and using toxic and harmful ingredients in your skincare is the same as including them in your diet. The main ingredient we should be trying to avoid is aluminum – common in antiperspirants and linked to a lot of nasty things, such as cancer. Natural deodorants are also full of good-for-you ingredients (like shea butter or olive oil) it can also improve the condition of your pits and sooth irritation! Natural deodorants are formulated to work with your body chemistry whereas a lot of synthetic ingredients are meant to block your pores.
Worth noting is that the smelly part of sweating has nothing to do with sweat, but rather your sweat mixing with the bacteria on your skin. Healthy underarms = less stank.
Wait… I tried to switch to natural deodorant but it made me smell bad…
Unfortunately, there is no bypassing this part of the detox stage, but trust me when I say, the first week and bit are the hardest. By the third week the stench will be mild, and by the fourth or fifth week you will barely have a natural scent. (Trust me, I did this weird thing where I made my friends take a good whiff of me and a lot of them said that I literally don’t have any scent!)
You may also find that your underarms feel wet because natural deodorants allow for your body to sweat naturally instead of inhibiting your sweat glands. This is also your body getting rid of toxic particles that may still be in your skin!
Tips for Switching to Natural Deodorant
- Drink lots of water and reduce refined sugars and alcohol. Like other detoxes, make it easier on your body to flush out the toxins.
- Carry a deodorant with you. Truth be told, you’re going to get a little funky at times so multiple applications throughout the day is normal.
- Take hot baths. This will help open up your pores and get all that gunk outta there.
- Try a detox deodorant. Nala Care makes a great detoxing specific deodorant with active charcoal. The charcoal helps draws out impurities so it’s best used before bed or prior to workouts (since you’ll be sweaty anyways!) NOTE: a common misconception about detox deodorant is that it will help ease the sweating associated with detoxing but it’s actually the opposite. It aids in letting your body sweat MORE. The more you sweat, the faster your detox is.
Nala Care Personalized Deodorant
Deodorant is as personal as products get and it’s not a one size fits all. Depending on your body chemistry and scent preferences we’re all looking for something different when it comes to sweating it out. Those with sensitive skin may want to avoid baking soda formulas however those looking for extra strength may want something with additional baking soda. Some may opt for unscented because all they want is a deodorant to manage their sweat whereas others may be like myself and want their deodorant to enhance their natural scent.
Nala Care recently introduced their personalized deodorant program where you can custom both the strength and the scent of your deodorant (making Nala Care the first deodorant brand to do so!) and I was lucky enough to be gifted one to try out for the past month-ish. I opted for the extra strength citrus formula since I already have one of their regular strength deodorants. Like their regular formula I found the application creamy with a bit of a stickiness to it that needed some time to dry down. Once dried down this deodorant was so easy to wear. I applied it in the mornings and after showering and didn’t feel the need to reapply at any other time.
I opted for the citrus scent and love that it’s scented with grapefruit and orange oil instead of synthetic fragrances. Plus nothing irritated my underarms! I don’t have what I consider sensitive underarms however I always seem to have shaving bumps and some irritation but not with my personalized Nala!
Strength options include sensitive (baking soda free), regular and extra strength. Scents options include unscented, citrus, eucalyptus and woodsy.
Win a personalized deodorant!
One lucky Canadian winner will win their own personalized deodorant from Nala Care valued at $35 CAD! To enter head to my Instagram page (@vickiduong) and find my Nala Care post for all the deets. Contest runs from October 25 until November 8. Good luck!
UPDATE:
This contest is now closed. Congrats to Remy D from Chilliwack, BC for winning a custom Nala Care deodorant!
Thank you to everyone who participated and be sure to follow me on Insta for more contests.
