The Best Non-Aluminium Deodorant for Pregnancy & Breastfeeding
When you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, every product you put either ON or IN your body automatically gets a ‘side-eye’. It is safe? Will it cross the placenta? Will it come out in breastmilk, or affect milk production? The lists are so long that entire blog sites completely are dedicated to helping you figure it out.
Deodorant is no exception, and the concerns associated with deodorant goes beyond pregnancy and breastfeeding and straight into women’s health.
What’s wrong with my deodorant?
Most women’s deodorants are also antiperspirants, to keep us from sweating. But we are supposed to sweat! Apparently seeing a woman sweat is not ok (that’s an entire post for another day.)
Antiperspirant is added in the form of Aluminium.
What’s so bad about Aluminium? A lot. Much research has been done on the connection between the use of Aluminium near breast tissue and breast cancer. And while there has not been enough conclusive research done to confirm it’s link 100%, there are multiple studies which draw a very strong connection. From National Institutes for Health (NIH):
“Clinical studies showing a disproportionately high incidence of breast cancer in the upper outer quadrant of the breast together with reports of genomic instability in outer quadrants of the breast provide supporting evidence for a role for locally applied cosmetic chemicals in the development of breast cancer. Aluminium is known to have a genotoxic profile, capable of causing both DNA alterations and epigenetic effects, and this would be consistent with a potential role in breast cancer if such effects occurred in breast cells” (1)
The amount of aluminum that passes through the bloodstream during pregnancy or breastfeeding has not been proven, but for me, the breast cancer link was more than enough evidence for never to wear antiperspirant again.
Meanwhile, trying to find a woman’s deodorant that doesn’t have an antiperspirant in it (but actually works!) is next to impossible. I tried multiple ‘natural’ deodorants for months and kept feeling stinky after a few short hours. The ones that did work were so expensive I felt like I was buying cream flecked with gold for my armpits.
So, I took a bunch of recipes, tweaked them, and made my own. (Cue eye-roll here, I know! Yes, I’m a crunchy mama.) Everyone says they have a great recipe for natural deodorant, but body chemistry varies so much from person to person that one type does not fit all. For my recipe, I tweaked it for several weeks and then gave it to friends to try (friends who would be honest with me).
They all came back to me with a resounding “dude, it works!!”
So I can’t wait to share it with you here. Tweak it as much as you need for your body’s chemistry. Then let me know how it works out for you! A shareable version of this recipe can be found at the bottom of this post.
The Best Natural Deodorant for Pregnancy and Breastfeeding
5 tbsp coconut oil 1 tbsp jojoba oil ** 3/4 cup arrowroot powder 1/4 cup baking soda * 1-2 drops tea tree oil 1-2 drops lavender
Mix the coconut and jojoba oil together. Slowly add in arrowroot powder and baking soda and mix well. Drop essential oils in and mix thoroughly. Keep sealed in a tight container in a cool spot.
* If you are sensitive to baking soda, replace with the same amount of arrowroot powder. ** If you prefer your deodorant to be more solid, decrease the amount of jojoba and replace with coconut oil.
SOURCES: (1) Division of Cell and Molecular Biology, School of Animal and Microbial Sciences, The University of Reading, P.O. Box 228, Whiteknights, Reading, RG6 6AJ, UK. p.d.darbre@reading.ac.uk
Shareable Version Roll your mouse over the image below (or tap the image if on a mobile) to share.
Did you try this recipe? What did you think? Let us know in the comments below and click here to check out our other great recipes!
Resources & Links
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