The Safest Deodorant is Free and in Your Kitchen

May 24, 2010 2 min read

The Safest Deodorant is Free and in Your Kitchen

Save your breasts and use this homemade chemical-free deodorant!

As yet another friend of mine suffers from the ravages of breast cancer, I am on a mission to get people to stop using store-bought deodorants. Take a look at the ingredients in even the safest options sold in health food stores. Tea tree oil and lavender are common ingredients, yet they've been shown to exhibit hormonal activity. Other ingredients might be questionable as well. Our underarms absorb these ingredients and some end up in our blood stream and surrounding tissues. To make matters worse, many people shave under their arms, allowing more absorption. All I ask is that you try the simple homemade option I demonstrate in the video above. Save your breasts and use this homemade chemical-free deodorant!

The most common area to develop breast cancer is in the upper outer quadrant--or in layman’s terms, right next to the armpit. As such, alternative doctors have been arguing for years that there may be a connection between the use of deodorants and the development of breast cancer. It was long thought that the aluminum in antiperspirants might be the culprit (all antiperspirants contain aluminum). However, there is a chemical that is perhaps more deserving of suspicion. Almost all deodorants contain a preservative from the paraben chemical family. On the label it can be listed as methyl-, butyl- or propyl-paraben. It is a known fact that parabens exhibit estrogen-like hormonal activity. The chemical companies do not dispute this, but instead argue that it is such a small amount that it is unlikely to cause breast cancer. Let’s play it safe and not buy into this argument - especially as there is a perfect alternative with no possibility of being carcinogenic.

Baking Soda Deodorant – Pour a small amount of baking soda in a small bowl, wet the top of your index finger and dip it in the soda. You should end up with a little of the powder on the front side of your finger. Rub it under your arm. When done right, the powder will disappear quickly.

Tips: Wash under your arms first with a paraben-free soap. If you have an odor problem, swab under the arms with alcohol for 1-3 days. This will kill the bacteria that are causing the odor. On the days that you use the alcohol follow up with baking soda. After the odor is gone then continue with baking soda daily.

Is it safe to use paraben-free deodorants? There are many ingredients in deodorants, and because baking soda works as well or better, I recommend steering clear of retail brands.