The headline may seem like click-bait but I promise that I’m not trying to sell you anything with this post (but feel free to browse the online store when you are finished reading 😉). I just don’t want you to miss this opportunity before all restrictions are lifted and people stop wearing masks.
What is this great opportunity?
Switching from antiperspirant to natural deodorant!
A few years ago, I had a relative diagnosed with breast cancer. As you may know the risks for breast cancer are both genetic and environmental. While I can not change my genetics, I decided to change the environmental risk factors. Among other lifestyle changes, I decided to change from an aluminum-based antiperspirant to a natural deodorant.
I encourage you to do your own research on the subject. Aluminum’s role in antiperspirant is to block the sweat glands and prevent sweat from reaching the skin. Blocking the body’s ability to eliminate toxins and the absorption of aluminum have been proposed as possible components to an increased breast cancer risk. This is controversial and as I mentioned before, do your own research.
If you decide as I did, to switch to a natural deodorant, the adjustment period is not a pleasant one. Your body will have gotten accustomed to the repeated application of a sweat-blocking chemical. Removing this and adjusting to the normal process of underarm sweating can be…….. just plain gross.
Here are some tips that I learned:
- Avoid this change in the winter.
- I thought that during the colder months, I would not sweat nearly as much and that this transition would be easier. I was wrong.
- You tend to wear warmer clothes during the winter months. This can trap the sweat that your body will now be profusely secreting. The results are unpleasant.
- Family and friend gatherings occur around the holidays where people are crammed into tight spaces. You will be self-conscious enough during this time without having to try to avoid loved ones in a confined space.
- The change from cold temperatures outside to the warm temperatures inside will wreak havoc on your body’s ability to regain a normal sweating function.
- Basically, just don’t do it. I did and failed.
- Accept the fact that you will sweat profusely.
- After years of dry pits, this sensation was unpleasant to say the least. Add to the fact that your body is adjusting to its new regimen and it sometimes feels like you have turned on a faucet.
- Take more showers
- You will smell and feel better.
- Pack an extra deodorant
- It can be a good refresher during the day. I did this prior to using natural deodorant so it wasn’t a change for me. Simply make sure that your new natural deodorant is good for travel as some can melt easily and/or simply do not travel well.
- Stay down wind
- If you find yourself with an odor, take a lesson from our animal friends and stay downwind. It works for them, why not us?
- Wear tank tops
- This will help to prevent sweat spots and you can flap your arms like a chicken to air yourself out. People are less likely to think about your smell if they are concerned for your sanity.
- Exercise
- People tend to be more understanding of a smelly person if they think it is because you have just completed a difficult workout. I don’t know if it is jealousy of your improving bod or their own guilt for not exercising. Either way, it is a win-win!
- Eat better
- I’m not sure that there is any scientific data to support this claim, but I have noticed that I smell better when I eat better. It may be the placebo effect or it may be that my body reacts better to healthy foods. Again, it is an overall good thing to try.
- It will get better
- While the adjustment can feel brutal, your body does adapt to this new regimen. Personally, I found that it was worth it.
Why should you do this now?
- People are intentionally staying 6 feet away from you to avoid a virus. You have to smell really bad for someone to notice it from that distance.
- People are still wearing masks. While those face-coverings won’t block everything, it can slow down the transmission of rank body odor.
- The weather is warming up. Throw on a tank-top and go for a walk in the sunshine.
- People have been staying in their homes watching TikTok videos for an entire year. A person doing the chicken dance to air out their arm-pits may seem normal to them now.
It appears that the world may be opening up again. Don’t miss this golden opportunity!
I hope that you have found this discussion (not health advice, because I cannot legally give you health advice!) very informative and light-hearted. Good luck with your next smelly adventure!