We all want to feel confident about ourselves while taking care of our health. One area of our lives that comes with many outside expectations is our hygiene. We use many products to stay clean and healthy. Some of these products include toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoos, conditioners, soaps, and deodorants. Sadly, we sometimes find that in our quest to smell pleasant, we reach for products that cause unintended environmental harm. If we are among the many people looking to switch to sustainable products that are 100% eco-friendly and have little to no impact on the environment, we will love plastic-free natural deodorants.
How Are Traditional Deodorants Harmful?
We may be surprised to learn that traditional deodorants can harm our health. In addition, 15 million pounds of plastic waste are created by the deodorant industry annually. Traditional deodorants contribute the same amount of air pollution as motor vehicles. Deodorants can also emit volatile organic compounds that lead to fog, enter the water supply, and kill aquatic species.
Due to this, choosing environmentally friendly deodorants over standard ones is essential. We should learn about deodorant firms and identify sustainable ones like Seek Bamboo. This means looking for zero-waste deodorants, which are better for the environment in the long-term. Finally, we should explore all our eco-friendly deodorant options and select a suitable deodorant for the environment and us.
What Is Plastic-Free Deodorant?
Plastic-free deodorants contain no plastic or earth damaging materials in their composition or packaging. Plastic-free vegan deodorants are cruelty-free, recyclable, and eco-friendly, and they can be transformed into useful products once used. Being plastic-free is so critical since plastic takes generations to break down, and in many cases, it never completely disappears. Instead, it is found as microplastics that end up in our waterways, harming wildlife, and ourselves in the long term.
Contrary to popular belief, plastic-free deodorant does not just refer to a plastic-free container or packaging; it also refers to being made of plastic-free materials. We can find all-natural deodorants created from locally sourced ingredients, handcrafted with love, packaged with recyclable materials. We get the best plastic-free deodorants delivered to our door. This makes switching to a plastic-free deodorant easy. In addition, being plastic-free does not mean we cannot access the scents we love. Vegan deodorants are infused with essential oils, and come in rose, coconut, and Pacific Breeze scents.
Why Should We Switch To Plastic-Free Deodorants?
Deodorants are essential grooming items that mask body odors. They are especially beneficial for people who sweat excessively or live in hot climates. These cosmetic products meant to battle body odor and/or restrict sweating must have ingredients that offer drying and antibacterial properties. Propyl glycol, hexamethylenetetramine, sodium stearate, and sodium chloride are some examples of these compounds. These deodorant chemicals harm the environment and can have an adverse impact on our health.
Furthermore, these items come in flashy packaging intended to capture potential customers' attention. These appealing packages are typically plastic that takes generations to break down. We might wonder if we can switch to plastic-free deodorants without giving up our favorite scents. It turns out that yes, we can still smell wonderful while using environmentally friendly deodorants such as switching to Seek Bamboo's plastic-free deodorant.
How Can We Find Plastic-Free Deodorants That Work?
The most effective way to find plastic-free deodorants is to go to a site known for being environmentally friendly. Seek Bamboo’s plastic-free deodorant is a wonderful way to reduce plastic waste. There are many reasons we might reach for natural deodorants. For example, if we have used conventional antiperspirants and deodorants in the past and found we had irritation or sensitivity because of an allergy. However, we need to remember that aluminum-free natural deodorants do not prevent perspiration; they just disguise its odor. In the process of sweating, our bodies regulate our body temperature and expel toxins from our bodies. Switching to a plastic-free deodorant is an excellent way to further our journey towards a zero-waste or plastic-free lifestyle.
How to Successfully Switch to Natural Deodorant
There is a lot of misinformation out there that suggests natural deodorant does not work. If we do a quick search, we will see that many people reported that the all-natural deodorant made them have a stronger smell than usual, but this is due to bacterial changes in their underarms as their body chemistry clears itself of all the toxins they were previously exposed to. In most cases, natural deodorant is not given the chance to work.
When we use an eco-friendly deodorant, we will also notice that we often sweat more than normal at first, but this is the body's way of cleaning out pollutants. To help with detoxification, during these first few days, we can use an antibacterial soap. We can also have a travel-sized deodorant on hand, and dress in breathable fabrics to wick away perspiration. After a few days, we will find we are back to our sweet-smelling selves while simultaneously knowing we are healthier inside and out.
Top Tips for Using Natural Deodorant
We should always apply plastic-free deodorant to our clean armpits. If we detect any odors throughout the day, we should wash our armpits with soap and water or wipe them down with apple cider vinegar. We should then apply our natural deodorant.
We should wear natural fabrics that will allow our skin to breathe and make sure to avoid synthetic fabrics when switching to natural deodorant. Natural fibers like cotton, wool, bamboo, and hemp allow our skin to breathe. Some of them such as merino wool and bamboo are better at wicking away moisture than synthetic materials. Natural fibers also hold in less odor and wash out better, whereas polyester and nylon can start to stink after a while.
