Your body should have fully adjusted to natural deodorant. It can take up to 30 days for your body to regulate itself, though for some people the detox stage is shorter or longer. You can now continue using natural deodorant every day to neutralize the smell of daily body odor.
By stopping use of an antiperspirant, Dr. Zeichner notes that your skin's natural microbiome can potentially reset. "Antiperspirants work by lowering levels of odor-causing bacteria that live in the underarms," he says.
Expect to Detox
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.
When you ditch the standard deodorant and switch to natural, your body may go through some stuff that could be rather unpleasant. Since you're no longer blocking your sweat glands and shrinking your pores with antiperspirant deodorant, your body has to relearn how to sweat naturally. This can take up to 30 days.
Showering a few times a week, especially after you exercise or do other activities that make you sweat, may be enough to rid you of body odor without drying out or irritating your skin. After your shower or bath, apply an antiperspirant and deodorant.
These glands release a milky fluid when you are stressed and are odorless until they come into contact with bacteria. Hair is particularly prone to trapping bacteria, which is why men are more likely to smell even after showering. In other words, lingering underarm odor is caused by enduring bacteria.
With a little patience, I discovered it is possible to wean your body off of the chemical antiperspirants. I rarely notice issues with excess perspiration or stinky pits, even after my heavy workouts. It's time we really take notice of what we're putting on our bodies just as much as we care about what we put in them.
You may need to switch scents/formulas
Sometimes, the effectiveness of natural deodorant rests entirely on the formula or fragrance and your body chemistry. If you try a scent and you find you are smelling even worse then you probably need to switch to a different scent profile.
Research has found that the salts in antiperspirants can cause an imbalance of bacteria. The aluminum compounds kill off the less smelly bacteria, giving the smellier bacteria more opportunity to thrive, causing more body odour.
When you stop using antiperspirant you will experience a substantial increase in growth of odor-causing bacteria in the underarm area. You may also feel additional moisture because your body is sweating, which is completely normal and natural.
Bacteria on your skin cause body odor. It's completely normal to have a natural body odor and isn't necessarily related to how much you sweat. Sweat itself is odorless. Some medical conditions, genetics, being overweight or eating certain foods could make you more susceptible to bad body odor.
Most armpit detoxes use a homemade mask of bentonite clay and apple cider vinegar. Some also include water to dilute the vinegar. Others use equal parts bentonite clay and coconut oil for a more soothing, hydrating mix that still has some antibacterial properties, thanks to the coconut oil.
"Everybody's underarms sweat, even at rest with no activity or stress," he says. "And if you go for a long time without using antiperspirant, you'll still have the normal amount of sweating." Sadly, the same goes for odor: "It's going to happen without deodorant."
While in the shower fill your hand with hydrogen peroxide and splash and rub it into each of your underarms. At the end of the shower you may rinse it off with water only (This will kill some of the bacteria and is effective) Shave or remove your underarm hair (this decreases sweat production)
The bottom line
Body odor naturally changes as you age. For older people, this change in smell is likely due to an increase in levels of a compound called 2-nonenal. No matter the cause, there's no reason to run from these changes.
Giuseppe. "When switching from an antiperspirant to a deodorant, you are removing the aluminum and releasing waste which has been blocked. This is a natural process as part of our body's built-in mechanisms, but it may contribute to releasing some slightly unusual body odor in comparison to what you are used to.
As you make the switch to a natural deodorant, your armpits will go through a detoxing process, which is going to lead to some . . . um, stink. You can expect the transition period to last anywhere from two to four weeks.
For most people who report experiencing an adjustment period, it can be anywhere from 2-4 weeks. And then there are some lucky folks that adjust right away! The moral of the story is to stick it out, at least for one month to see if it will work for you.