How to choose the right deodorant?

Dampness under the armpits, stains, unpleasant odors...perspiration problems can be a real nuisance on a daily basis. How can you be sure you're choosing an effective deodorant that doesn't contain unhealthy ingredients? Polaar can help.

Sweating is completely normal and even vital for human beings: by evacuating sweat (composed mainly of water), the organism cools the body and regulates body temperature. That's why we sweat more when we exert ourselves, in summer or during a heatwave.

Without sweating, the body would experience episodes of hyperthermia - an accumulation of heat that is harmful and dangerous to health.

You might think that women sweat less than men, but it's not true! Sweating is not linked to gender, but to your DNA, which determines the number of sweat glands. It's worth noting that certain antibiotics and medical conditions (particularly thyroid disorders) can increase sweating. Hyperhidrosis, the name given to excessive sweating, results from a dysfunction of the nervous system. Sweat appears in excess under the arms, but also on the feet, face or hands, which become clammy for no apparent reason.

Apart from any sporting effort, sweating is not a very pleasant part of everyday life. The sensation of dampness and the rings that appear on clothing can be uncomfortable, and the unpleasant odours that accompany excessive sweating quickly become a nuisance, even a nuisance for you and those around you. They can even become a real handicap! It's important to remember that sweat, which is a mixture of water and sodium, doesn't smell in itself. It's the bacteria that develop and feed on its proteins that give rise to that pungent, unpleasant smell. Use of a suitable deodorant every morning is essential to avoid wet armpits and perspiration odors.

However, choosing the right deodorant is no easy task: this hygiene product is regularly criticized by the media and consumer associations for being harmful.

Roll-on, stick, spray, natural deodorant, anti-perspirant...You're lost when faced with the wide variety of products available, and that's perfectly normal!

First of all, it's important to distinguish between deodorant (which merely masks odors) and antiperspirant, which, thanks to its astringent agents, is able to reduce and regulate perspiration for a few hours. Of course, it's the antiperspirant that's most effective, since it gets to the root of the problem. The third alternative for extreme cases is detranspirant, if you suffer from heavy, excessive perspiration. This is a treatment recommended by doctors and dermatologists for severe hyperhidrosis.

Deodorant formulations are not always pleasant: some contain aluminum salts, others irritating preservatives like phenoxyethanol, endocrine disruptors like parabens or triclosan... And packaging that proudly displays the words "aluminum salt-free" often hides another reality: they've been replaced by lesser-known, but just as harmful ingredients! Choosing the right deodorant formula is all the more important as the product is not rinsed off (so it remains on the skin for a long time) and is applied to the underarms, a fragile area irritated by repeated shaving. The skin, thinner on this part of the body and often altered by razor burn, will therefore let the ingredients - both good and bad - pass through more easily. They then migrate through the body, reaching various organs. Their toxicity can have a real impact on health: studies have linked the use of harmful deodorants to an increase in breast cancer in women.

However, organic, homemade or minimalist deodorants aren't always pleasant to use: they don't spread well, don't smell right and don't always get rid of perspiration problems.