Why Do My Armpits Smell So Bad? 5 Reasons Why You Stink With Your Natural Deo

Today I will talk to you about a topic that many individuals have experienced after they started switching from conventional deodorants to natural and organic deodorants: Their armpits smell so bad.

Commonly, when people want to go a clean and healthy way with all the everyday products they use, they have to find alternatives.  If you do not want to use conventional shampoo, you cannot simply throw that out and never use shampoo again.  However, before you can throw the first one out, you need an alternative natural product that will have the same or better effect as the conventional one.

To switch from synthetic, conventional deodorants, you will be looking for natural and organic deodorants that will help you stay fresh throughout the day.Individuals that have made this switch, have frustratingly asked: Why do my armpits smell so bad?  They smell worse than when using regular deodorants.

You’re not alone in dealing with sweat-related problems. I have been managing and dealing with hyperhidrosis for over 2 decades now so I do know how hard it is. Read my story here.

I am going to cover that problem in this post, but before we do that, let’s look at a few other things to get the bigger picture.

Why Would You Switch To Natural Deodorants Anyway?

Maybe you have used synthetic deodorants for many years and have never given it a thought at all.  However, suddenly you read articles about chemicals affecting our health, you lose a loved one to a disease that could have possibly been prevented, your health is not optimal, maybe you were just curious about healthy living, and your view on every-day products changes.

At least that is what happened to me.  I never gave healthy eating much importance until the day I went to a nutritionist, just out of pure curiosity and because a family member had recommended it.

Out of the blue, I started to understand that our body is what we eat and to some degree what products we use.  I started giving all this natural and healthy trend more importance.  My view of many things changed rapidly.

You must know that I am a hobby gardener.  But when I first started out, I wanted to try something different than everybody around me did.  So I did my homework, did lots of research, and to my surprise, I found so much focus on organic gardening and green gardening.

My ideas about gardening changed rapidly and so did my view of food, products, chemicals, being eco-friendly, among others.  Can you see the connection?

Deodorant is a product that we use at least once daily and we never give much thought about where it comes from, what it is made of, and what effects it has on our health.

Your interest in ditching conventional deodorants may have been triggered by an event in your life, different from what I mentioned.  No matter what, whenever your view of certain things is changed by whatever events, you start to reflect on it.

So why would somebody start using natural deodorants?

There are a few things why you want to change to natural deodorants.  I will share a few with you.

1) For health reasons

As mentioned, the first thing is to consider what long-term effects conventional deodorants have on your health.

When using chemical substances on your body, you know that in one or the other way you are compromising with your health.

In recent years there is a trend about using clean products that will not have a long-term negative effect on your body.  Although in many cases, these products might not be as harmful as deemed, individuals want to be safe instead of sorry.

There is much debate about whether deodorants/antiperspirants are safe or not.  If you doubt the safety of these products as well, click here to read more about it.

2) Cruelty-free products

Most synthetic or non-natural products that we use on a daily basis have been tested on animals in some way.  Many people believe firmly that testing on animals is not correct and should not be done.  If you don’t know if a product is safe for humans, why put animals to the test, according to animal rights activists.

Therefore, these individuals opt for cruelty-free products, which means that the product has not been tested on any other than humans.

3) Eco-friendly reasons

We are all aware that the past century, exploitation of natural resources is alarming.  We slowly start to be aware of the fact that we slowly but surely destroying planet Earth.

So to stop this snowballing process, people start to make improvements in their lifestyle in order to do their small part.

Changing your deodorant, a small seemingly insignificant product, yet one that leaves a negative impact behind because it is used in huge quantities daily around the world, is a small step toward a better environment.

4) Products used in natural deodorants

One thing that nothing can beat is the fact that natural and top-grade organic products are used to make natural deodorants.  Whether it is beeswax, honey, avocado butter, coconut oil, essential oils, arrowroot powder, and many others in different combinations, that alone is reason enough to switch to natural deodorants.

