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Paleo Diet Primal Is Your Deodorant Toxic Antiperspirant spray-min

Is Your Deodorant Toxic?

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When you put so much care and effort into your Paleo nutrition and fitness, are you equally aware of the health and beauty products you use, like your deodorant?

Deodorant and antiperspirant are something most people use – and apply directly onto their skin every day, but is commercial deodorant safe?

Shop brought deodorants often contain parabens – a chemical that has been associated with cancers. Deodorants often also contain aluminium, which is used to stop perspiration – but has been linked to dementia, brain disorders and breast cancer.

It is also common for deodorants to contain alcohol, which can be drying for some skin types.
While aluminium free and paraben free deodorants are available, these can still come with added alcohols or other chemicals that could build up in the body. There are many natural deodorants available, for example made from crystal stones. However – you could make your own natural alternative!

Deodorant For Women

Ingredients:

  • Five teaspoons of distilled witch hazel
  • 5mls (0.17 fluid ounces) of vitamin E oil
  • 10 – 20 drops of geranium essential oil
  • 10 – 20 drops of ylang ylang essential oil
  • 5 drops of clary sage
  • One small spritzer bottle

Directions:

Add the witch hazel into a small mixing bowl and then add in the vitamin E oil and blend it together using the end of a pipette, a teaspoon, or a small wooden spatula.

Next add the essential oils and remember to build them gradually until you have the desired scent. Once ready, pour into the spritzer body and use when need. This can be stored in the fridge for a cooling effect.

Deodorant for Men

Ingredients:

  • 5 teaspoons of distilled witch hazel
  • 10 – 20 drops of sandalwood essential oil
  • 10 – 20 drops of pine essential oil
  • 5mls (0.17 fluid ounces) of vitamin E oil
  • One small spritzer bottle

Follow the directions for the deodorant for women.

If preferred, just use the sandalwood essential oil on its own.

Solid Deodorant

Warning: Take care when heating and pouring the cocoa butter to ensure it doesn’t get on your hands as it will be extremely hot.

Ingredients:

  • 30g (1.05 ounce) of cocoa butter or shea butter
  • Essential oils as listed in the above recipes
  • 5mls of vitamin E oil
  • Square soap mould or massage bar mould

Directions:

Melt the butter in a saucepan by lightly heating it on a hob or in a microwave oven until melted.

Stir in the vitamin E oil and then added in the essential oils.

Pour the mix into soap or massage bar mould. For a smooth bar, use a soap mould.

Leave the bar to cool overnight and it will be ready to use the next morning.

Bicarbonate of soda can also be used for a simple, effective deodorant.

Note: Pregnant women should take advice before using essential oils.

Do you use commercial deodorant or antiperspirant – or perhaps you go without entirely? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this – and whether you’d try making a natural alternative – in the comments below.

Paleo Diet Primal Is Your Deodorant Toxic Antiperspirant spray-min

Is your bed bad for your health mattress paleo natural-min

Is Your Bed Bad For Your Health?

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Sometimes the simple things that we use in our everyday routine are things that we don’t think twice about – but can be very dangerous. Even more frustrating, when you follow an otherwise health Paleo lifestyle. Have you ever given any thought to the mattress that’s beneath you as you sleep each night?

Mattresses are often made with ployurethane foam (petroleum based material that emits formaldehyde), formalize (which is linked to asthma and lung cancer), and boric acid (roach killer). Formaldehyde is highly toxic and classified as a probable carcinogen. If you have a mattress like this, when you go to bed at night, you are lying in these chemicals. Mattress companies often claim that they have the best mattress – and they mainly focus on comfort. You will see several commercials advertising that their mattress will adjust to your back and help you get a better night sleep, but they never really mention just how clean and non toxic their mattress is, do they?

In 2005 a memory foam mattress was sent in to be inspected and the lab was able to find 61 different chemicals used in the mattress. Comfort doesn’t mean anything if you are lying in a pile of dangerous chemicals.

Is your bed bad for your health mattress paleo natural-min

What are some of the things that these harmful chemicals can cause?

It has been reported that a toxic mattress can cause respiratory problems, reproductive toxicity, allergies, asthma, SIDS, and many more complications. It’s scary to think that going to bed could be a dangerous activity!

Why would companies add these chemicals? They add them because they are flame retardants. In the 60’s, governments insisted that mattresses had to include flame retardants – and they had to pass flammability tests. It wasn’t such a huge problem when they first passed the law, but now companies are using more and more dangerous chemicals. Arlene Blum, a biophysical chemist stated “Instead of adding new fire retardant chemicals that may ultimately be shown to cause health problems, we should be asking whether we need to use these chemicals or if there are other ways to achieve equivalent fire safety.”

The mattresses that are being made today, especially some of the popular memory foam mattresses are considered to be more dangerous than the ones that were made within the past 50 years.

So what can you do about you mattress?

There are some companies that make organic natural mattresses. Before purchasing a mattress you want to triple check what exactly is in it. Some companies claim that they have a natural organic mattress – but are not willing to back it up. Companies have slowly started to realise the dangers that their mattresses are causing and are changing the chemicals that they are putting in mattresses – but this is not happening fast enough.

You are far better off getting a safe organic mattress. There are companies that sell mattresses that are completely natural and toxin free. Organic wool has natural fire resistant properties and it has been successfully used to pass flammability tests.
When you lie down to sleep at night the last thing you need to worry about is if it is safe or not. Night time is when you need to relax both mentally and physically. Don’t let your mattress ruin your health!

What type of mattress do you sleep on? Will you buy an organic mattress when you replace yours?