(Editor’s Note: We wrote a story in March about a class action suit against Old Spice, you must be careful with deodorant as it contains all types of chemicals. Enjoy the article and recipe for safe, DIY deodorant!)

All conventional deodorants are full of dangerous chemicals that quickly penetrate the skin causing skin irritation and in the worst case scenario – cancer. These products contain aluminum which help block your sweat glands, preventing you from sweating. But aluminum is a very toxic ingredient which not only removes calcium from your body but also has a dangerous affect on the endocrine and lymphatic systems, thus causing breast cancer.

Aluminum is used in anti-perspirants to “dry out sweat by injecting aluminum ions in the cells that line the sweat ducts. When the aluminum ions are drawn into the cells, water flows in; the cells begin to swell, squeezing the ducts closed so sweat cannot get out,” according to the Julie Gabriel, The Green Beauty Guide. Did you know that the FDA requires that all antiperspirants decrease the average person’s sweat by 20 percent? This is why manufacturers often put 10-25 percent concentration of aluminum in products. This is a lot of aluminum for one product especially for a potent neurotoxin.

Additionally, these antiperspirants are powerful astringents that prevent the toxins in your body from coming out in sweat. This is why we must avoid these conventional products. As for myself, I’ve tried many brands of all natural store bought deodorants. Unfortunately, none of them did a great job protecting me from the odor caused by apocrine sweat combined with the bacteria. I have found that homemade deodorants do a great job at preventing odor.

How to make your own natural deodorant that works

Ingredients:

1/4 cup baking soda
1/4 cup arrowroot powder
5-6 Tbsp Coconut oil
10 drop of any essential oil

Combine baking soda, coconut oil, and arrowroot powder and using the spoon, work the mixture until it gets a firm texture. Mix in essential oils. Transfer to a container (with lid) and store in the fridge. The texture of it should be about the same as store bought. This recipe portion should last you for couple of months.

*Article originally appeared at Complete Health and Happiness.