You have no limit when choosing your best natural deodorant.  There are so many great options that have been proven to be effective because they were in most cases developed by home-makers that were looking for a different option.  Most of these products have been used by the makers for many years before they ever came into the market.  That gives them credibility.

What Happens When You Switch To Natural Deodorants?

When you transition from conventional deodorants to natural deodorants, you may find that you are sweating more than before and unpleasant odors are the norm.

It seems counterintuitive that the new deodorant would make you smell worse and that you would start to sweat even more.  Individuals that tried to transition have given up after a few days because they could not handle the excess sweat and unpleasant odors.  They threw the new natural deodorant out and went back to the conventional ones.

However, if you are transitioning, don’t give up.  The transition may take up to 30 days or more.

Why Do My Armpits Smell Bad?

Your skin was designed to prevent chemicals to be absorbed by the body.  So the skin continuously tries to push chemicals (deodorants) away and keep it clean.  However, since there is such a massive amount of deodorant used daily, there will be a build-up over time.

Even if you wash frequently and keep your armpits clean, you will have a build-up of chemicals and other stuff that your body does not want to absorb.

So when you start using natural deodorants, your body will finally be able to slowly get rid of whatever is built-up from years.

Deodorants change your microbiome in your pits completely.  Since deodorants kill bacteria, some bacteria will be eliminated and other bacteria will still survive and reproduce.

Therefore, some beneficial bacteria might not even be there anymore and other bacteria that you do not want to have in your underarms might be there.

This whole disbalance in your microbiome causes unpleasant odors and excessive sweating.  Also, since all the built-ups are coming out, it takes a while until your body gets rid of all these chemicals.  As you see, it will take time to be established again before your new natural deodorant will be effective.

If you are transitioning and you experience these unpleasant odors, hang in there for some more time for your body is adjusting and not rejecting the new deodorant.  Some people report that it took 2 weeks to transition, others report well over 30 days.  Others report that they did not notice anything when switching from conventional to natural deodorants.  Your body knows exactly how to deal with this change and in its own time, it will be done.

What Can You Do In The Mean Time?

So how can you get through this transitioning phase?  There are few things you can do to not get too frustrated and maybe even speed up the process a bit.

1) Wash frequently

Wash with warm water, adding a generous amount of soap, which you can let sit for 30+ seconds.  This will help reduce bacteria that are living there.

2) Keep your pits dry

Bacteria thrive in moist environments.  If possible, keep your armpits dry.  Dry off well after washing, also dry them with a paper towel during the day.  That will help reduce bacteria and help your body adjust well to it.

3) Exfoliate the skin

One thing that surely helps is to scrub your armpits gently with a brush, a loofah, or body sponge.  That will take dead skin away, which will speed up the process of adjusting.

Since dead skin is built up over time, with bacteria in it, you can definitely aid these unpleasant odors.

4) Use your new deodorant

Use the new deodorant regularly.  The natural substances in it will help the transitioning go faster.  Since most natural deodorants contain essential oils, you will find that these reestablish the microbiome quicker.

5) Don’t give up

If there is one thing you cannot do, it would be giving up.  As said before, this is a process and it takes a while until you can enjoy the natural deodorant and until it is effective.  Therefore, stay tuned to what you have set your mind to and you will see that your body will adjust in a matter of time.

These small steps you can take to help your body transition into the new deodorant.

Conclusion

Switching from conventional deodorants to all-natural deodorants is not only an option but is highly recommendable, since you are doing your health as well as our planet a huge favor.

However, it takes time and dedication to make this important change. Many individuals are so happy after changing this small product.

There are so many good options when looking for an all-natural, organic deodorant.  For example, Underarmed is one deodorant that we have been using in our family and we like it very much.  It comes all-natural, organic, with a 60-day money-back guarantee, and other awesome features.

All kinds of combinations of products and scents can be found in the various natural deodorants, each one unique in its own way.

I have dealth with excessive sweating for many years, which is also about sweating very bad in your armpits all the time.  Click below to read more about my story.

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Have you experienced the transitioning from conventional to natural deodorants?  How was the process?  Similar to what I described?  How long did it take?

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