How many of you have actually taken down a deodorant container and read the deodorant ingredients? Most folks have not, because not only are they pretty much not interested because they figure the product has been tested and proven safe for use, and must work pretty well because it is still being sold; but also, most folks cannot pronounce or understand what the ingredients are anyway, so they figure, why bother.
Deodorants have become an integral part of our lives as our cultured society has progressed through the ages, mainly because people meeting people and interacting with them became more aware of how they presented themselves to the other person and how they smelled. Freshness of face and body became more and more important in making a good impression, and if you smelled like a dead fish or left an aroma of rotted cabbage in your wake, then you were persona non gratis in the future, and success in society was hung out to dry as far as you were concerned.
Because the smells that emanate from a healthy, breathing, functioning individual are not really wanted by the majority of the public, so now in the deodorant ingredients being offered in the marketplace, we have something that can set us free from our own smelly humanity and make us societally acceptable. But the question raised now is, just what are these deodorant ingredients and how do they work?
The whole idea behind the putting together of deodorant ingredients and the mode of action for them to do their job is based on the absence or presence of bacteria. If bacteria are present on the skin and are alive and feeding and reproducing (as bacteria are wont to do); then the first plan of attack is to get rid of the bacteria, because they are the culprits that are living in and feeding off of the sweat on our skin and producing the odor that we are hellbent on getting rid of. So the chemicals and minerals that make up the preponderance of deodorant ingredients are designed to create a film on the skin that will be either acidic in nature, or salty. These two characteristics will prevent the bacteria from multiplying and from living at all, so without viable bacteria---you have no odor being produced. Simple.
Most deodorant ingredients do not vary that much from product to product, and the primary ingredient is usually aluminum oxide---which acts as a plugging mechanism to stop the escape of toxins and sweat from the pores of the skin. There have been numerous studies done in which aluminum oxide was on trial as being a contributor to the rise in Alzheimer's disease, but so far, no conclusive proof exists to sway the argument for or against that statement. A large percentage of sufferers of the disease have high concentrations of aluminum in their brains when diagnosed, but the link to deodorants, or more specifically---aluminum oxide----as yet has not been proved.
Another of the more common deodorant ingredients is silica, and its job is to cut down on the greasy feeling that many oils and emollients that are also in the deodorants produce. Emollients make the product smooth and cut down on water loss from the skin while alcohols act in a different manner when they are used as a carrying medium in the product, because they dry very quickly and denote a sensation of coolness when they come in contact with the skin. The final list of ingredients include perfumes and fragrances of all sorts, depending on the brand, so that the feeling of freshness and that sought after pleasant smell will be there.
One final thought on all this, and that is, if you are looking for an alternative method of odor control because you don't like the idea of applying so many deodorant ingredients every time you get dressed; then the crystal route is probably the one for you. Crystal deodorants are found as crystalline formations in nature, and are minimally processed to make them accessible to you. The main ingredient is alum which is a drying agent, and can be a very effective deodorant for most people without all the fragrances and chemicals and other deodorant ingredients that turn so many people off. The world of deodorants and odor control is a big one, but there is a solution out there for everyone if you just search for it.
Take control by finding out ways that you can stop sweating and put a stop to sweating face.
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