So you finally looked at the ingredient list on your deodorant and said something like: "Parabens? What's a paraben? Triclosan? What's that? Propylene gylcol? Huh?"
We recently asked our Ask an Organic Mom blogger Lexy Zissu (co-author of the The Complete Organic Pregnancy) to weigh in on how she chooses a natural deodorant (step one: If you can't pronounce the ingredient, don't buy it) and which natural deodorant brands actually work. Because after all, we're talking about deodorant here. If it doesn't keep the stink at bay, what's the point?
Cutting to the chase, here's her list of the 9 natural deodorant brands that really work:
More information about each of the 9 natural deodorants that really work
Not cheap, right? So now it's good to remember why you might choose the natural deodorant in the first place: "Conventional products tend to contain a whole host of best-to-avoid substances including hormone disrupters, petrochemicals, lung irritants, and other suspect ingredients," Zissu writes. "These are not only potentially harmful to the adults who use them, but also to teenagers who are still developing, babies in utero, breastfeeding babies (internally and externally -- they're often leaning skin-on-skin up near your armpits) and even to the waterways and aquatic life where traces of the conventional gunk winds up after we shower it off." If you search the Internet, you'll also find quite a bit of discussion about links between deodorant chemicals and both Alzheimer's disease and breast cancer; these links are unproven, but the specter of a problem is enough for some people to avoid conventional deodorants.
If those brands don't appeal to you, or don't work as well for you (every body's different), then consider these tips when shopping for a natural deodorant:
More details about how to choose a natural deodorant
Is there a green anti-perspirant?
http://www.thecrystal.com/
Crystal Body Deodorant ranked 0! And it's unscented.
http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/brand.php?brand_id=350
I'm happy! My Dior mascara is an 8. My sunblock was a 3 or 4. This is the only 0 I've gotten.
Water/Aqua, Alcohol, Triethyl Citrate, Glycerin, Fragrance/Parfum, Zinc Ricinoleate, Bentonite, Linalool, Benzyl Benzoate, Benzyl Alcohol, Farnesol, Benzyl Salicylate, Hydrogenated Jojoba Oil (Jojoba Wax), Sucrose Laurate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Lecithin, Sodium Magnesium Silicate, Xanthan Gum, Citric Acid
Additionally, I always love the organics like sodium magnesium silicate
www.baltimorediy.blogspot.com
PEG is not propylene glycol, or even the other way around; propylene glycol is not PEG.
However the best 'green' deodorant is soap and water.
No, really. Hygiene works wonders.
It costs less than anything listed in this article, it is widely available, it is completely natural, it can be used to treat skin problems all over the body, it is based on an essential mineral, it has been used for decades and, to the extent it is absorbed through the skin, it can provide enormous health benefits. You can even drink it!
It is called magnesium hydroxide, but is better known as Milk of Magnesia.
Yes, you can swab some unflavored liquid Milk of Magnesia under your arms and it will dry to a powder form and works great as a deodorant. It can be used as a face and body wash with excellent antifungal and antiseptic properties. It is known to relieve dandruff and acne better than most other products. As an example, original Phillips Milk of Magnesia, widely available, can be left on the skin for five minutes or so, and produce positive results for a host of skin problems. Generics are even cheaper. Stick with unflavored to avoid all of the junk additives.
For those interested in learning more about magnesium and other fascinating health experiments based on nature, along with supporting references, ask your librarian for a copy of "The Wellness Project."
Roy Mankovitz, Director
http://www.MontecitoWellness.com
I use the Weleda Rose deodorant, which works very well. However, I use it precisely because it is a deodorant, and not an antiperspirant. Sweating is healthy, it's part of how your body releases toxins.
Wiser cultures valued this property, and a steam bath, or a sweat lodge were health-giving, and holy places. We in the USA have been conditioned to think sweating is evil, so we block up one our bodies most important organs (our skin) and wonder why we get so sick, so often...
But you don't have to smell when you sweat, that's what the Weleda is good for. With the rose-scented one, no matter what exertion I do, I always come up smelling like a rose. :)