A couple years ago, spin brushes were a sensation on YouTube and beauty bloggers were reviewing all kinds of expensive ones. Eventually, I found a good spinbrush at an affordable price from Ulta Beauty. The Dual Action Cleansing Brush was the tool that lead me to really think twice about using antiperspirant deodorant. How? Just keep on reading.
The Dual Action Cleansing Brush comes with one brush head and one foam pad for moisturizing. There was a promotion going on when I purchased this spinbrush, so I grabbed a set of two extra brush heads to use them on my face, neck, back, and eventually my underarms. Just after a few uses, I saw the benefits of exfoliating my skin. My skin was softer, less dry, and looked more alive.
To make a long story short, one day I decided to use my spinbrush to exfoliate my back, as I was dealing with a few breakouts. In the process of doing so my underarm got itchy and I scratched the itch away. Now, I had showered the day before and did not wear deodorant to bed, nor had I applied any yet. Immediately after scratching my underarm, I noticed a thin layer of gunk under my fingernails. I was thrown off because as I mentioned I had showered the day before. I certainly cleaned my underarms to the best of my ability while I was in there, and I didn't wear deodorant to bed. So, what was this waxy, gray, rubbery, gunk that was underneath my nails? You guessed it, deodorant. After I made that discovery, I put my spinbrush to work in my underarm regions and let me tell you, I had no idea how much buildup I had sitting in my underarms from previous applications of deodorant. The crazy thing was that my skin appeared to be smooth on the surface and the buildup wasn't evident at all. I guess this explains why you can see deodorant stuck in-between your razor blade when you shave your underarms, although you scrubbed the area clean prior to shaving.
This made me think back to some of my high school days when I would go to bed late and tell myself I'd shower in the morning. Consequently, I'd wake up late for school, couldn't shower because I had to catch the bus, and in the process of getting ready in a rush I'd forget to wear deodorant. I was bummed the first time this happened to me, and I was scared that my underarms were going to smell funny throughout the day. I asked my friends if they had any deodorant to lend me, but they didn't have any on hand. So, I was forced to face the day deodorant free. However, through that experience I realized something and that was that the layer of deodorant I applied the day before still had some lasting power and it got me through the day without smelling crazy. That really got me thinking, if my deodorant isn't wearing off after a single use, is still on my skin even after I shower, and is only effectively removed through either shaving or abrasively cleaning my underarms, are my underarms even breathing? In my opinion, deodorant should wear off. Our bodies are meant to sweat and yes it's necessary to prevent our underarms from smelling, but deodorant should not be so difficult to remove either. I'm convinced that the only time my underarms were deodorant free while using antiperspirant deodorant was when I either shaved my underarms or exfoliated them. Other than that the day-to-day layers of deodorant were still on my skin, though I'd shower and scrub the area clean because I knew in my experience that gentle cleansing wasn't enough.
Antiperspirant deodorants contain aluminum, a chemical that is used to plug your pores in order to prevent you from sweating. Aluminum has been linked to very serious health issues, but because there isn't enough scientific evidence to support the claims they are considered "harmless". At the end of the day everything we apply onto our skin is absorbed into the body and makes its way into the bloodstream. Not every product I use is natural or chemical free but my main issue with antiperspirant deodorant is the fact that it builds up and plugs my pores with the use of chemicals. I for one hate buildup, and I certainly don't want chemicals sitting on my skin for long periods of time especially in an area that has lymph nodes.
For quite some time, I searched and searched for natural deodorants. I tried the TOM'S brand but it didn't work for me. As a result, I reverted back to the use of antiperspirant deodorant sprays and gels versus stick deodorant to reduce that residual buildup. As time passed, I still felt uncomfortable using antiperspirant deodorant because I knew my pores were being congested with the use of chemicals. So after a couple of years, I started looking for options once again. I just wanted to find something natural that worked and be done with it. In my search, I learned that most of the options were pricey and there was no way I was going to spend money on a pricey product, considering the last natural deodorant I had tried didn't cut it. However, I'm happy to say that I found two natural deodorants that work for me, are affordable, and can be found at your local drugstore (most natural deodorants can be found online only). I've dedicated an entire blog post regarding these two deodorants. If you are interested you can read my review on them here: Affordable natural deodorants that work.
Love,
Des.
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