Almost everyone uses deodorants and antiperspirants. But rarely do we know what these products contain and how to make them work for us. Here’s a guide to the chemicals found in deodorants and antiperspirants, how they work, and how they affect our skin.
Sweating is a natural body process in which the body maintains normal temperature and health by removing toxins and maintaining salt level balance. Through our skin, we sweat about a pint or two on average. During exercise, we tend to sweat more while during an adrenaline rush like worry or fear, we tend to sweat as well. Sweat is almost odorless when fresh, however, as it tends to stay on the skin longer, it develops a peculiar sweaty odor that can be quite unpleasant. This is due to bacterial growth in warm areas such as armpits, groins and the like.
Difference Between Deodorants and Antiperspirants
Deodorants and antiperspirants are two different products to combat perspiration. Although many people confuse between the two, both products work differently.
Deodorants stop the growth of bacteria in sweat and neutralize it, making you smell good. Antiperspirants, on the other hand, stop the process of perspiration or sweating.
While naturally smelling herbs and plants were used in ancient times as body perfumes, deodorants today use harsh chemicals to mask bad odor. The stronger the scent, the stronger the chemical formulation of the deodorant.
Antiperspirants are based on the notion that if there is no sweat, there will be no smell. Generally made from ingredients such as aluminum chloride, aluminum zirconium trichlorohydrate, and aluminum chloralhydrate, antiperspirants tend to block sweat ducts temporarily with these aluminum salts.
Natural alternative to chemical deodorants
A natural mineral like potassium alum is one of the best natural and organic deodorants you can use. Although it does contain some aluminum, its molecules are too large to penetrate the skin’s pores and therefore the ingredient remains on the skin’s surface. However, it does not block the skin pores or cause skin irritation like other aluminum salts mentioned above. Therefore, it is considered safe for personal use.
Although the ingredient is not a powerful antibacterial, potassium alum acts as a coagulant, thereby binding other protein nutrients and reducing the ability of bacteria to grow.
Another natural ingredient that can be used as a deodorant is zinc ricinolate. Extracted from castor oil seeds, this ingredient does not block skin pores or inhibit skin perspiration. However, it removes the odor produced by bacterial growth by breaking them down so the odor is not released into the atmosphere.