12 Reasons to Chuck Commercial Deodorants/Antiperspirants

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Last year I was on a quest to find a natural deodorant; it was a very challenging task. If you’ve been reading my blog you’ll have gathered I’m a huge fan of anything natural. Whenever I can help it, I limit my use of chemicals to the minimum. Not an easy task in our world.

There are so many studies, debates and counter debates about whether or not aluminum and parabens found in most commercial antiperspirants/deodorants really do cause breast cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, as well as other ailments. According to the FDA both are “safe”. [1] [3] [6]

However, FDA regulation does not mean that a drug is without danger. That’s right; antiperspirants are classified as over the counter (OTC) drugs in the US! [1][5] Nobody thinks of it as a drug but it is.

In Canada, as of Spring 2009, "regular" antiperspirants are classified under cosmetics. 

There are many products, or their ingredients, which are controversial because of possible negative health effects but these products are not taken off the shelf, until proven unsafe.[1] [3] 

Often, the FDA and Health Canada do not consider the evidence of danger to consumer’s health strong enough to take action. (Remember the Johnson+Johnson scandal?)

It took me 10 months to find a natural deodorant that works. I tried baking soda and Druide natural deodorant, neither was successful. To add salt to injury, during this period, I had many embarrassing moments.

A tale for another day…

However, every cloud has a silver lining. Lately, I’ve been getting ready to send my brother [who lives in Hungary] a parcel of all natural products. Once again, I found myself standing in the aisle of Grassroots looking for natural deodorants. After much consideration, I finally decided on Lafes deodorant stick. I’m currently using it and cannot believe the effectiveness! I’ve been using it since Christmas.

Lafes Deodorant stick is made up of natural mineral salts. It contains no aluminum chlorhydrate, parabens or fragrance. Additionally, 1% of all profits go towards breast cancer awareness and prevention.

Once a day [every morning] I wet the stone and apply it liberally to my underarms, there is NO smell throughout the day. Lafes also has a roll-on deodorant, but I find the mineral salt stick works better for me.

12 Reasons to Chuck Commercial Deodorants/Antiperspirants

• Aluminum was first recognized as a human neurotoxin in 1886, before being used as an antiperspirant. A neurotoxin is a substance that causes damage to nerves or nerve tissue.[1]

• Most of us don’t know the difference between deodorants/antiperspirants – we make our selection based on smell. Antiperspirants try to prevent sweating through aluminum –most antiperspirants have deodorants! [5]

• Although there is a relatively small amount of aluminum in any application. Nevertheless, the amount of exposure cumulative over time, and daily, use can lead to chronic exposure to aluminum. There are established links… [1][7]

• Studies have found Aluminum absorbs better through the skin than orally [1]

• Limiting your aluminum usage will only benefit your health [1]

• Deodorants deal with smell by neutralizing and killing bacteria, however, in the past decade, parabens, a preservative ingredient in deodorants have become very controversial. [1][5][7]

• Several recent respected studies have shown the relationship between antiperspirants/deodorants and breast cancer – yet all government and breast cancer organizations will tell you antiperspirants are safe. [1][3][6]

• Only 5 – 10% of breast cancer is genetic, 90% are from the environment and lifestyle. [1]

• Applying parabens to the skin is one of the most effective ways to get it into your system. [1]

• Do not assume that products that are labeled “natural” or “organic” do not contain parabens, [also study small or fine print]. [1]

•  Unfortunately most cosmetics  we use contain parabens. A 1995 survey of 215 cosmetic products found that parabens were used in 99% of leave-on products and in 77% of rinse-off cosmetics.[1]

• How to spot parabens on labels [1]

          Methylparaben (E218)


          Ethylparaben (E214)


          Propylparaben (E216)


          Butylparaben


          Benzyl-parahydroxybenzoic acid

          Methyl-parahydroxybenzoic acid


          Ethyl-parahydroxybenzoic acid


          Propyl-parahydroxybenzoic acid

          Butyl-parahydroxybenzoic acid


          Parahydroxybenzoic acid


          Parahydroxybenzoate

Did you know?

