Some deodorant chemistry 101 ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
Today we're talking deodorant, and how it works.
Due to the fact that Blissoma serves people with scent sensitivities (even to essential oils) we've always tried to offer unscented product options.
Sometimes we've heard people express surprise that an unscented deodorant could truly do the job of keeping them from stinking.
That's leading us to tackle this question:
Can a deodorant prevent body odor if the deodorant itself has no scent?
The TLDR version is YES if it has the right odor prevention chemistry.
Now let's get into a little more of how that's possible....
|
|
|
Deodorant vs Antiperspirant
|
|
There are 2 basic categories of underarm care: Deodorants & Antiperspirants.
Antiperspirants block the apocrine sweat gland openings, preventing moisture, fats, and proteins in sweat from making its way out onto your skin.
The fats and proteins emitted by the specialized sweat glands in spots like your armpits are "food" for the bacteria on your skin. It's the digestion of these fats and proteins that creates stink.
Apocrine sweat is different from sweat that the body produces strictly to cool us. Apocrine sweat is associated with stress, fear, excitement, and pain. That's why you'll tend to notice more smell when you're stressed about a presentation, an interview, or a first date.
|
|
Deodorants don't block sweat from happening, their purpose is (ideally) to make it so you sweat but don't stink.
Some accomplish that way better than others!
I can remember 20 years ago when I was doing business in natural health food stores I'd often see "deodorants" on the shelf that were basically just a perfume.
They consisted of alcohol, water, and essential oils.
Sure, alcohol kills bacteria on skin - for a super brief period of time, not all day!
And yes, essential oils often have antimicrobial properties. But they either flash off into the air (evaporate) or soak into skin very quickly. That leaves the skin ready to be populated again very quickly with microbes and the stink starts up soon after that.
|
|
This approach has all the sophistication of life in the 18th century.
It's basically having you layer a pleasant scent over an unpleasant scent, and that almost always results in an overall unpleasant scent.
The fact that essential oils tend to flash off and leave the skin surface after a short period of time is why the scent in a natural deodorant really isn't doing any of the actual stink prevention.
If a natural deodorant has a smell it's just for your fun and enjoyment.
The real odor prevention action occurs with other active compounds.
|
|
An effective deodorant should be doing more than just trying to cover up smell with other smells.
It should neutralize it or prevent it from forming in the first place.
Here's how some of our actives work.
Baking soda
Baking soda is good at odor neutralization because it has a chemical reaction with odiferous substances. It transforms the stinky stuff into a totally new substance that is less smelly.
Magnesium hydroxide
Magnesium hydroxide works by creating a mildly alkaline pH environment on the surface of skin, making it less hospitable to bacteria that would interact with your sweat. Because this form of magnesium does not readily absorb into skin it's able to stay on skin's surface all day.
Zinc ricinoleate
Zinc ricinoleate is a compound that blends zinc and ricinoleic fatty acid from castor oil. It has a neat property where it surrounds and encapsulates odor molecules. Once the stink is in its little protective bubble your nose doesn't notice it so much.
Triethyl citrate
This naturally plant derived compound interferes with your skin's bacteria digesting the sweat compounds. It gets in there and blocks that process to a degree.
Silver citrate
Silver citrate is a liquid form of silver that has silver ions fully in solution. Silver has powerful antimicrobial properties and this compound helps keep your microbiome under control so that there's less bacteria to cause problems.
|
|
All of these substances have no real smell themselves, but they do ALL the heavy lifting to keep you from smelling.
That means a totally unscented deodorant can absolutely keep your sweat from ever stinking.
Many people do still enjoy the idea of having a pleasant natural scent in their product vs no scent, but it's really nice to have unscented options.
I'm happy to say we have lots of choices to keep you smelling fantastic!
We'd like to prove it to you that these compounds work better than antiperspirants, and better than many other natural deodorants that rely on extracts or ferments.
|
|
Just put 2 or more magnesium deodorants in your cart and the second one will automatically be half price.
Get yourself a Scent Free stick and a scented one and see for yourself.
(The Scent Free was the VAB top seller. I particularly enjoy the Lemongrass)
All our deodorants are backed by our 30 day return policy. If you don't love them you can return them.
This deal lasts through Labor Day, 9/7 at 11:59 CDT.
Hopefully this new knowledge will help you feel smarter and smell great.
All my natural chemistry-powered best,
Julie
|
|
|
|
|
No comments:
Post a Comment