I Luv It: Why Switch to a Natural Deodorant?

I first came across the Vancouver-based I Luv It natural deodorant brand in BC Living’s Simply Beautiful and Extraordinary Man Box, which got both my husband and I thinking about what we were swiping on our bodies every morning.

Conventional deodorants and antiperspirants are filled with parabens, fragrance, and aluminum compounds that build up in your skin tissue over time. Antiperspirants are also literally designed to make you not perspire, and while that might sound enticing, it means you’re limiting your body’s natural cooling and detoxing abilities.

Was there a more natural way to eliminate body odour, without the need for chemical ingredients?

Turns out, there are many natural and effective ingredients which can help combat body odor, so there’s no need to swipe on toxins every morning. Especially since finding out I was pregnant (you can read more about my pregnancy journey here), it was time for us to make the switch to a cleaner skin and body care routine.

How Natural Deodorants Work

Drug store deodorants are typically alcohol-based and when applied, turn your skin acidic. This makes your skin less attractive to bacteria and thus less likely for it to hang around your armpits and become stinky.

Natural deodorants, like I Luv It, work similarly to traditional deodorants in that they’re formulated to eliminate armpit odour but not perspiration. But their main benefit is that they do it with clean ingredientslike anti-fungal coconut oil, healing cocoa butter, bacteria-fighting beeswax, moisture absorbing and anti-inflammatory arrowroot powder, and sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) which is a natural deodorizer.

Essential oils (like tea tree, for example) are also added to not only help in odor masking, but to also offer different antibacterial and astringent benefits, depending on the oil.

Ingredients to Avoid in Deodorant 

When making the conscious decision to not include toxic ingredients in their natural deodorant formulations, I Luv It goes by what the International Agency for Research on Cancer has to say on carcinogens in personal care products.

Ingredients you won’t find in I Luv It include:

  • Aluminum Compounds
  • Parabens
  • Silica
  • Propylene Glycol
  • Steareth-n
  • Talc
  • Triclosan

Each of these ingredients are considered carcinogenic, and ones we’re better off eliminating.

What to Expect: Switching to a Natural Deodorant 

For years now, there have been talk about aluminum linking to breast cancer because there are large lymph nodes present in our underarms. If absorbed, aluminum may cause estrogen-like hormonal changes in the body.

Throwing out antiperspirants and drug store deodorants is a personal choice, but one many people are opting for.

Once you do decide to make the switch, there might be a short adjustment period to your new natural deodorant. Why? Your body has most likely held onto some of that aluminum and other odor-reducing ingredients in your pores. As you reduce your use of these ingredients, your body begins to purge any toxins and has to relearn how to self-regulate its temperature.

What can result is some temporary odor as your body adjusts. To help speed along the detox, make sure you’re drinking plenty of water to help flush out any toxins. Don’t go back to your antiperspirant to cover up the smell. You’ll only be pushing the detox process back further.

As we got rid of our Secret and Old Spice, we personally didn’t encounter this adjustment period, but if you do, your body will likely find its new rhythm within a few days to a couple of week, and begin self-regulating once more, naturally flushing its system daily but without the added smell. By this point, your body chemistry has adjusted and you can feel confident that your natural deodorant is keeping you smelling fresh, without the need for toxic ingredients.

Have Fun and Luv It

I Luv It natural deodorant comes in two formulations: a regular formula with baking soda, and a ‘sensitive’ version without. The deodorant currently comes in a 4oz jar….and I’ve been told that sticks are coming soon! Only a pea-sized amount needs to be used with each application, and can be applied with your fingers on clean skin.

The first product I tried was I Luv It’s Naturally Sensitive Sweetheart, which is a baking-soda free deodorant and scented with vanilla extract.  My husband tried Naturally Noble, which has an iconically Westcoast pine essential oil scent. Other options offered by I Luv It includes: Naturally Lovely(citrus with a mild floral scent), Naturally Fresh(lavender and orange) and Naturally Naked(which has no scent at all).

If you want to try a bit of everything, there’s a six pack sampler kit from I Luv It with their most popular scents and both formulas, so you can see what you ‘luv’ best before committing to a full-size jar.

Each full-sized jar is priced between $18.75 and $22.50, and is available online.For more information or to shop I Luv It, visit: iluvit.ca.

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