The average person has about 2.6 million sweat glands’; sweating is your body’s mechanisms to cool down. [1] Sweat glands are in our forehead, hands, feet, armpits, and genital areas. [1] Sweat has no odour; bacteria cause the familiar unpleasant odour we know [4].

In conclusion, there is nothing wrong with being an active and concerned consumer. Knowledge is power and education influences change. Vote with your wallets! By researching we will not only make better  & healthier choices, but also hold cooperation’s accountable for their actions.

References:

1. " ControlYourImpact.com: Solid Information on Controversial Health Topics” Deodorants, Antiperspirants and Your Health; Antiperspirants – Aluminum & Alzeheimer’s Disease; Antiperspirants – Aluminum & Breast Cancer; Deodorants, Antiperspirants, Parabens & Breast Cancer. N.P., N.D. Web.  4 Jan – 6 Jan 2011. http://www.controlyourimpact.com/articles/deodorants-antiperspirants-and-your-health/
2. Product Assessment Against Criteria: Antiperspirants. Health Canada. N.P., N.D. Web. 6 Jan 2012.http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/cps-spc/pubs/indust/cosmet-antiperspir-sudorif/index-eng.php
3. Health Effects of Aluminum powder. Canadian Center for Occupational Health & Safety. N.P., N.D. Web. 6 Jan 2012. http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/chemicals/chem_profiles/aluminum_powder/health_alu.html
4. Antiperspirant/Deodorant Stick: How Products are Made, ENotes.Com, Web. 6 Jan 2012. http://www.enotes.com/how-products-encyclopedia/antiperspirant-deodorant-stick
5. Annie B. Bond, Deodorant or Antiperspirants? Green Living At Care2, March 26, 1999. Web. 6 Jan 2012. http://www.care2.com/greenliving/deodorant-or-antiperspirants.html
6. Antiperspirants/Deodorants and Breast Cancer: Questions and Answers, National Cancer Institute, Web. 6 Jan 2012.  http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/AP-Deo
7. Concern Over Deodorant Chemicals. BBC News 11 Jan. 2004. Web. 06 Jan. 2012. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3383393.stm

100% Pure Unrefined African Shea Butter

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The ancient Egyptian queen, Nefertiti, credited her beauty to shea butter.  Today, walking along the aisles of drug stores and grocery departments one cannot help but notice the amount of cosmetics & general skin care products that contain shea butter as an “active” ingredient. While it may seem as though these products have a large quantity of shea butter, they don’t. Although this is what we are intended to think. Ingredients are listed in descending order of percentage, and quite often it is only a small fraction that’s present.

Natural shea butter is manually churned and traditionally extracted with no chemicals. It is whitish or yellowish in colour, silky in texture, and has a distinctive smell. 
Unrefined shea butter is rich in unsaponifiable matter, essential fatty acids, natural latex, and vitamins A, D, E, F, & K. All the things that one's skin loves!

In contrast, refined shea butter is very white with little or no scent, meaning that most of its distinct properties have been lost.

Years ago I put a stop to lotions and bio-oil simply because they contain inarticulate ingredients [which include petroleum bi-products]. I use pure unrefined shea butter daily as a body cream and lip balm, and can honestly tell you it works! [Recommended Nharo’s 100% Shea butter]

10 REASONS to choose 100% pure unrefined shea butter

•   It treats dark spots, skin discolorations, stretch marks and blemishes
•  Shea butter encourages regeneration of skin tissue and skin hydration
•  Shea butter has a natural sunscreen protection  (SPF 15)
•  Heals dry skin, eczema, psoriasis and minor burns
•  Repairs cracked heels and elbows
• Moisturizes and reduces irritation after shaving
• Improves scars due to its anti-inflammatory properties
• Excellent for massages, diaper rash, and as a hair conditioner (Tip: Do a shea butter mask once a week to nourish & protect hair from dryness & breakage)
•  It's a healthy massage oil for kids & babies 
• Excellent for pets! shea butter is rich in vitamin K; Vetenerians use it as a natural remedy when pets ingest poison.

