What are you putting on your pits?

Let's talk about what we are actually applying to our underarms!

I am going to get personal today.

How are your armpits doing? Are you nervous that you sweat too much, or you feel like you are stinky all the time? 

Let’s have a quick chat about what you are actually applying to your pits every single day! 

First off, let’s get something straight…you NEED to be able to sweat! This is an extremely important part of your detoxification process. 

Did you know that sweating is actually a function that happens completely naturally via our nervous system.

Here is how it all works:

You have two types of sweat glands: 

Eccrine glands cover most of your body and are directly exposed/linked to the surface of your skin. 

Apocrine glands are different because their path to the surface of your skin goes through a hair follicle (think armpits, scalp, groin).

How do these glands actually work, and what are they doing within our bodies?

Each of the glands have different functions. Eccrine glands are actually involved in the Temperature Activated Sweating. When your internal body temperature starts to rise there is a message sent to your hypothalamus to tell the Eccrine glands to produce sweat. Beads of sweat are released out of the skin. What is super cool, your body knows the sweat is there so the increased body temperature actually then dries that sweat! How cool!

The Apocrine glands are part of the Emotional/Stress Sweating. Yup, the body has different forms of sweating. So, when our body hits that fight or flight mode the body sends a message to activate sweat production released by your Apocrine glands. This sweat can actually hold a stronger odor due to the fact that the Apocrine glands are connected to the hair follicles, which also create its own oils and fats that combine with the sweat. You will then release this sweat, oil, and fats out through the skin and it mixes with bacterias that are sitting on your skin….equals a bit more stinky!

BENEFITS OF SWEATING:

• Regulates your body temperature: This is really the only way to cool our body down. Think of it as our own internal air conditioning.

• Remove toxins from your body! Your sweat is mostly made of water, but it is also how we remove toxins from our body. This is a major part of your detox pathway. Sweating allows the body to remove nasty toxins like carcinogens, BPA, arsenic, mercury, and lead.

• Beneficial for your skin: Clears out acne-causing bacteria and inflammation – sweat has salts and electrolytes that are acidic. This creates an acidic barrier on the skin that makes it more resistant to bacteria known to cause inflammation and breakouts.

• Improves circulation – increased blood flow from sweating results in more nutrients being delivered to the skin

These are just a few benefits, but how do you really make sure that you are treating your sweat glands well, and really taking care of those pits of yours? First off, know that it is a good thing to sweat and let go of any self doubt and judgment…everyone sweats! It is a good thing!

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

• Switch over to a natural deodorant. My Favorites: The Clean Duo, Good Flower Farms Natural Deodorant and Primally Pure Deodorant

• Try to detoxify your pits once a month! Use a charcoal mask each month to help open up those detox pathways and cleanse those pores to get all the yucky bacteria and junk out of your pores!  This is also super important to do when you are switching over from your old traditional deodorant to your natural deodorant. Sometimes people don’t believe that the natural deodorant is working, but that is actually due to the fact that they are needing that detox transition! We are working hard to bring that PH of your pits back to normal.

LET’S DETOX OUR PITS!

1. Use a charcoal mask, my favorites are Counter+ Charcoal Mask, Charcoal + Clay Botanical mask from Good Flower Farms, or simply mix a bit of activated charcoal powder with some olive oil.

2. Take some warm water and scrub gently to the underarms to exfoliate the skin.

3. Use a Mask! Apply a small amount to your underarms and allow to sit for about 5-10 mins, and remove with a warm washcloth. A great tactic is to apply before getting in the shower and then when you are done washing your hair and body, finish off by rinsing off the mask. 

4. Apply your amazing Natural Deodorant of choice! You will notice if you do this once a month you will not continue to have the stinkies!!

Look, it's natural to sweat. We need to embrace it! This is one small step to take to make sure you are taking care of your body!

Who would have thought switching your deodorant would have THAT much impact on your whole entire body! 

I talk so much about starting with baby steps to bring us back to the foundations of our health. To know that just this one thing can have such a great impact is really quite fantastic!

Grab your mask, and take care of those pits!!!