How to Detox Your ArmPits – Say What!

Why Armpit Detox?

Why detox your armpits at all? Why not just keep using regular deodorant and avoid the whole problem? Glad you asked…

Conventional deodorants and anti-perspirants contain a variety of chemicals and additives. It takes something un-natural to block the body’s natural ability to sweat, and the chemical list in some deodorants is impressive:

• Aluminum– some evidence links aluminum to cancer and Alzheimer’s Disease
• Phthalates– Endocrine disruptors often also found in plastic that can cause hormone imbalance and even infertility (especially in med)
• Propylene glycol– common name: antifreeze. It is a hotly debated additive in personal care products but the Environmental Working Group reports that it carries a moderate risk of immunotoxicity and allergies.
• Formaldehyde-  a known carcinigen… guess it kills the germs though.
• Parabens- Another hormone disruptor and parabens have been found in biopsied tissue with breast cancer
• Antibacterial Substances- I talked about these before but they are endocrine disruptors and can negatively affect the immune system

Why is this a big deal? Ever gotten sick and had a lump in your neck or armpit? That is a lymph node and they are a major part of your immune system. Putting endocrine disruption chemicals directly on top of them is a great way to screw up your hormones and suppress immune function.

The skin is the body’s largest organ and what touches our skin can easily enter our bloodstream. With skyrocketing rates of breast cancer, it would seem prudent to avoid these chemicals until further research is done.

A great advantage to doing an armpit detox, besides that it helps speed up the natural deodorant adjustment period, is that it might help pull some of these chemicals out of the skin and tissue of the armpits. This can be especially helpful after years of conventional deodorant use.

Detox Your Armpits

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A natural way to detox the armpits to remove odor, speed up the adjustment to natural deodorant and help remove chemical build-up in armpit skin and tissue.

Recipe type: Remedy

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon bentonite clay
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1-2 teaspoons of water (to get right consistency)

Instructions

1. Mix all of the ingredients in a glass bowl (do not use metal!) with a wooden or non-metal spoon until about the consistency of sour cream.
2. Spread in an even layer over the armpits and allow to sit for 5-20 minutes. I suggest starting slowly and working up to a longer period of time once you see how your body adjust. If it hurts at all, remove immediately.
3. This may cause some redness as it will increase blood-flow to the area, but it will go away quickly.
4. Wash off in the shower or with a warm, wet washcloth.
5. Repeat daily or as needed until under-arm odor goes away and natural deodorant is non-irritating.

Notes