Skin Toxins – Deodorant, Soap

Avoid the Skin Toxins in Deodorant and Soap

Have you ever looked at the ingredients of the products you use on your skin? Your skin is your largest organ. You need to protect it! In this article, I’m going to look at the problems of toxic chemicals contained in many deodorant, antiperspirant and soap products.

Antiperspirant or Deodorant

What’s the difference between deodorant and antiperspirant?

• Deodorant simply ‘masks’ the smell of sweat
• Antiperspirant blocks the sweat glands to stop you sweating.

I don’t think blocking the glands is good.

What do you want to avoid? 

• Propylene glycol is a penetration enhancer commonly used in deodorants and antiperspirants.  Yes, you read that right – it allows chemicals to be absorbed more easily into your skin. Personally, I’d prefer to keep the chemicals outside, not absorbed through the skin.
• It can be pretty hard to find antiperspirant without aluminium in it, not to mention an ingredients list that’s quite impossible to pronounce.
• Many deodorants contain phthalates which are plastics.  They are designed to help the fragrance stay on the skin.  (Yes, plastics are everywhere!).
• And most deodorants and antiperspirants contain parabens as preservatives.
• Just because it says it’s “natural” doesn’t mean it’s safe.  Many deodorants which use crystal say they’re “natural” but you need to check what else is included with the crystal.

Ingredients which are good for deodorants are tea tree, clay, coriander, lichen and chamomile.

Packaging:  Personally, I prefer a stick to a spray.  I can control how much I put on, whereas a spray wastes product into the air and I might breathe the product.  And I think there’s normally quite a bit of product that gets left in the can, while a stick is pretty much all used at the end.  Being smaller, they tend to use less resources to make too.

I like Purely Great Cream Deodorant because it’s aluminium free, has no phthalates, triclosan or parabens, no petroleum products and is not tested on animals nor does it use any animal products. It’s EWG Verified so it’s really safe to use on your precious skin. And it won’t stain your clothes.

Reducing Works Too!

What I’ve found works for me is to Reduce the amount I use.  There are some days where I know I’m going to be indoors all day.  Or perhaps I’m going to various air-conditioned places.  So I know I won’t get hot.  On those days, I don’t apply any.

Now, I must tell you that it took a little while to get accustomed to this.  When I started, I only went without deodorant on days when I knew I wasn’t going anywhere.  But soon, my body adapted, and now I find that I don’t need deodorant every day.

Of course, good personal hygiene is important – just try to find products without all the chemical nasties.

Avoid the Skin Toxins in Hand Soap

To avoid skin toxins, use the gentlest you can find.

The main offender in soap is Sodium Laurel Sulphate (SLS) or variations of it – it’s used to make the lather we’ve been conditioned to believe we need.

Be aware – some manufacturers call products “eco” if they add a drop of essential oil.

“Ylang ylang and papaya soap” for example sounds gorgeous and eco friendly – but it could easily still contain toxins.  So don’t be fooled by all-too-clever manufacturers / marketers.

Again, try to avoid phthalates and parabens in soap products.

I like Sally B’s Skin Yummies Foaming Hand Soap.  It’s phthalate and paraben-free, has no SLS, and no artificial fragrance. It uses organic, plant-based ingredients and it’s vegan and cruelty-free. Best of all, it’s EWG Verified, so you know it’s truly safe. Sadly, the bottle is plastic, but it is recyclable.

Don’t be Greenwashed!

Unfortunately, yes, making your own soap, or reading the Ingredients list, or working on reliable recommendations is still the best way to avoid “greenwashing”.