Rule of thumb: If you can’t eat it, don’t put in on your skin.

100% pure unrefined shea butter is naturally extracted from the nut of an edible fruit. For centuries West Africans have used it for cooking and as a lotion. Today, in North America and Europe, it is being used in margarines and as a substitute for cocoa in chocolates.

When buying shea butter make sure it's 100% pure unrefined Grade A (Organic & Fair trade-certified). Fair trade breaks the cycle of poverty. It guarantees that women producers are not exploited by offering them a stable purchase price, higher than that of the traditional market!

Shelf life: 18 months

An apple a day…

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Being natural gives you the opportunity to experiment with a diverse range of products. For instance, I was unaware of Apple cider vinegar hair rinse until going natural. Apple Cider Vinegar is an old natural remedy for conditioning.

Benefits

      Apple Cider Vinegar helps to remove build up from oils & styling products.

      It strengthens the hair shaft and balances the PH level of the hair, and;

      Increases blood circulation thus promoting hair growth.

Commercially processed apple cider vinegar is refined, as such most of its unique properties have been lost. For best results, buy cold pressed organically grown apples, which contains “mother of vinegar”. This guarantees that it was not pasteurized and has no chemicals or preservatives. The "mother of vinegar" is a normal substance that occurs during the final stages of fermentation. [Recommended Bragg Organic Apple Cider]

Homemade Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse Recipe

I love to cook because I know exactly what’s in the pot! It’s the same with your hair, when you make your own recipe you’re completely in control and certain of what you’re using.

Simply mix 1 TBSP of Apple Cider Vinegar to 1 cup of water and apply after cleansing.

Allow the rinse to penetrate for a few minutes.

You may wash it out completely or choose to leave it in.

For a fancier Herbal Apple Cider Rinse, you can add either fresh or dried herbs to the recipe above. Below is a breakdown of various herbs and their uses!

Burdock: great for thinning hair, dry, irritated scalp, dandruff, and seborrhea


Calendula: conditions


Catnip: Promotes healthy hair growth


Chamomile: a healing and soothing herb to soften hair, soothe the scalp, lighten, condition, and stimulate growth


Horsetail: Helps brittle hair due to its high silica content


Marigold: lightens hair color


Nettle: conditions, improves color and texture, helps with dandruff, irritated scalp, and dry scalp


Parsley: enriches hair color and gives a nice luster


Plantain: great for dry, irritated scalp, dandruff, and seborrhea


Peppermint: stimulates the scalp 


Red Clover: 
strengthens hair

Rosemary: excellent for all hair types and problems, it acts as a tonic and conditioner, gives luster and body, stimulates growth, helps with dandruff, and brings out dark highlights in the hair

Sage: traditionally used to restore color to greying hair, excellent for weak hair

Saw Palmetto: good for hair thinning and hair loss

Thyme: good for oily hair, dandruff, and mild hair loss

Witch Hazel: leaves and bark are astringent and cleanse oily hair

Yarrow: for oily hair

Yucca: Navajos swear by yucca root to prevent hair loss and to cure dandruff.

Lavender: useful for all hair types it stimulates hair growth, and degreases                                                                                        

http://tinyurl.com/d8wzr2

TIP

     Apple Cider Vinegar has a strong smell, but remember its natural; most perfumes we love contain harmful ingredients.

     I recommend doing this regimen once or twice weekly

     Use Apple Cider Vinegar as an overnight facial before bed, your skin will thank you!

    Always do an allergy test to avoid problems.

Good-luck and feel free to share your experience! Happy new year!!

Shampoo. Absolutely not!

