Dealing with armpit sensitivity? Ditch the baking soda & follow these five all-natural tips for combatting any underarm discomfort!
So a few weeks ago, I had some pretty uncomfortable bumps & redness show up on my armpits. They were inflamed, itchy, & didn’t feel great when I wore something tight around the area & began to sweat. Immediately, I knew the armpit sensitivity was most likely coming from my natural deodorant. Yes, I use an all-natural deodorant, but the majority of natural deodorants on the market contain baking soda as one of the main ingredients. Now baking soda in itself isn’t harmful, as long as it’s aluminum free – but be warned, it can definitely cause some sensitivity in the armpit region!
Ever since I’ve switched over to natural deodorant, I’ve used Schmidt’s Naturals. I love their brand, formula, & their scents are amazing! I was aware they had options for fragrance free deodorants, & a line specifically designed for sensitive skin, but I never seemed to need or thought I needed it until recently!
Schmidt’s formulates their sensitive skin line without baking soda, which turns out, is way more soothing for the underarms.
Before we go on, be sure to read my post on the benefits of switching over to a natural deodorant! The post goes into detail about everything you need to know about making the switch, why antiperspirants are harmful, what to expect during an armpit detox, toxic ingredients to be aware of, & more!
Some people may already know that they have a baking soda allergy. The irritation might also just be a result of shaving, heat, sweating, clothing rubbing on the area, + all the deodorant slathered on top. That’s at least what it was for me. I don’t have a known baking soda allergy, but my skin is very sensitive, so you never know! But I do think it was a mixture of my sensitive skin & everything else just mentioned that caused my uncomfortable irritation.
So after figuring out what the issue was, I headed to my local Marshall’s (where I find all of my favorite Schmidt’s scents) & turns out, they had some of the sensitive skin formula! They didn’t have any fragrance free options, but I didn’t mind because I do like a bit of scent when it comes to my deodorant. I picked out two scents, the Coconut Pineapple & the Jasmine Tea. Like all Schmidt’s scents, they smell divine!
And they work!
My armpit sensitivity & irritation disappeared almost instantly after switching over to a baking soda free formula & implementing the five tips below! I was thrilled, because there isn’t anything worse than feeling hot, sweaty, & uncomfortable LOL! So since dealing with the whole armpit ordeal, I wanted to put together a list of things to beat armpit sensitivity. I also had a handful of people reach out after I talked about it on my IG stories. So I know I’m not the only one that has dealt with it!
5 Tips For Dealing with Armpit Sensitivity!
1. Check your ingredients!
Your discomfort might be a reaction to the toxic ingredients or just a result of clogged pores due to the aluminum found in antiperspirants. Without sounding to “preachy,” I highly recommend looking into making the switch over to a natural deodorant. We apply deodorant to such a sensitive area, especially women! Armpit health is directly related to breast health. In my 10 Toxic Ingredients post, I brush upon how there are ingredients found in common care products such as deodorant found in breast cancer tumors.
If you’re using an all-natural deodorant – good for you!! But you might be sensitive to the baking soda, like I was! So look at the ingredient list & go from there!
2. Give your armpits a good detox mask!
It’s always a good idea to give your armpits a good detox every once in a while! There can be a lot of buildup that formulates in our armpits & they rarely get a break! My favorite way to detox my armpits is by doing a bentonite clay armpit mask – find the recipe & how to HERE!
An armpit mask can be really beneficial if you’re switching over to a natural deodorant for the first time! After you ditch the antiperspirant, you will most likely go through a detox period where your armpits & pores are just purging out all the nasty stuff. The bentonite clay does an amazing job of helping your body through that process!
3. Skip shaving!
This might sound pretty self explanatory but seriously, just give your pits a break. Skip shaving for a few days (like 3 or so) & that should help with any irritation as well. While you’re at it, check the ingredients of your shave gel, if you use any! Most shaving gels/cream contain some nasty ingredients that could be causing you irritation in the first place! I shave with an all-natural body wash or just exfoliate with my favorite Norwex body mitt before hand, & it does the trick just fine!
4. Dry Brush daily!
Although I recommend dry brushing, I don’t recommend doing it if your armpits are overly irritated because you don’t want to break any skin. But dry brushing is a great way to activate the lymphatic system & stimulate lymphatic drainage. We have lymph nodes in our pits, which is why common antiperspirants can be so harmful, because they have direct access to our bloodstream & lymphatic system with every application!
5. Check for fragrances!
Artificial & synthetic fragrances can be really irritant to sensitive armpit skin. Even some natural deodorant brands include artificial fragrances so it’s always important to read the ingredients! Another reason I love using Schmidt’s is because they do not use any artificial fragrance! Their scents are heavenly & it’s all due to essential oils! But if all else fails, or you don’t like fragrance in general, just stick to a fragrance free formula & you should be good to go!
Update: When first publishing this article, Schmidt’s Sensitive Skin formula did not include fragrance. As of 2021, their formulas now include fragrance which is a huge no for me personally. I made the switch to Beautycounter’s Clean Deo & have been extremely happy with the results. You can read my full review here!
Within days, I was (thankfully) able to solve all of my underarm sensitivities, & I can assure you, those five tips will be able to help you do the same!
What’s your favorite natural deodorant?
I learned something new today. I learned about dry brushing. I am glad that you are singing the praises of natural, aluminum free deodorant. 🙂 I switched several years ago because I learned about the harmful effects. Thank you!
Oh that’s so great! Thanks for reading Christina! xo