Your Natural Deodorant Alternative: Tea Tree Oil
It’s obvious that you wouldn’t want to swallow a spoonful of toxic cosmetic ingredients. But what many may not know is that smearing them under your arms in the form of deodorant or antiperspirant may be even worse.1
When looking for deodorant alternatives there are 3 common ingredients you should absolutely avoid:
- Aluminum: Aluminum is the active ingredient in antiperspirant that helps reduce sweat, however it has been linked to breast cancer.2
- Triclosan: Triclosan is a synthetic antimicrobial that has been banned by the FDA from soap products, however it still remains in other personal care products including deodorant despite scientific studies showing adverse human health effects associated with exposure.3
- Fragrance: Fragrance on a product’s label represents an undisclosed list of ingredients. Protected by The Federal Fair Packaging and Labeling Act of 1973, fragrance ingredients are considered a trade secret, allowing manufacturers to legally hide hundreds of toxic chemicals in this one word. A study by the EWG, found there were approximately 14 chemicals not listed on the label in the average fragrance product.4
Finding a healthy and chemical free alternative to deodorant that actually works can be tough. But there are plenty of simple and clean options that can do the job just as well, if not better than commercial deodorant sticks.
Tea tree oil is an essential oil that can be used for several purposes and makes for a great alternative to traditional deodorant. You might be surprised to learn that sweat itself does not actually smell. However, when secretions from your sweat glands combine with bacteria on your skin, a moderate to strong odor is produced. Tea tree oil’s bacteria-fighting properties help control underarm odor related to perspiration making it an ideal natural alternative to commercial deodorants and antiperspirants.8
Tea tree oil contains a number of compounds, including terpinen-4-ol, that have been shown to kill certain bacteria, viruses and fungi.5,6 Terpinen-4-ol also appears to increase the activity of your white blood cells, which help fight germs and other foreign invaders.7 These germ-fighting properties make tea tree oil a valued natural remedy for treating bacterial and fungal skin conditions, preventing infection and promoting healing.
Our Tea Tree Essential Oil Roll-on makes applying this oil as a deodorant easier than ever. Simply apply the roll-on directly to the underarms to deodorize and refresh. The roll-on is pre-diluted with fractionated coconut oil to 50% so it can be applied directly to the skin while still being strong enough to destroy the bacteria on your skin that causes body odor.
- Heid, Markham. "5 Things Wrong With Your Deodorant." Time 5 July 2016.
- Linhart, Caroline et al. “Use of Underarm Cosmetic Products in Relation to Risk of Breast Cancer: A Case-Control Study.” EBioMedicine vol. 21 (2017): 79-85. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ebiom.2017.06.005
- Weatherly, Lisa M, and Julie A Gosse. “Triclosan exposure, transformation, and human health effects.” Journal of toxicology and environmental health. Part B, Critical reviews vol. 20, 8 (2017): 447-469. https://doi.org/10.1080/10937404.2017.1399306
- "Not So Sexy Hidden Chemicals in Perfume and Cologne." Environmental Working Group 12 May 2010.
- Carson, C F et al. “Melaleuca alternifolia (Tea Tree) oil: a review of antimicrobial and other medicinal properties.” Clinical microbiology reviews vol. 19, 1 (2006): 50-62. DOI: 10.1128/CMR.19.1.50-62.2006
- Li, Wen-Ru et al. “The dynamics and mechanism of the antimicrobial activity of tea tree oil against bacteria and fungi.” Applied microbiology and biotechnology vol. 100, 20 (2016): 8865-75. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-016-7692-4
- Budhiraja, S S et al. “Biological activity of Melaleuca alternifola (Tea Tree) oil component, terpinen-4-ol, in human myelocytic cell line HL-60.” Journal of manipulative and physiological therapeutics vol. 22, 7 (1999): 447-53. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0161-4754(99)70033-3
- Kanlayavattanakul, M and Lourith, N. "Body malodours and their topical treatment agents." International Journal of Cosmetic Science vol. 33 (2011): 298-311. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2494.2011.00649.x
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