Transform Your Hygiene Routine Overnight: The Underarm Detox Guide Everyone Is Talking About!

Today's topic, underarm detoxing is one that's probably a little foreign to many although being that you clicked on the article, no surprise, underarm detoxing. Yes, probably a little weird like, did your pits go on an all week binger and now they're sick and need help? Isn't this something that only a hippie would do?

Our armpits are already kind of a weird thing to begin with, for one, they grow more hair than most locations of the body, the sweat more than most locations and, they're home to a bunch of bacteria that just so happens to feed off the sweat and produce body odor.

Yes, it may not seem all that common and may seem a little bit weird at first but, there are definitely a few reasons why you may consider trying out an underarm detox

Why in the world would I want to detox my armpits?

1) You're thinking about making the switch to natural deodorant

If this is the case for you, congratulations! Making the switch to a natural deodorant and finally kicking the chemicals is an incredibly noble cause for the body. Chances are, once you do switch and find the right product for you, you'll never want to go back to the unhealthy, harmful commercial deodorant you used to use. I mean, just take a look at the ingredients in commercial deodorant and you'll see that it takes a chemistry experiment to stop a natural body process like sweating. 

Many people struggle with increased body odor and sweating when they make the switch over to natural deodorant. This is because the skin absorbs all the chemicals in commercial deodorant, namely aluminum. Once the body is no longer exposed to the harmful chemicals of commercial deodorant on a daily basis, it begins to use it's own natural process of flushing out the chemicals by sweating. To deepen your understanding of the chemicals in commercial deodorants and their effects, consider reading our detailed article on the subject.

Many people interpret this time period of more sweating as an indicator that the natural deodorant they chose simply doesn't work and then they give up on it. More often than not, this simply isn't true, it's just that the body needs an acclimation period to rid itself of the chemicals. To learn more about the chemicals in commercial deodorants and their potential health impacts, you can check out our article here.

Performing an underarm detox after stopping commercial deodorant use and before starting your new natural deodorant gives the natural deodorant the best chance to meet your expectations. To learn more about what to expect when switching to natural deodorant, you can read our blog post about it here.

2) Your natural deodorant isn't quite working as well as it used to

As mentioned above, our underarms are quite the unique environment. The environment itself can change seemingly out of nowhere and without explanation. Again, this may lead one to think that their deodorant isn't effective or doesn't work however, by doing a simple underarm detox, you can reset the bacterial environment which more often than not results in the effectiveness of your natural or, even commercial deodorant.

3) You're experiencing minor irritation from natural deodorant

Assuming you're already using a natural deodorant, sometimes people can experience some slight irritation - usually from the baking soda in it in their underarms. Sometimes this can be fixed with a detox and sometimes it's an allergy to the baking soda itself. If it's a random and less significant reaction, give the detox a try first.

Does doing an underarm detox actually work?

The short answer is, yes. While the body of scientific studies on underarm detoxification is not quite there yet, a simple Google search will turn up tons of articles of it's effectiveness. 

 How to do an underarm detox

Alright, so, you're gonna take the plunge and try it out. What do you need? Well, thankfully you only need a few minutes and even fewer ingredients which, makes it super simple and easy to try. Here's what you'll need:

1 tbsp. bentonite clay

1 tsp. apple cider vinegar - preferably the organic kind with "the mother" 

water for consistency

Step 1: Mix all the ingredients in a glass or plastic bowl. Do NOT use a metal bowl. The reason for this is that bentonite clay changes it electrical charge and attracts toxins (like metal) to it. You can learn more about this amazing property here which makes it such an awesome detoxifier. Add water as needed. You want a consistency similar to sour cream in that it's thick and not runny (nobody likes runny pits).

Step 2: Spread an even layer over the underarms. Leave it on for between 5-20 minutes. At first, start on the lower end of the time range and gradually increase the time as you go. If at any point it hurts, wash it off immediately.

Step 3: Be aware that you will likely experience some redness. This is completely natural as the bloodflow in the area will increase.

Step 4: Wash off the mixture in the shower or with a warm, wet washcloth. 

Step 5: Repeat daily until you notice the effectiveness of your natural deodorant has gone back up, you no longer have irritation from your natural deodorant or if you're doing it prior to making the switch to natural deodorant, after 3-5 days.

Another option when considering making the switch to natural deodorant or, if you're just looking to detox yourself from harmful chemicals on a daily basis is to consider using a deodorant that already has bentonite clay in it, such as Green Theory Probiotic Deodorant. Green Theory utilizes the power of probiotics to help destroy the odor causing bacteria to keep you smelling fresh all day long while using only 100% natural ingredients and essential oils.

What do you think? Let us know your experiences with underarm detox. Who gave it a try?