After my daughter was born, life, as I had previously known it, was over. Not in a bad way, but all the things that I assumed I knew about my body changed significantly. Many changes I was prepared for: sleepless nights, hair falling out, stretch marks and muscle tone changes in my belly, breast changes and so on. After all, I am the nerdy type who does a ton of research about any new situation I encounter. But even after all the preparation, I was blindsided by a horrendous change in my body odor. And I’m not talking a mild smell – this was bad, farm animal bad! Naturally, my response was “Good God, I need a better deodorant!” so I reached for the clinical strength variety.
And all was well, or was it … Fast forward 2 years, I have a new outlook on things. I was coming out of damage control mode and starting to regain time to think about myself and my health. I started reading lots of articles about the dangers of conventional deodorants, the chemicals in them and how they can impact our health. I became more interested in exploring a “natural alternative” to manage the ripe smell lurking under the mask of my maximum strength deodorant. I started trying some natural products from the grocery store. But I ran into some other issues – natural deodorants are expensive and I was only getting four good hours smell free. I didn’t want to believe that I had to carry deodorant with me everywhere to keep my smell under control. I tried different brands of stick, paste, rock
I know “detox” is a wellness buzzword, and we are all sick of hearing about it, but this is something you can easily do and it’s incredibly effective.
I did some experiments on myself to see what armpit detox worked best, and here is what I found:
- After doing the armpit detox once daily for 4-5 days, I noticed minimal to no smell. it’s lasted about 2 months totally smell free (some days I didn’t even apply deodorant, even in the summer )
- I can now easily go 24 hours on natural deodorant
- I did not get a rash or any adverse reaction that is often seen with transition to natural deodorants
- I tried other alternatives and saw no change in odor
- My husband even tried it (with some coaxing) and he saw amazing results. He was also able to switch to a natural deodorant without any trouble.
- I noticed some sweat, however much less and nothing unmanageable or embarrassing.
Let talk for a second about why this “detox” works.
First, it’s good to understand why your armpit smells in the first place. We have glands in our bodies called apocrine glands. These specialized glands produce a high protein sweat in the armpit that bacteria can easily break down causing the odor. For postpartum women, hormone fluctuations and excessive sweating add to the problem, leading to more bacteria and more odor. Apocrine glands are also linked to emotional sweating – more sweating during times of increased stress, pain or anxiety – and what postpartum mom isn’t stressed? Oh, the fun things about being a woman keep getting better and better!
Big surprise – there is not a ton of research articles about smelly armpits or detoxing them. However, I was able to find some really valuable resources. I found some small studies and formal literature reviews to explain a little bit more about why and how this approach works.
From all the health/ fitness gurus out there we have been hearing rumblings of the “gut microbiome”, or the microorganisms that live with us helping our bodies function properly. Here’s the big news, these microbiomes don’t just exist in our gut, they are all over your body. There is a unique biome in your armpits and these little stinkers are contributing to your body odor. A study looking at the armpit microbiome of people using deodorant found that when you use conventional antiperspirant deodorant, the typical bacteria found in your armpit shifts. This opens up prime real estate for super smelly microbes to come and set up shop. This study is telling us is that conventional deodorant is setting us up to need it more and more.
A cluster of Escherichia coli bacteria magnified 10,000x
Truth is that natural ingredients like bentonite clay and apple cider vinegar have powerful antibacterial properties. This combo can provide a way to banish the stinky microbes and start over so the natural balance of critters can be restored. There is also some talk about bentonite clay supporting healthy detoxification by absorbing heavy metals found in most conventional
What you need for your Armpit Detox:
- 1 tablespoon bentonite clay*
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons of water (to get right consistency)
- 1 drop of lemon essential oil** ( optional, but I love it )
How to do it:
- Mix all the clay, vinegar and oil in a glass bowl, it should result in a paste. Add water slowly to thin it out till you have something that can easily spread and stick but isn’t runny. Metal should be avoided as possible when working with the paste.
Spread in an even layer over the armpits. Let it dry for 5-20 minutes. Start slowly and work up to a longer period of time. If it hurts at all, remove immediately.- Wash off with a warm, wet washcloth.
- Repeat daily or as needed until odor goes away and natural deodorant is non-irritating.
Redness from an increase in blood-flow may occur, but it will resolve quickly. If irritation or pain occurs at all discontinue detox
So, I invite you to be adventurous. Slap some mud on those ripe pits, rid yourself of those stinky microbes, and walk easily into the world of natural deodorants.
*FDA bentonite warning with specific brands
**Lemon Essential Oil is photosensitive, meaning they react to radiant energy or light such as natural sunlight, sunlamps, or other sources of UV rays.
Resources: