“Do deodorants cause cancer?” Dr Google doesn’t seem to know answer – Hayley Matthews

l’m in the middle of a personal journey to try to eliminate as many chemicals as possible – think coconut oil toothpaste, no SLSs, parabens etc and on my reading and researching journey I came across a lot of chat about deodorants.

Lots of people concerned about their health are switching to natural deodorants. Picture: PA

Many people are shunning the mainstream “no sweat/dry pits all day” products and opting for more natural methods. I know what you’re thinking. I must be stinking! Running about after a seven-year old and an eight-month old all day and not smearing even a hint of the big white scented stick on my underarms, reekkee-hoo!

Well, I have to admit I was a bit apprehensive myself when I decided to chuck out all my lovely smelling supermarket deodorants as I’d built up quite a collection.

I had several different scented roll-ons, sprays and cream deodorants in my drawer but every time I used any of them I always remembered a friend telling me in the mid-90s how she didn’t use them because of the fear of them causing cancer.

I’ve googled “do deodorants cause cancer” more times than I care to imagine and the answers vary drastically. Aluminium in the deodorants is frowned upon by many health-conscious people, as are many other chemicals and perfumes. However, I’ve also read some researchers who have written that there is no link between the two. I’m left confused to say the least.

I’ve mulled over the topic many times and have to admit, I’d rather not take the chance so have opted for a natural deodorant that to be honest has been a great find and has left my hairy pits smelling pleasantly of lavender and vanilla, even on the hot days.

I’d always seen the Salt of the Earth deodorants in health food shops and been quite curious about taking the plunge to Aluminium Chlorohydrate, Triclosan and Paraben-free pits but never followed it through.

That was until I was reading all the reports of people switching to natural deodorants who were raving about doing so and that was my mind made up, I decided to switch.

I’ve been using the Salt of the Earth Pure Aura natural deodorant for women and I’ve given Mr Hayley their men’s sandalwood deodorant spray but he still needs some convincing, I’ll get there though.

I have to admit I did keep a Nivea 48-hour protection in the top drawer just in case but I’ve never needed it and been aluminium-free for a good few weeks.

I love the fact that Salt of the Earth has 100 per cent natural ingredients, including soothing aloe vera and antibacterial honeysuckle, is Vegan Society-approved and not tested on animals, ticking all my ethical boxes.

There are many natural deodorants brands so I’ve got no excuse for turning back and the health food shops sell them for around a fiver. More expensive than your mainstream brands but I’ve been asking myself for a while “What is the cost of our health?”. Surely it isn’t even worth toying with. A good friend also said to me “pay cheap and you buy twice” and the older I’m getting I’m realising this more. This doesn’t fly with Mr Hayley, though, when we’re shopping for shoes but you can’t win every battle.

I don’t have tangible evidence that going natural on the underarm stick makes any difference to our health but one thing I am sure of is this. The fewer chemicals we inhale, digest, or absorb through our skin and in to our bloodstream, then surely the better for all of us