What to expect during a deodorant detox (2024)

FAQs

What happens during deodorant detox? ›

Detox fundamentally means that toxins are leaving your body, which can have some uncomfortable side effects. You will sweat more than usual, and some people may notice more or a different body odour during the process.

“If you stop wearing deodorant or antiperspirant, you can develop a stronger odor over time,” Doyle said. “When you stop using (such products) and sweat more, this creates a breeding ground for bacterial and fungal overgrowth, which can cause odor to become stronger.”

If you've been using conventional deodorant or antiperspirant for years, it can take 2-4 weeks to detox and release all of the aluminum in your pits that's been preventing you from sweating. During this time, you might notice that you're a little more stinky than usual.

Antiperspirants may prevent sweating, but they do so by clogging pores and blocking sweat glands with aluminum salts in the process². A little exercise to break a sweat, and maybe a some time in a sauna, will help speed up the detoxification process as your body re-learns how to control bacteria on its own.

Body odor from alcohol detox is common. First, someone who is in withdrawal from alcohol will often experience profuse sweating. Sweating naturally leads to body odor, but the profuse sweating for days can produce a more potent odor.

How Often Should You Detox Your Armpits? To help with the smell and excess sweat from eliminating conventional deodorants and antiperspirants, you can do an armpit detox two to three times a week up to daily if your skin can tolerate it. It is ok to do it every day if it is helping and you get no irritation.

You should expect your armpits to smell a little pungent for the first couple of weeks. This is because your sweat glands are purging and getting rid of all of the built-up bacteria and chemicals that have been trapped whilst you've been using antiperspirants.

Should you take a break from deodorant? ›

“There is no need to take a break from deodorant, but if you are sweating so much that you need to use it multiple times a day, you should see a board-certified dermatologist who can recommend other options,” Lipner advises.

Your body odor is probably going to smell different, and potentially stronger, than what you're used to. That's because your body is simultaneously purging its sweat glands and recalibrating the balance of microscopic organisms that live on your skin. It's establishing a new normal.

It's just your armpits getting rid of bad bacteria and odour during the detox process. Remember, this is temporary. Once your body adjusts to the natural deodorant, the odour will decrease. Itchy Skin – Some people might experience skin issues like rashes or bumps as their pores begin to cleanse.

To do an underarm detox, use 1 tablespoon of bentonite clay (a natural, detoxifying clay) mixed with 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar, which has cleansing properties, and 1 teaspoon of water. Apply the paste to your underarms for around 10 minutes daily for a week or more until your underarm odor subsides.

“If you stop using aluminum, salt-based antiperspirants, your skin will naturally shed the aluminum from the sweat glands over time,” he says. When one writer went on an armpit detox, she experienced increased odor during the first few weeks. By week four, that odor had subsided.

As your body adjusts to your new deodorant, you will be going through a couple of different processes. First, your sweat glands will be purging any toxins from your system. And second, your underarms will also be recalibrating their balance of microscopic organisms.

A 2 to 4 week transition period can be expected when transitioning from antiperspirant to natural deodorant. Studies show that antiperspirant users experience a transient increase in odorous bacteria in the underarm area when they stop using antiperspirant. This is also referred to as detoxing armpits.

The Adjustment Period When Switching to Natural Deodorant

If you are just switching to natural deodorant, your body may need 1-3 weeks to adjust. But if you've been using antiperspirants your whole life, it could take a bit longer as the sweat glands in your underarms are going to go through quite the adjustment.

So, "taking a break from antiperspirant can help restore the natural diversity of bacteria on the skin and let the natural microbiome re-establish itself," says Dr. Zeichner. As for how long? One to two weeks, according to Dr.