Earlier this month, I completed my first 7-day armpit detox. Believe it or not, I learned a lot after doing this detox! Overall, I really enjoyed it. It's definitely not necessary before transitioning to natural deodorant, but as I shared in my previous post where I highlighted some of the research I found on the topic, it didn't hurt me to try it. In fact, I learned quite a few things while running this experiment on myself! I'm sharing 9 of those things in this post.
1. If I'm not exercising, I barely sweat throughout the day. Translation: No Funk.
On the first day, I still hadn't figured out if I was going to try to do this Detox with or without any deodorant. I made sure that all of my constants in this experiment (aka the detox) had no impact on the outcome of the experiment. These included showering with all-natural soap that was fragrance-free (the Babylon version, which isn't always available), not shaving my armpits over those seven days, and maintaining my regular level of activity.
After Day 1, I decided that I absolutely needed to use deodorant. I was fine during the workday, but once I started my post-work workout, it was game over for smelling fresh. 😬
I settled on using CRYSTAL deodorant for the duration of the Armpit Detox. It doesn't have a smell, I've never had an allergic reaction to it, and it helps reduce odor. It's not an antiperspirant, but it gets the job done! Over the course of the week, I actually fell in love with this deodorant. I can't believe I had totally forgotten about this brand! It's great for my sensitive skin! I actually had this brand new roller lying around and judging by the packaging on their website, it was not a very new roller... 😬
But I've gotten a little off-topic here, haven't I? Long story short, I decided to use deodorant, but a mild deodorant with no fragrance. If you decide to try the armpit detox, I suggest picking up some of this deodorant!
2. If I exercise, I definitely get stinky without deodorant!
My word... If I eat any food at all 24 hours before exercising, I am going to stink if I don't wear deodorant. Considering that I'm not planning to starve myself regularly, this means that I'm going to stink. I cook with too much garlic and onions to think that I can go out in these streets sweating and smelling like roses. I exercise almost every day, so deodorant it is!3. I need to use natural deodorant while detoxing.
Duh, you might say. But the urge is there to go back to my regular deodorant! I had to make a conscious effort to swap out my spare deodorants with natural deodorants. I didn't realize how many sticks of deodorant I had out here in my gym bags, desk, car, bathroom, etc. I knew if I reverted back, I would have to start the detox all over again, so I managed to stay strong and keep using natural deodorant throughout the seven days.
4. The armpit detox mask actually feels really good and makes your armpits soft!
Despite my ability to shave during those seven days, my armpits were soft! Like, incredibly soft! I was really impressed by how such a simple detox mask could make my skin so soft. I can't wait to try it on my face!
5. There is such a thing as leaving the mask on for too long.
I did that pretty much every day of the 7-day detox, and man did I pay. When that detox mask hardens, it does not feel delightful! I really should've left the mask on for 10-12 minutes, but I was getting so wrapped up in watching Naked and Afraid and could not help myself! Would they survive the jungle/desert/swamp naked and afraid? I had to know!
6. Detoxing my armpits got rid of discoloration.
As I mentioned as part of my rationale for doing the detox in the first place, I have had really bad skin reactions from certain natural deodorant brands. I have gotten rashes on my armpits that have basically turned the skin black. And with as yellow as my skin is, it's definitely noticeable when the skin under my armpits turns black! 😮 Thankfully, my skin returned to its normal color after only 2 or 3 days of detoxing I was actually shocked at how quickly it returned to normal!
7. After the detox, I was able to tell which natural deodorants were making my skin react negatively.
Instead of it taking 30 days to figure out that a brand was not cooperating with my skin - as would happen before the detox when I would alternate between natural and regular deodorant - I could figure out in just about a day or two if a brand wasn't going to work out for me. As they say, everything ain't for everybody, so I have to say goodbye to some brands now. The next step for me is to figure out which ingredients are different so that I can narrow down which ingredient might be causing the problem, and eliminate using that ingredient altogether.
8. People are really curious about armpit detoxing!
I was surprised by how many people responded to my Instagram stories on this topic - particularly when my friend Tikima and I hopped on Instagram Live together to talk about it (she did the detox too!). We got tons of questions about the detox, and I hope I covered all of the answers between these two blog posts on the topic. Please let me know in the comments if I missed anything!
9. I now want to try all the natural deodorants!
There are so many brands out there! This Glamour post has 15 different deodorants, and that's just the tip of the iceberg! Run a Google search if you think I'm joking! There are a lot of different price ranges, fragrances, application methods, product consistencies, and star ingredients. I just want to go crazy with deodorants! Do you have a favorite brand? Who do you recommend trying?
TL; DR
I loved this 7-day armpit detox (or armpit rejuvenation, as we jokingly called it)! I would consider doing it again just to keep that super-soft armpit feeling. I didn't sweat more or stink more when I made the switch back to natural deodorant, and I was able to tell pretty quickly which brands caused me skin irritation. While the armpit detox didn't really do anything besides give me soft pits, it did make me more aware of my skin's reaction to deodorants and the way my body smelled with different brands. If you don't have any sensitivities to bentonite clay or apple cider vinegar, it's definitely worth a try, at least for the soft pits!
Do you have any questions about the armpit detox? Have you ever tried it before? What are some of your favorite all-natural deodorant brands? Could you live without an antiperspirant?
How to Make Your Own Armpit Detox Mask (DIY Armpit Mask)
DIY Armpit Detox Mask
A DIY mask for your armpits.
Serves 1
Ingredients: Apple Cider Vinegar, Bentonite Clay
Instructions: Mix equal parts of each ingredient together. Smooth onto armpits. Keep arms lifted until the mask begins to dry (about 10-15 minutes). Note: I like to sit on the floor with my elbows propped up on the coffee table. Rinse off the mask.
A DIY mask for your armpits.
Serves 1
Ingredients: Apple Cider Vinegar, Bentonite Clay
Instructions: Mix equal parts of each ingredient together. Smooth onto armpits. Keep arms lifted until the mask begins to dry (about 10-15 minutes). Note: I like to sit on the floor with my elbows propped up on the coffee table. Rinse off the mask.
