Natural deodorants have taken over the deodorant market by storm. Baking soda based natural deodorant for the general population and baking soda free formulation for those with sensitive skin has been the standard marketing message. The sensitive versions usually replace baking soda with either/or zinc oxide, magnesium hydroxide.

Did you know both these versions can hurt you?

Deodorants can hurt you in two ways. If you are allergic to a particular ingredient in the deodorant, it could cause rashes, blisters and bumps. I am severely allergic to coconut and if I use a deodorant with coconut oil or its derivatives, I will experience rashes and blisters in less than 8 hours. Before putting a new product to full use, perform a patch test in the inner fold of your elbow and observe it for 12-24 hours. Should it irritate you, stop using it immediately.

The second type of hurt is a chemical burn. This happens when your deodorant is too acidic or basic. Alkali burns hurt worse than acid burns. Most deodorants contain weak bases such as baking soda and magnesium hydroxide.

Magnesium hydroxide is very poorly soluble in water and sweat. Because of this nature, there is no free base available to cause a reaction and it gets neutralized easily. But theoretically if you let it soak in sweat for days, it will cause a reaction. This is why we recommend you take a shower or wash your underarms every day so that there is no residue from the previous application left in your underarms. We use magnesium hydroxide in Super Deodorant to balance the pH of the formulation and it is not the main active ingredient. Whereas baking soda dissolves in water and sweat better than magnesium hydroxide and will cause chemical burns irrespective of your skin type. Everyone is sensitive to baking soda and it is not suitable as a main active ingredient in skincare. 

In short, an ingredient like baking soda upon long term exposure will damage the protective acid mantle of the skin, leading to rashes and infections and will cause chemical burns too. If you were to experience a chemical burn, do not treat it yourself. You never know how the chemicals in the product you use to treat the chemical burn will react with your injury. An adverse reaction will worsen the situation. Consult your doctor instead.

Tips to safely choose/use your deodorant.

1) Read the label. If your deodorant's main active ingredient is an alkali, avoid it.
2) Irrespective of the ingredients or the formula, perform a patch test before putting the deodorant to full use. If you experience a reaction, stop using it immediately.
3) Wash your underarms once every day.
4) Do not treat chemical burns yourself. Consult your doctor.
5) When you introduce your underarms to a new product, you may experience lumps or bumps in your underarms. In most cases, it could be nothing and may go away in a day or two or it could be an allergic reaction or ingrown hair. Whatever may be the case, please consult your doctor and avoid self-diagnosis.

If you have learnt some tips and tricks over the years, please share it in the comments below.