How and Why to Detox Your Armpits
Our armpits can get really clogged up, causing odor and extra sweat, especially when switching from toxic deodorant with aluminum to natural deodorant. So, what's a girl (or boy) to do? Why, detox those pits, of course!
What the Heck Am I Talking About?
Well, conventional deodorant contains harmful ingredients like parabens and aluminum-compounds, which block the pores of the underarm from producing sweat (it's in all antiperspirants). The aluminum-compounds work by forming a temporary plug within the sweat duct that stops the flow of sweat to the skin's surface. However, it's not healthy for the underarms, which contain a lot of lymph nodes that are directly connected to the breast. These compounds can mimic estrogen in the system and estrogen can promote the growth of cancer cells.
I Wanna Be Safe and Natural, But I Don't Wanna Sweat and Stink!
I hear ya, neither do I! Most would probably consider me to be quite crunchy, but I don't wanna smell like B.O. or look like I like in a compound in the woods, either. So, if you're like me, you switched to natural deodorant (see my recipe here) and were all happy with yourself for being safer, but the sweat and stink got WORSE. Ick, ick, ick! I live in the South, where women have to put on makeup and do their hair to go the grocery store, so smelling like I'd been camping for a week was NOT okay. I was embarrassed and couldn't figure out why it wasn't working and the baking soda in the deodorant, which is one of the most important ingredients to get rid of the odor, was irritating the fire out of my skin. Thankfully, I discovered arm pit detoxing!
How to Detox Your Armpits
Detoxing your armpits is super easy, not painful and it WORKS. Once I started doing it on mine, the odor was gone, my skin was happy, and there were days I didn't even need deodorant!
Here's what you'll need:
- Bentonite Clay (where to buy)
- Apple Cider Vinegar (where to buy)
- 1-2 drops of Essential oils (optional, where to buy) I’d use Purification or Tea Tree oil for this
Make a paste out of the clay and ACV and apply to your underarms. Leave for 20 minutes, then either wipe or wash off in the shower. Do this once or twice a day for several days and try the natural deodorant again. Continue to do this until you feel like your skin is handling the baking soda well, and is no longer smelling or sweating too much. You will sweat some, but it shouldn’t be an embarrassing amount.
Dry Skin Brushing
To really kick up the detoxing, try doing some dry skin brushing on your armpits. Dry skin brushing is a gentle detox technique where you use a special dry skin brush (where to buy) to massage the lymph nodes and release toxins. The key is to always brush towards your heart, and do it very gentle so as not to irritate or scratch the skin.
Does Shaving Irritate Your Skin?
If you're like me and have very sensitive skin, then shaving everyday in the summertime is SO painful. Since I started detoxing my pits and using an epilator, which is a small machine that tweezes hair, I've had very few bumps and ingrown hairs.