Natural Deodorant?

I was kicking around on Diaspora today and someone posted a really great link.  With all the talk about hand-made soaps and other returns to natural living, she found a recipe for natural, home-made deodorant.  I haven't tried the recipe yet, obviously.  I just found it today!  However, I did think it was worth sharing, along with the disturbing information that came along with it.

This article not only discusses the benefits of natural health care, but dissects the ingredients of a common brand of deodorant.  I find the information it puts out there more than a little disturbing.  Not only is there a whole list of things the active ingredient in this deodorant do that are frightening, but the author pointed out another very realistic idea, a link between commercial deodorant and the rise in breast cancer.  Seeing how many women's lives this effects, of course that has me concerned for my family's health.

This isn't the first time I've heard this viewpoint either.  It seems widely known that average consumer deodorants are designed to plug the sweat pores under the arms.  The idea is to prevent sweating, which stops unsightly sweat stains and prevents body odor.  Sweat, however, is essential to human health.  Sweat helps to regulate body temperature and purge toxins from the body.  As a result, these toxins are carried a different direction so they might be purged from the body.  Effectively the body is rerouting the flow of everything contained in under arm sweat.  These toxins could possibly infect the portions of the body they must travel through in order to be released.

Everyone knows of three major sites of lymph nodes in the body, especially anyone who has studied the bubonic plague.  Right by the pulse point in the neck (where most women spray their perfume or body spray), under the arms, and at the groin are the homes of our lymph nodes.  It is thought that the lymph nodes not only handle the immune system, but also process toxins in the body.  By sealing up the sweat glands where the lymph nodes release their toxins, you are effectively preventing them from doing their job.  Any time you prevent your body from processing the way it should, you run the risk of additional complications.

Instead of using something made of a lot of processed chemicals, maybe we should turn to natural recipes.  As I've had pointed out with the dread soak and bath I use, these don't work the same for everyone.  Our body chemistry is all different.  Recipes may need to be tweaked or changed all together to work for certain people, but in the end, it's all a matter of what works best for you.

The recipe proposed here uses coconut oil, bicarbonate (which we also know as baking soda from the dread wash), arrowroot powder or cornstarch, and essential oils of your choosing for scent.  The recipe is pretty simple.  I'm hoping to try it out so I can share my experiences.  However, this is just one more step towards being natural.  Every chemical gotten out of my house is one step closer to my goal!