We’ve all heard about a detox for the body, a skin detox or a detox from the excessive alcohol consumption after Christmas and New Years Eve, but have you ever heard of an armpit detox? 

You read that right, there is in fact such a thing as detoxing your armpits and it might just be the exact thing you need in order to get a natural deodorant to work. 
I have been on my low tox journey for at least 5 years now and one of the hardest products I found to ditch was deodorant. That is purely because none of the natural deodorants “worked properly”. One night while I was down the rabbit hole of toxin free living I came across something called armpit detoxing. From that moment on wards my armpits changed for the better. I had tried a number of different natural deodorants but little did I know that the damage from using chemical filled deodorants all my life had actually impacted my body, by blocking my pores and therefore was stopping me from having lovely smelling pits while using natural deodorants. 

The skin is the largest organ of the body and absorbs every single thing that is put on it. So when you look at a deodorant from the local chemist, more often then not you will see ingredients like this:
Aluminuim Chlorohydrate: For a start why in the world would you want to put Aluminium on your skin? Secondly an incredible app called Chemicalmaze states that this is not assessed for safety in cosmetics by the CIR. In case you were unsure what CIR stands for that is the “Cosmetic Ingredient Review”. They assess individual ingredients in cosmetics to make sure that they are safe. So as far as this ingredient goes there is actually very little showing that it is in fact safe for use in cosmetics. 
Parabens: Parabens is the umbrella term used for a number of different preservatives generally derived from petroleum. Not only are they bad for your skin and body but they’re toxic to animals and the environment.
Propylene Glycol: Yet another chemical derived from petroleum and suspected of causing respiratory and immune issues as well as neurotoxicity. 
Fragrance: This word could literally mean anything. If the company making the product is not willing to disclose how they have made their product smell the way it does… I’d avoid the product full stop. A great documentary on the word fragrance in particular is called Stink! A well and truly great documentary for anyone on their low tox journey.  
This ingredients list is just the tip of the iceberg and enough of a red flag for me to totally avoid these types of products altogether. 

First let’s talk a little bit about sweating and what it is. When you sweat your body is working hard at detoxing your body. 

The way that your average anti-perspirant deodorant works is by teeny tiny aluminium particles absorbing into your pores. This then blocks the sweat glands from actually allowing your body to sweat, and therefore it loses its ability to detox properly. in the long run this usually creates more of a stink which is why most people feel like natural deodorants “don’t work”. It also means that you are putting totally unnecessary chemicals straight onto your body. 

So how do you do this wonderful armpit detox you ask… It’s so simple. All you need is these three ingredients:
1 Tablespoon of Bentonite Clay
1 Teaspoon of Apple Cider vinegar (pure, unfiltered and with the mother is best for this) or Organic Kombucha Vinegar
A small amount of filtered water (roughly 1-3 teaspoons of water). The reason I say filtered water is because most if not all tap water is now treated with chemicals… And that’s the last thing you need on your skin when you’re trying to detox it from chemicals in the first place. If you don’t have a filter, pure bottled water will be fine. 

You first mix the bentonite clay and apple cider/kombucha vinegar together. Then slowly add just enough water to make a paste. You want to be able to spread it over your pits nicely (kind of like peanut butter on toast).
Now that the hard part is done you just apply it to your underarms and let it sit for 5 minutes to start off with, then slowly build up to 20 minutes. The best way to do this is to lay down with your arms up above your head. 
Once your 5-20 minutes is up wash away with a face washer or jump in the shower. If your armpits go red, do not worry. This is usually normal and does not mean that you are reacting to the clay. However, if you experience any pain, rashes or other reactions, wash off immediately. 
You can do this as little or as often as you please. A good guide is to sniff your underarms each day, if it smells then I’d go a few more days with the detox, until you notice no smells and natural deodorant is non-irritating. 

This is how simple it is to take a huge step in ditching such a toxic product. I can guarantee your body and your pits will thank you for it! 

We have a number of products on our store to help you start off your armpit detoxing journey, along with other ingredients for you to make your own products free from harmful chemicals. Try our Armpit Detox Kit – Organic Bentonite Clay & Organic Kombucha Vinegar