Something Stinks: Are Natural Deodorants Really Natural?

Last year I made the decision to switch to natural deodorants.  I had read about the possible link of antiperspirants to breast cancer and brain disorders like Alzheimer's. . It's the aluminum content that poses the threat.  Every normal store-bought variety I could put my hands on contained this toxin...except for the "natural" deodorants.  These more expensive natural products do not eliminate sweating; but they are touted to guard against b.o. And most importantly, they do not contain the aluminum culprit.

Because I make my own soap, and have made my own lotions and body butters and lip balms, I decided  to try making my own deodorant as well.  I already had most of the ingredients in my bath and body arsenal.  So why not?  I found several recipes online.  I explored the ins and outs of why people choose to make their own deodorant and why some seemed to be superior than others.   Then, because I liked the way my store-bought natural deodorant had worked for me, I took out my tube and studied the label, the ingredient list. The first ingredient listed was propylene glycol, an organic alcohol.  I found a second tube, a different brand, but also natural.  The first ingredient again was propylene glycol.

 It was time to do a little background check of this most abundant ingredient that I was daily applying under my arms.  What I learned was not a little disturbing. I found out that this petrochemical is used to allow other chemicals to penetrate deeply beneath the skin and to the bloodstream.  It also helps in hot weather to keep substances from melting and in cold weather, to prevent freezing.  It made sense why manufacturers would choose to use it in deodorants for those attributes. Did I mention that it is one of the key components of anti-freeze?

Here's a graph of how propylene glycol is used

But I also discovered that exposure to propylene glycol might just be linked to dermatitis, kidney and liver damage.  Yikes!  Exchanging one carcinogen for another was not exactly what I had in mind when I made the switch to natural deodorant. I know!  It supposedly takes a lot of exposure to do harm, but I use deodorant every day, and if you add that up over a lifetime..well, maybe that is enough exposure to cause cancer. Maybe that is more than enough.  And while the verdict is still out on this one, and nothing has been proven, I have to ask myself if I am willing to risk exposing my skin (the largest organ of my body) to a possible cancer-causing agent.  

I resolved to give it a go and experiment with my own version of "natural."  This week I plan to try out 6 variations of natural deodorant.  Would you like to make a guess what the first ingredient will NOT be? I'm going to use different essential oils in each batch to find out what scents I really like, but this should not affect the general consistency or properties of the deodorant. Then, I'll rate each batch according to the following criteria:
1.  slide/ease of application-- (hard to apply (1)--smooth and easy to apply (5)
2.  "hot day"  friendliness (at what temp. will it start to melt?)
3.  effectiveness (how long it lasts before warranting another application)
4.  texture ---gritty(1) --smooth(5)
5.  effect on clothes--stains(1)-does not stain(5)

A couple of factors for consideration
Many of these homemade deodorants are reported to melt when the weather warms up.  What an inconvenience during summer months or if you're like me and live in Texas.  To keep this from happening, some recipes incorporate beeswax or cocoa butter which have much higher melting points.

Many recipes include baking soda, but if too much is present, your skin may become sensitive.  Others say that baking soda causes the deodorant to have a gritty texture--not 
a desirable quality, for sure.

Once I get all my data, I'll report back my results and post the best recipes according to my tests.  This is going to be fun.