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That one time I accidentally detoxed my armpits in Hungary.
Most people fail in making the switch to natural deodorants because of the myth that natural deo doesn’t work as well as the conventional kind. Here’s the truth: Conventional deodorants are full of artificial and dangerous chemicals. They clog your pores so much that bacteria and germs become trapped. You need to sweat this clog out for a few days (or weeks) before relying on a natural deodorant to keep you smelling fresh.
I had been experimenting with natural deodorants and the workings of my armpits ever since I came back from a one-month excavation in Europe back in 2009. The work was impossible but rewarding: The kitchen was a mess and we had nothing but hardboiled eggs, some sort of pork, and potatoes every day. Clearly this was well before I became a nutritionist. I don’t even want to talk about the outhouse.
I ran out of conventional deodorant and on a whim I decided to just go with it. We were all covered in mud and dirt 24 hours a day, and no one cared what you smelled like in the field.
After the excavation I toured Hungary and took a train over to Vienna, Austria. I got to sample the most delicious food (Hungarian goulash is amazing), delicious wine, some super toxic drink called Polinka that makes your eyes feel like jello, and a wonderful assortment of desserts, including ice cream in the shape of a rose. Did I mention there’s a fountain that spouts wine non-stop for all eternity?
When I got back to Toronto I hesitated to buy new deodorant. Not having the sticky, fabric-scuffing stuff, I felt curiously liberated, so I held off. By the second week of no-deo, not only did I reek, but my armpit sweat got thicker and slimy. It was awful and alarming, but something told me it was necessary. I was determined to sweat this out and I stuck to it by washing every couple of hours to avoid offensive odours and an uncomfortable stickiness.
I’m lucky that I had the sense to allow myself a deodorant break, because I now know that what was happening in my underarms was a type of detoxification that would have never happened had I put deodorant of any kind back on — including natural.
My lucky and smelly 3 weeks (that’s right) of no deodorant allowed for my body to eliminate all of the gunk that was clogging my pores and invading my lymph system. Once my body rid itself of the nastiness, my sweat ran clear and odourless, as it should.
I then purchased a natural deodorant with minerals that inhibit bacterial growth and I’ve been happy ever since. I do not use natural deodorants that clog the pores, and you shouldn’t either. Search out sprays with water bases. Use essential oils if need be, but remember to research which oils are healthy for you lymph and breast. The tissues in this region are sensitive and what goes on your skin here matters.
So how can you begin an armpit cleanse and find the natural deodorant that’s right for you? Easy!