Don’t sweat it baby
I know that there are people in the community that swear they don’t sweat; they might think themselves ‘too ladylike’ to do anything like ‘that’!
There aren’t many of those type of people around these days as sweating it out at the gym is seemingly something desirable (guess you can figure out that I am not a gym junkie from that statement).
But whoever we are and whatever we do, we all sweat.
What is sweat though?
Sweat is a watery fluid that contains substances such as proteins and lipids; it is produced by up to 4 million sweat glands located all over the skin on your body. Apocrine-glands However, sweating that is triggered by emotions or stress only happen in certain areas of the body, such as the armpits, palms and head.
Our skin has two types of sweat glands: apocrine – found mainly in the armpit area – and eccrine glands, which are found all over the skin surface. Perspiration, or sweating, is controlled by the body’s autonomic nervous system – the part of our nervous system which is under involuntary or ‘unconscious’ control.
The apocrine glands produce sweat when we feel strong emotions, stress, pain or exercise and the sweat from apocrine glands is responsible for producing the smelliest body odour. But on a very interesting note, it’s not really our sweat that smells. What causes that odour is the bacteria that start munching on proteins in the sweat. They break down the proteins into acids and that’s what smells.
The eccrine glands are the most abundant type of sweat gland and found all over the skin and release a dilute salt solution which is composed of 99 per cent water – this kind of sweat is what gives us a ‘wet’ feeling and is key in keeping the body cool via thermoregulation. The eccrine glands release moisture through the pores of the skin typically as a reaction to heat, fever, physical exertion or fear.
We can’t control how our body reacts to heat, physical stress, emotional stress or any of the other things that cause us to sweat, and nor should we, as sweating is normal and healthy. It helps keep us to keep cool and works towards preventing overheating; it keeps our pores clear, reduces the chance of kidney stones and may help to fight skin infections.
But when our sweat causes embarrassment to us or discomfort to others because of odour we emit, we should be looking for some kind of intervention.
Supermarket shelves are lined up with all different kinds of deodorants – sprays, roll on’s and sticks; those that keep your underarms smooth, those that won’t show on black clothing, those that will keep you fresh for up to 48 hours, and even ones that will give your underarms a pearl like sheen – the list goes on and on.
While it is quick and easy to grab one of these from your bathroom cabinet and give your armpit a quick spray or roll of product, do you really know what ingredients these products use to ‘control’ your sweat and odour?
Have you ever noticed yellow staining from your clothes from your deodorant? Other than the annoyance about the discolouring of your clothing, have you given much thought as to why this has happened? The culprit for staining your clothes yellow is a neurotoxin that has links to increasing Alzheimers – Aluminium.
As well as chemicals that are said to control sweat and odour, there are also propellants that make your deodorant blast out of a spray can, not only blasting on to your skin, but also putting fumes in the air that you breathe in.
On checking my bathroom cabinet, I found that the deodorising products we had for our personal use mentioned the following –
An aersol deodorant – Ingredients – Butaine, Aqua, Isubatane, propane, Cyclomethicone, Aluminium Chlorohydrate and a whole heap of other chemicals I have never heard of before. Then there was the ‘danger’ warning – extremely flammable aerosol that needs to be protected from sunlight and not exposed to certain temperatures.
A stick deodorant – Ingredients – Alcohol, Denat, Propylene, Glycol, Tetrasodium EDTA, Yellow 10, Green 5 (colours?) Warnings – flammable, do not apply near flame, do not apply to broken skin, keep out of the reach of children, use only as directed.
A roll-on deodorant – This one is even more interesting as it has a label on the back that shows a barcode and the words ‘Lift label for ingredients’. Firstly, the label was pretty difficult to ‘lift’ so it’s not something you would be doing in the supermarket. Secondly, when you get that label off, the print is tiny. If you can read the print, you will find that there are no ingredients listed at all – I think that is even more scary that being told, and not understanding, what the ingredients are!
Luckily our Aussie friends at Woohoo have released a 100% natural – GET THAT? NATURAL – and healthy deodorant that works all day, even on the most sensitive skin. Woohoo understand that sweating is good for you – this is why the deodorant paste is NOT an antiperspirant that blocks pores and prevents sweating. Instead, the Woohoo All Natural Deodorant Paste works by neutralising odour produced in our sweat and keeps us dry by constantly absorbing moisture. Suitably scented to appeal to men and women, the Woohoo All Natural Deodorant Paste is fast acting, vegan friendly, packaged in 100% recyclable materials and even comes with a handy plastic spatula for an easy and clean application. And would you believe you can even apply it to your feet to combat foot odour?
Woohoo is 100% natural, healthy, sensitive skin friendly and IT JUST WORKS (… ALL day). It is fast acting, long lasting, absorbs moisture, is non-greasy and non-sticky, doesn’t sting after shaving, and its refreshing unisex fragrance is suitable for men and women. Woohoo is also vegan, Australian owned and made and not tested on animals.
The hardworking natural deodorant is available nationally via stockists and online for AU $17.95
