First off, I’m NOT a doctor, nor an expert of the arm pit. Just trying to save the next person from being surprised by the pit detox that becomes concerning if you are expecting it. Seriously, I made a doctor’s appointment because of mine.
I once read this really scary article about the effects of normal store antiperspirants and their aluminum content. After freaking out a bit, I jumped immediately to switching to natural deodorant. Like any good person does, I did absolutely no research. None.
I had no idea there was a detox period or the effects I could have of making the switch.
While the switch is ultimately a good one, there is a period time where your body will detox your armpits. It’s basically unclogging all the junk you’ve put on your pits with regular antiperspirants. Some natural deodorant sites even warn you of this time period. As they say, hindsight is always twenty twenty, so let me give you a little explanation of what to expect on your first 7-10 days of your natural deodorant.
- Prepare to sweat baby. Lots and lots and lots of sweat. You will sweat more than normal. Avoid gray shirts/dresses, unlike I did. I ended up wearing my North Face fleece over my dress because it was so bad. So I was then sweating more but at least no one could see it.
- What’s that smell? It’s you. You will probably stink more than normal. Don’t worry this will go away.
- You may experience tenderness in your armpit by your lymph node. I only had this for a day or two.
- The next thing is where I got concerned, your arm pit may darken or turn dark red color. If this happens you may want to switch to a more sensitive natural deodorant. According to my research this is because of baking soda in the natural deodorant. I read where this may go away with time, even if you continue to use the first deodorant, the one causing the redness. I decided to go ahead and switch.
There are a few things that others say to do that may speed this process up. First thing is to drink lots of water, more than your normal consumption. Try to work up a sweat more and longer, this will help speed up the process. Watching your diet during this time can help, eating cleaner can minimize some of these symptoms. You can also try dry brushing. I obviously didn’t try any of these, because I had no idea what was going on. I did try dry brushing on the redness and it helped a bit.
So what kind do you get? There are many things to consider. Scent, application method, price, and more. Personally, I couldn’t imagine trying to spoon my deodorant on in the morning. So that turned me off to a few types. A popular jar brand is Primal Pit Paste, I’ve read some good things on this one but I haven’t tried it personally.
Scent wise, I really haven’t found one that I LOVE. I will let you know when I do. I was using Native Deodorant, I tried the unscented, which was fine, as well as the coconut and vanilla. They were ‘normal’ smelling. I didn’t like the lavender and rose. I smelt like a walking hedge bush. It was just way too much. I did switch from Native, because their baking soda content seemed to be causing my redness. I am currently trying Schmidt’s and so far so good. I tried their sensitive line in the scent coconut pineapple. It’s decent, it’s still a little odd smelling for my taste. But I have ALWAYS had ‘shower-fresh’ scents in my antiperspirants. So maybe it will grow on me.
There are so many kinds to try out there. Pretty sure Tarte Cosmetics carries one as well as Lush.
If you find one you adore, leave it below. Share the love!
