Protect Your Manhood: The Hidden Phthalates in Your Deodorant You Must Avoid!

We`ve spent a lot of time on this blog focusing on the huge downsides of commercial deodorants as far as your health is concerned. We have also highlighted some of the benefits of natural deodorant and switching to more natural products and how else you might be able to incorporate them into your life on a daily basis.

I do my best to forward you all any useful information I come across to help you make the most educated decisions on the products you use and purchase. I firmly believe that our health is not only the most important thing we can focus on but, that it's one of the few things we have a lot of control over in life - even if it doesn't always seem like it.

You should question everything and look for the opportunities to maximize your health benefits. As the saying goes, "you are what you eat" but, I think it goes further than that. While ingesting something is the most direct route at affecting your body, what you expose yourself to matters too. Far too much information has come out in recent years about the dangers of a lot of the products we've used for years that we thought were safe. For example, look at talc powder. Once thought to be a pretty common everyday ingredient, it's now been marginalized over correlations to ovarian cancer risks. You can read more about it here.

I came across this article recently in Men's Health written by Markham Heid that I thought was extremely interesting about commercial deodorant and how it may be affecting testosterone in men. The claim of the article is essentially that commercial deodorant is making men "flabby, tired and impotent". Whoa! Again, I would encourage you all to read the article in it's entirety but, if you're pressed for time, I'll synthesize it down to the most important points for you.

The article contends that we are subjecting ourselves to many synthetic fragrances on a daily basis - up to a dozen just in our morning routine. From shampoo to dryer sheets and the list goes on. Add one more if you use cologne and then another for your commercial deodorant. These fragrances are causing health problems such as “breathing difficulties, asthma attacks, migraine headaches, dizziness, rashes, congestion, seizures, nausea, and a range of other physical problems” according to a physician quoted in the article. In Australia, a 2017 study showed that 33% of Australians experience migraines and asthma related issues after exposure to fragranced products like air fresheners and cleaning products. 

You're not one of them? Sure, you may not be and that's fine. What's more concerning about this article is the concern it raised over phthalates which are often used in scented products such as commercial deodorants, shampoo or soap and why to avoid phthalates. According to some of the research collected from North Carolina State University, these compounds have been linked to abnormalities of male reproductive system development and are suspected of having neuro-developmental effects". Furthermore, they are known to block testosterone activity, which could lead to loss of energy, erectile dysfunction, or problems building or maintaining muscle. That sucks. Not only can they potentially mess up a man's body and how he see's himself but also, impact his future children's development! That's some pretty serious stuff. 

So, how can you avoid phthalates in your life? Here's the disappointing part: the FDA does not require phthalates to be disclosed in a products ingredients. Simply listing "fragrance" is good enough and so, you may or may not be exposing yourself to them and there is no way to tell. 

The only way to truly avoid phthalates is to not purchase products containing "fragrance". This is why you should choose a natural deodorant over a commerical deodorant. Itss a great place to start becoming more natural. At Green Theory, we use 100% all natural ingredients in our probiotic, aluminum free deodorants. All of our Daily Wear (mens and womens) scents are made with naturally derived essential oils that contain absolutely no phtalates whatsoever. We post all the oils used in each one of our deodorants on it's product page. All of our deodorants are also aluminum free which, poses its own risks to health, both for men and women. 

If you've never tried natural deodorant before, check out our post on what to expect when making the switch. 

Maybe deodorant isnt your thing. Maybe you dont wear it or youre still addicted to that Old Spice you've been using since 7th grade. Well, we also offer a complete line of all natural, hand made, cold pressed soaps and shampoo bars that also contain no phthalates. 

Escape the hidden dangers of "fragrance" and embrace a life free from phthalates and other harsh chemicals. With Green Theory's 100% natural deodorants and soap products, you're not just choosing healthier pits; you're choosing a healthier you. Discover the difference today and join the movement towards total well-being.