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Now your reaction might be: “you don’t shampoo! Now that’s just gross!”

I’ve always believed that if we knew half the truth about a lot of cosmetics we buy, it would undoubtedly change our outlook.

Recently Johnson & Johnson were in the news for having “chemicals of concern” [human carcinogens] in their iconic baby shampoo. While all the focus is on their baby shampoo nothing is being said about their Aveeno and Neutrogena brands, which still contain harmful toxins. The company came out with a statement promising consumers that it would be removing quaternium -15 and other formaldehyde – releasing preservatives from all of its baby products worldwide within 2 years. http://tinyurl.com/3guhv3r

Personally I think 2 years is a while.

Five months ago, I made a decision to stop using shampoos. It came like a brainwave. In the old days our grandparents and their parents before them did not use shampoos, they used soap, so why the shift?

In a few words, our water became hard, which made using soap increasingly difficult; so shampoos were invented.

Shampoos are detergents; while they are very effective they are a lot harsher, striping one’s hair of its natural oils. Conditioners - made up of artificial oils - were developed to mask this damage. After doing some research on this issue I’ve simply eliminated shampoos altogether.

My routine involves using the following:

Dudu Osun or “Ose Dudu” [as we call it back home in Lagos, Nigeria] is an age long black soap made by hand, using only pure natural ingredients. I often say all of its ingredients you can pronounce!!

The soap is made using pure Honey, Shea butter, Osun (Camwood extract), Palm kernel oil, Cocoa pod ash, Palm bunch ash, Aloe Vera, Lime juice, Water and fragrance. It contains no artificial colours or preservatives and is biodegradable.

I find that it has a deep cleansing effect; I’ve also used it in treating acne and dark spots.

Raw Ghana Black soap is more organic than Dudu Osun. It has NO fragrance. If you’ve ever tried to buy this soap you’ll see that it’s not fancy at all!

It is handmade by local women in Ghana using Plantain skins, Shea butter, native Honey, virgin Coconut oil, cocoa pod ash and Palm kernel oil. Its benefits are immeasurable.

Neither soaps have alcohol or petroleum-by-products, and they lather really well!

Rule of thumb: If you can’t eat it, don’t put it on your skin.

Recently Dr. Bonner’s Magic Soap has become one of my favourite substitutes for shampoo. It’s made with Fairtrade certified & organic oils. I’m a huge fan of the peppermint liquid soap!

Dr. Bonner’s Magic Soaps contains olive oil, hemp seed oil, jojoba oil, coconut oil, and peppermint oil. You can purchase this at any health food store or online. http://www.drbronner.com

Baking soda: I’ve discovered you can use it for pretty much anything! Its environmentally friendly, in-expensive and can be bought anywhere!

What to do?

Mix 1 Tbsp of baking soda with 8 oz of lukewarm water and wash your hair.

At first it might seem weird because baking soda neither lathers nor has a scent, but it’s a healthy alternative that works rather well. It will remove odor plus any build up from oil and dirt, leaving you and your hair feeling fresh.

Lastly, condition only. This may seem radical, but the results are incredible.

The process?

Wet your hair first, and then gently massage conditioner into your scalp and hair. You will have to work at it to remove dirt and oil build up, then rinse out with lukewarm water. I recommend you do this twice.

The third time you apply your conditioner let it sit for a few minutes, then rinse out with cold water, to seal your pores. This final step is necessary because it gives your hair a healthy sheen.

Conditioners I’m currently using:

Carina's Organics & Uncle Funky’s Daughter Richee Rich Moisturizing Conditioner. It’s free of Mineral oil, Paraben and Synthetic Dyes.

How to get great youthful skin naturally without exfoliating!

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Image: Castor oil

Ola walked into our store; she needed to pick up a check that was owed to her. We began talking about a number of things, and the topic of exfoliating came up. She was complaining about the brand she was currently using and was considering trying our 100% Red Moroccan (Ghassoul) Clay. Which by the way is great!

