The honest self-care

Since 1888, a deodorant has been an absolutely necessary item. And you have hundreds of options.

So what criteria do you use to decide on a deodorant?

1. Deodorant and Antiperspirant
2. Why Aluminium in antiperspirants is not bad.
3. Other incredients.
4. Packaging makes a huge difference.

1.Deodorant and Antiperspirant

First, there is a difference between deodorant and antiperspirants.

Deodorants reduce sweat odor by using fragrances and antibacterial substances. In fact, you only smell when bacteria decompose your sweat. So deodorants are a cover up.

Antiperspirants make you stop sweating. This keeps you dry under your arms. And because there is no sweat that can be metabolized by bacteria, there is no smell either.

	Deodorant	Antiperspirant
stops sweating	NO	YES
contains fragrances	YES	YES
contains Aluminium	NO	Not necessarily

2.Why aluminium in antiperspirant is not bad.

Actually I do not understand why this is such a big thing.

To keep food warm, people wrap it in aluminium foil. Tey even cook with it. And every time they do this, a little bit of aluminium is detached and eaten.

Be honest- do you care?

In fact, aluminium foil is not suitable for handling warm food. It even says so on the packaging. But everybody does.

Now when it comes to skincare, everybody seems to think that aluminium is unhealthy- altough it is not. Because your body will not absorb it. Maybe a tiny tiny little bit- but nothing compared to your aluminium wrapped herb baguette.

The great benefit of aluminium salts in atiperspirants is, that it blocks sweat pores so that sweating is stopped.

But there are alternatives that work just as well. So if you still feel unwell using products containing aluminium, then you have a lot of choice.

3.Other incredients

If you have very sensible skin, you should avoid products with alcohol. If you tend to have dry skin, look for a deodorant that contains nourishing oils.

Stay vegan

Most deodorants and antiperspirants are not vegan. Fats, beeswax and stearin acids are of animal origin.

Even if you don’t eat vegan, it makes sense to avoid these ingredients in this case. You don’t need it, it doesn’t add value.

4.Packaging makes a huge difference

In fact, the packaging makes a huge difference. The main forms are either a spray-can or a roll-on bottle.

From my perspective spray-can dodorants are a huge No-Go and here you see why.

The spray-can is very popular among young girls- I know that as my classcrooms smell is a micture of a strong vanilla, strawberry and teenage bodies.

And here you see the main problem. Most of the contents of the spray ends up in the air. That’s why it gets empty very quickly.

A 150 ml spray can lasts for about 2 months. By comparison, a roll-on lasts for about 6 months, and there are only about 50 ml in it. You see, you are wasting a lot of money here.

If we assume that we pay the same for both in the shop, the spray-can ends up being 3 times as expensive because we need 3 times as much of it.

	Roll-on	Spray-can
Content	50 ml	150 ml
Sufficiency	6 months	2 months
Price	x	3x
Contains natural gas	NO	YES

To be able to spray the deodorant out of the can, you need a propellant. For this, fossil natural gas (propane, butane) is used. So you see, it’s a great way to waste resources.

Remember that a huge amount of substance is sprayed into the air? That means you are breathing in product particles. An excellent way to damage your lungs.

Also you are producing a huge amount of waste during your life.

Let me do the math for you:

Assuming you need 3 cans per 6 months, this makses 6 cans a year.

Assuming you start using deodorant with 15 and stopp when you are 80, you consume 390 spray- cans within your lifetime .

Indeed it is true, they can be recycled. But this costs energy.

This is why you should definetely use other packaging like glass roll-ons. Here are the benefits.

• Good value
• Little packaging waste
• Particles will not be inhaled

You can also use deodorant sticks whose packaging is made of paper and is very environmentally friendly.

But it is small business brands that are specialized in these products, so you will have to pay a lot of money for this.