green is universal

By Mary Beth Gonzalez, iVillage.com

We all take it for granted... how could we not? We've been using it every day since we were teenagers and it becomes so routine, we don't even think about it. But despite our blase attitude, we need to take a closer look because these products we think are so helpful have a more insidious side and pose potentially serious health risks.

As a start, nearly all commercial deodorants contain aluminum salts, usually aluminum chlorohydrate. Manufacturers like aluminum because it effectively suppresses perspiration but the metal has a dark side once it makes its way into our body. Aluminum toxicity is a serious issue, but fortunately, for most of us one that can be easily avoided, I turned to my doctor husband, a cancer researcher, for the facts.

Dr. Nick Gonzalez:
Thirty years ago researchers first detected significantly elevated aluminum levels in the brain of Alzheimer's patients, and subsequently proposed a link between the heavy metal and the disease. Though scientists still debate the connection, certainly aluminum is a toxic heavy metal that has no useful biological function, and which we don't want building up in our bodies, ever.

Manufacturers long discounted any such effect from aluminum salts in deodorants, which they claimed would not be absorbed through the skin. This assumption has proven wrong, and over time users of commercial deodorant do accumulate the stuff, sometimes in significant levels. A recent medical report described a woman who ended up with severe aluminum toxicity directly as a result of her deodorant use.

Most commercial deodorants also contain parabens, which act as preservatives and stabilizers, but which like aluminum can be absorbed with systemic effects. Parabens mimic estrogen, and though the amounts we absorb on a daily basis might be small, over time, the accumulation can be significant. A report from England in 2004 documented a relationship between parabens and breast cancer.

Fortunately, natural, organic alternatives abound, containing neither dangerous aluminum nor the dreaded parabens. I spent a long time trying to find the perfect natural deodorant and the trial and error testing was at time embarrassing. Some natural deodorants work just fine for an ordinary, low stress, low humidity day. But I'll still turn to my basic alcohol prep swab when I think I'm facing a particularly tough day. Yes, alcohol swabs, applied directly to the underarms (but not right after shaving, ouch!). Alcohol doesn't inhibit perspiration, but it kills the bacteria. Bacteria lives on sweat, and creates the odor that can be embarrassing. So kill the bacteria, kill the smell! Alcohol may not be an elegant answer, but it's cheap, it's natural and it works.

Natural, Paraben and Aluminum free deodorants:
Kiss My Face Active Enzyme: $4.99; Fragrance Free, Patchouli, Lavender, Skin Deep score: 1
Dr. Hauschka: $19.95; Fresh (sporty) and Floral; Skin Deep score: not rated
Avalon Organics: $5.95; Peppermint, Wild Yam, Lemon and Lavender, Skin Deep score: 0-1
Nature's Gate Organics: $5.99; Chamomile and Lemon Verbena, Skin Deep score: 1

Hope this helps you keep fresh and cool in the safest and most natural way possible.

Mary Beth Gonzalez
iVillage.com
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