I told her I do not exfoliate. To be completely honest with you I don’t remember the last time I did. She did not believe me, saying I had such great skin that it was impossible that I did not exfoliate.

I replied, “I don’t. I use natural oils and they do wonders!”

If truth were told, I read labels, if I cannot pronounce the ingredients on any product, I do not consider it.

We all know that when one’s diet changes, for the better, our skin will automatically glow. Drinking lots of water also improves our skin and hair, but I take going natural a little step further.

As consumers, it is important to know that we have the power to say either yes or no to any product by simply reading the label, whether it is cosmetics or food. It might seem like a lot of work, but it takes discipline and motivation.

There are 3 oils I use to maintain my face daily:

• ·      Pure 100% Castor oil
• ·      Tea tree oil, and;
• ·      Pure Unrefined 100% Baobab oil 

I use Castor oil only at night. I am not particularly loyal to any brand; at the moment I’m using Benjamin’s Castor oil. It is made in Jamaica, 30ml retails for $3.99.

Nonetheless, before getting started always do an allergy test to avoid any problems.

First, I steam my face with castor oil for about 10 – 20 minutes, and then I gently wash it off with warm water. Then, I splash cold water over my face to close my pores.  Finally, I reapply castor oil to problematic spots before heading to bed.

I do this every night alternating between castor oil and tea tree oil. Following the same process, which involves steaming, as described above.

Steaming the face is so simple, plus it has huge benefits! It opens up the pores; removes dead skin cells, dirt, bacteria, and increases the blood circulation on the face.

Likewise, every morning I steam for about 10 – 15 minutes and apply baobab oil. Please note: I do not use any face creams, I rely solely on natural oils. If I am applying make up, which I try not to, baobab oil is my base. It is an excellent moisturizer.

A lot of spas use steaming as treatment for both the face and body, it is an age long beauty secret, but you can do it yourself without spending a dime!

Tips:

Take the hot water out of the pot and pour it into a bowl, tie your hair back, then place a towel over your head and lean towards the steam for 10 – 20 minutes.

Be careful not to burn yourself and please do not steam your face while the water is still boiling on the stove.

Give your face a break. After about a week of steaming, I take a break for a few days and then resume the process. 

Natural and Loving it!

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I’ve always been vain and I care a lot about the way my hair and skin look. To be completely honest, my culture and background do not help! Nigerian women are beautiful with flawless radiant skin, and they put a lot of effort into their outward appearance.

Since I am Nigerian, what can I say; my appearance comes first!

However, in the past 2 years things have changed, especially after meeting my husband, he’s an advocate for natural beauty. But what is natural beauty?

Back home, in Africa, I was brought up with hair extensions, relaxers, and numerous cosmetic lines to “maintain” my complexion. In fact, if one did not use hair extensions you were considered a “villager” or  “bush.”

As a moisturizer, I remember on occasion my mum brought home Shea butter, but we mostly used Vaseline petroleum jelly. Then, during my teen years I even tried Skin Success [whatever possessed me???]

Twice a week, I will blog about my journey, one that involves using natural God given products. I will alternate between the hair and the skin, highlighting the need to quit depending on commercial products that do not only harm and destroy our hair and skin, but may also contain potential health risks.

Generally, I find natural products are inexpensive, they may not work as well as some of the other products you are using immediately, but with time you will see a difference.

Lastly, one piece of advice: before buying anything read the ingredients. If there is anything you can’t pronounce, drop it. Research, research and research because this will empower you in making informed choices. We recently visited family for Christmas holidays in Guelph and Waterloo, and I needed to clean my face, travelling sometimes disrupts one’s routine; I stopped at Shoppers drug mart and decided to get face wipes. Face wipes right? That should be easy...

Typically I picked up a few brands and began reading the ingredients, they were unbelievably unpronounceable! I settled for a box of baking soda and 100% cotton exfoliating pads, a much better and healthier option.