Is There Any Reason Not to Wear Deodorant?

Ever since I hit puberty (just a few years ago), I’ve applied deodorant every day. I think I used the Secret brand when I was young–that’s what Mom bought for us–and as an adult I switched over to All Spice Pure Sport.

Really, I’ve never questioned the idea of wearing deodorant. It’s deeply embedded in my head as a necessity, and it’s part of my daily routine. I use it without even thinking about it after my daily morning shower.

But a few things occurred to me recently, mostly due to the fact that I work from home:

  • It’s common for me to go an entire day without seeing another human being.
  • I rarely sweat, even when I’m active.
  • Most days, I’m not particularly active–I sit or stand at my desk for 14+ hours.

Given those factors, why do I wear deodorant on days when I don’t interact with other people? Is there a medical reason for it? Because if the only reason is to mask body odor for the benefit of others, why use it when I’m going to be alone all day?

To take it one step further, is it possible that it’s actually better for me to not wear deodorant on those days? Something about fewer chemicals being absorbed into my body?

I doubt I’ll stop using deodorant on days when I’m alone. It’s part of my routine, I like the smell, and there’s always the chance of interacting with someone even on days when I don’t expect it. But I’m curious if it’s something I should question.

10 thoughts on “Is There Any Reason Not to Wear Deodorant?”

  1. Isn’t Secret the one that used to claim to be “strong enough for a man; pH balanced for a woman”?

    Also, I too have been thinking about deodorant and it’s affects on the body for some time. I can’t deny that it keeps me from having underarm odor when I sweat (and I get the antiperspirant kind that supposedly reduces sweat as well), but for the last couple of years, if I take a shower at night, know I’m not going anywhere, and know I’m going to need another shower sometime before lots of social interaction (e.g., if I’m doing physical labor around the house the next day), I’ll skip it. I feel like my armpits deserve a break. Yours probably do too.

    In August, when I hike the John Muir trail, I’m not bringing deodorant. People trying to keep their pack weight low do not bring it and some others follow suit. I’m looking forward to three weeks of underarm freedom.

    Reply
  2. For the past two years I’ve hardly been wearing any deodorant. When I do, I apply a narutal non-anti-perspirant brand.

    Here are a some of the reasons why (mix of decisions between stuff I read and heard, and some personal beliefs too; therefore take lightly):

    – Anti-perspirant is not good for the pores of your underarms. It doesn’t allow for the secretions to traverse the skin and exit the body. If your body wants to evacuate it, there is a reason.

    – Sweat in itself supposably doesn’t smell. A chemical reaction occurs between sweat and another molecule. This other molecule is said to be secreted only when you are stressed.

    – I believe that our body’s adaptation capabilities far exceed what we think. I think that the body can adapt to not having any more deodorant applied for some time (such as when you deprive your boy of glucose and you it switches to using different substances for energy, such as ketone bodies). For the first few months of not putting any on, my armpits did smell quite a bit. But over time, it has greatly reduced. I’ve asked people (ex-girlfriend, brother, brother’s girlfriend, etc.) if I’m just unable to smell it because it is my body or if it actually doesn’t smell. They all confirmed it didn’t smell.

    – I shaved my armpits. Since then the smell has drastically gone down. I think the axillary hair get imbued with some of the sweat over the years and is responsible for part of the smell.

    On days where I do have a stressful event (if I am interviewing someone, for example), I will end up sweating a bit and some smell might come with it. On those days I put on some natural deodorant.

    Reply
    • Thanks for your insights, Jonathan! You’ve put a lot of thought in it. I like the idea that our bodies adapt to the things we put on them (or don’t put on them)–that makes sense.

      Reply
  3. I’ve actually been thinking about this a lot for some reason. Maybe because the weather’s heating up in NYC, and you get the raised arms hanging onto the rail in the subway. Living here, especially, it seems that in the last year or two, I’ve noticed more and more people are obviously not wearing deodorant. Maybe because of the whole “anti-perspirant has aluminum in it which can possibly cause Alzheimer’s” scare, which I think was a thing at some point. But that’s really the only possible health risk I know of. But if you’re wearing deodorant and not anti-perspirant, that’s not even a risk. This post made me think about how much time I sit at my computer, not interacting with people. Maybe it’s good to take a break from using deodorant on days you know you’re going to be at home alone? Let your skin breathe. Is that even a real consideration? Sorry, just rambling but it’s an interesting sort of historical and sociological question in a way–when did deodorant as we know it now come into existence and when did it then become the norm?

    Reply

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