I did an Armpit Detox. What the hell is an armpit detox? Well let me explain how I got here…

A few months ago I decided to completely give up any deodorants that contain aluminium.  Aluminium is used in Deodorant to reduce sweat – I naively thought that this only affected aerosols – wrong! There are more than 20 lymph nodes the armpit and I personally do not want half of the stuff conventional deodorant contains anywhere near there. 

                                                                                                                   Taylor Swift has REALLY nice armpits. 

I presumed that my most beloved deodorant from Sure (Maximum Protection) which is a cream would alum free but I was wrong. Check out the ingredients: 

So what deodorants have I been using?

LUSH Powder Deodorant in Guv’ner (not yet reviewed) – it’s ok but messy to apply and I am not convinced baking soda doesn’t irritate my skin slightly 

Crystal Deodorant (doesn’t work for me at all) – other brands are exactly the same on me, don’t work. 

Weleda Sage Spray Deodorant – review here – it’s ok

Alaffia Deodorant – review here – my most used deodorant, smells heavenly HOWEVERRRRR…I believe this has caused a slightly rash and build up on my pits.  
Which leads me on to the detox…

 It was hot earlier this week right? So I put a sleeveless top on and I catch sight of my pits in the mirror and not only had I forgotten to shave for days and EW what was going on with my skin there?  I had patches which were rashy, they looked darker and just generally patchy. 

So I did a little Google, and I found out that it is quite common to get these kinds of symptoms  when you make the switch from aluminium deodorant to natural alternatives, as your armpits adjust.  So they include;

– A rash (yes – for me similar to an eczema rash)

– More sweating than you are used to (yes – it wasn’t excessive but definitely there whereas I had no wetness at all when using my Sure deodorants)

– Smell (Not BO for me, but a musky old deodorant smell which I couldn’t get rid off even when I really washed my pits which got on my nerves)

– Build up – particularly with the last deodorant which contains coconut oil, I could really feel the build up on my pits which I wanted to get off somehow. 

So I looked around for some kind of a solution and apparently an armpit detox is one way to get your pit bacteria back in to balance. 

I had bought some Fullers Earth clay a week before to do a detox (to drink) then was subsequently put off by some nice bloggers to told me I might get lead poisoning. Eek. 

So this is what I used:

– 3 tablespoons of clay (fullers earth/bentonite)

– 1.5 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar 

– 1.5 tablespoons of water/herbal tea (I used nettle)

I didn’t use just vinegar and clay because I was worried it would burn, hence the dilution. You can just use vinegar and clay. Here is the pooey looking mixture (I made more as I wanted to put some on my scalp):

I spread the mixture on to my pits and left them for 15 minutes with my arms in the air and a meditation app. I WAITED TIL MY KIDS WERE ASLEEP. Children show no mercy when you are lying down and helpless. 

                                                                                                                                     iPhone pictures, sorry

After 15 mins I washed this off in the shower and…

I don’t want to show you my pits because they are entitled to their privacy, but believe me – they look amazing compared to before. My entire armpit looked brighter, felt softer, the skin looks a lot more even and I can’t smell the residue of the deodorant any more on there.  It’s like a facial but for pits! 

I will 100% be doing this again, I’ll probably try once a week to keep things fresh and remove build up. I highly recommend this too, as so many of us wear deodorant but don’t show our arm pits enough love. 

Let me know if you try it! 

*In my defence, I wrote this at midnight, and I am slightly delirious after the week I’ve had.