When we switch to plastic-free deodorant we should be prepared to apply them more than once a day. With most natural deodorants, it isn't enough to simply apply them once in the morning and forget about them. We need to Keep in mind that with the lack of aluminum, we'll see an initial increase in sweating. So, when we do break a sweat during our walk or on our bus ride, we should be unafraid to wash and reapply our deodorant. If we find we are especially embarrassingly sweaty, we should look for eco-friendly deodorant formulas that contain moisture-absorbing cornstarch or arrowroot powder.
We should not stress about dampness. While it's good to wash the bacteria from our armpits a few times a day, we should not wash them non-stop. Too much cleaning can lead to skin irritation and dryness, which isn't what we need during this transitional stage. We should be prepared to experience some dampness throughout the day. It's normal. If our natural deodorant is working, our sweat shouldn't smell.
In case we need another reason to drink more water, staying hydrated can "water down" our sweat, therefore making it have less of an odor. Certain foods can also make our sweat smell more pungent, which is difficult for the natural deodorant to mask.
These include vegetables in the Brassica family, like cauliflower, broccoli, and cabbage, because they contain sulfur. Red meat, alcohol, seafood, asparagus, and strong spices like curry, fenugreek, garlic, and cumin are also on the list of foods we might want to avoid at first.
We must be patient. Dermatologists say it takes up to eight weeks for our skin to get used to a new product, including deodorant. If our armpit pores have been blocked for decades, there's bound to be buildup that needs flushing out before our sweat glands can start behaving normally again. Most estimates say our bodies get rid of odor-causing bacteria after about four or five weeks. We should go ahead and seek out sweaty activities to get our sweat flowing. We should give our bodies time to transition and not expect instant improvements. Many find they sweat less in the long run using natural deodorant than they did while using traditional chemical deodorants.
Finally, it's important to buy a good product. Not all natural deodorants are created equally. Some contain common skin irritants like baking soda and essential oils like lemongrass, lavender, peppermint, and tea tree. Sensitive skin or not, we should start with a safe and unscented formula (and try a small amount on our arm first to make sure we aren't allergic). A good natural deodorant for sensitive skin might include arrowroot powder or cornstarch instead of baking soda for absorption. Aloe vera and coconut oil are great for keeping our armpits smooth, and both contain antibacterial properties.
How to Use Eco-Friendly Deodorant In A Paper Tube?
We will find that using a paper tube of eco-friendly deodorant is as easy as using any traditional deodorant. We will simply have to remove the top of the deodorant and gently press the bottom of the tube up. This movement causes the deodorant stick to rise slightly, allowing us to apply what we need to our clean underarms. We can reapply as needed, and we should always make sure our underarms are clean, dry, and free of any injuries that might react with the deodorant. If we have trouble applying deodorant effectively we can use the heat of our underarms to melt the deodorant a little and make it easier to spread.
Top Tips: Paper Tube Deodorant
- If the deodorant is a bit hard due to the cold, we can simply hold the deodorant stick (or deodorant bar) against our underarm it for a bit; the heat of our body will soften up our eco-deodorant and make it easy to apply.
- We can also simply soften the tip of our zero-waste deodorant by rubbing it with our fingers for a few seconds.
- The best way for us to apply deodorant is by swiping our deodorant stick downwards, which can also avoid extra friction that can result in unwanted rashes.
- We should not apply too much natural deodorant. One or two swipes are usually enough; too much product may clog our skin pores.
- If we just have a bit of deodorant stick left and cannot push it out of the tube anymore, or at least not enough to swipe it under our arms, simply use it as a deodorant bar and use the cardboard tube stick as a storage container.
How to Use Deodorant Cream
When we hear about deodorant creams, one of our first questions might be, "What is a deodorant cream anyway? Deodorant cream is a soft, cream-based deodorant that comes in a tiny tub or container. Deodorant cream may be applied to our underarms using our fingers to avoid perspiration. This cream may also be applied to the wrists and elbows to keep them smelling fresh all day. We may not be as familiar with deodorant creams, but it turns out they are very easy and simple to use. All we must do is open the container and thoroughly stir with a spatula. We then apply a tiny bit of deodorant cream to the entire underarm region with our finger. Finally, we massage gently and let the cream soak entirely before proceeding.
Top Tips for Using a Deodorant Cream
- We should apply the deodorant cream after taking a shower or bath.
- We should completely dry our armpits and then apply the deodorant cream to make it more effective.
- We should start with a small amount of deodorant cream and then build up if required. We might end up feeling sticky on our underarms if we have used too much of the product.
- We should never apply deodorant cream immediately after shaving our armpits.
- We should not use deodorant cream on dry, cracked armpits.
- If we tend to sweat a lot, then we can reapply the deodorant cream throughout the day. We should make sure we clean our armpits with a tissue and then use deodorant cream over them.
- Deodorant creams can also be used behind our knees, inner thighs, or any other areas where we sweat a lot to stay fragrant all day.
