Our bodies deserve to be embraced, not feared.
Sweat is a natural bodily function that has (for too long) been presented as a social faux pas. If you're doing it at the gym, fine, but out in the real world it's yet to be properly embraced.
We can feel the tide turning however.
Bowel movements, intestinal issues and variations in one's poop are no longer the taboo conversational topics they once were. This is largely thanks to increased awareness of Gut-Health, and in particular the 2015 book Gut: The Inside Story of Our Body's Most Underrated Organ by the amazing Giulia Enders (seriously, check her out, we love her so much).
Much in the same way that gut-health awareness is growing, so too is pit-health awareness (our domain). Again this is largely thanks to increased research and education that help to dissipate the fear concocted by marketers.
Through callous promotions, exploitative marketers have preached that perspiration equals BO (not true), and that we NEED to fight it with heavy duty chemicals. We don’t like these messages; so we’re fighting back with knowledge.
We believe that the more we educate ourselves about our bodies, the more in-tune with them we become and the less there is to fear.
It’s that easy, no sweat. Well, actually…
Sweat is best thought as comprised of two distinct groups, which are produced from two different glands. Eccrine glands are found all over your body, but in more concentrated clusters on your forehead, palms and soles of your feet. The perspiration produced is clear, watery and odourless and helps to control our body temperature.
Unlike most mammals, which cool down by panting, humans perspire. Much more than just a unique special talent however, sweating has even been discussed by evolutionary scientists as a contributing factor to our world domination.
Apocrine glands are more common in places with an abundance of hair follicles, such as your armpits and genitals. The perspiration that forms here is oily and contains fats and proteins. This liquid is also odourless, however upon interacting with the millions of bacterial organisms living on your skin, can bring on that all-too familiar BO funk.
This perspiration serves many different functions, from boosting immune systems, to luring lovers, to sharing emotions.
Similarly to Gut-Health, you are supposed to have a ‘healthy’ community of bacteria living in your pits; Staphylococcus, Corynebacterium, Propionibacterium and Micrococcus, are just some examples. Maintaining the right balance is very important, as a disproportionate amount of any of them can result in some heavy-duty pong, while conversely their absence can lead to health defects.
Your daily self-care routine can have a dramatic effect on who’s occupying the house and whether they are responsible tenants or not. Antiperspirants, deodorants and natural deodorants all set out to combat body odour in different ways. Unsurprisingly, they each impact your pit health differently too. You can read more on that here.
At the end of a long road of education, research and trials, we’re advocates for natural deodorant. We think that for too long certain marketers have used fear to push us towards their ‘solutions’ (aerosols, roll-ons, metallic sprays) and this often exacerbates, or down-right causes, the issues sought to resolve.
Our approach, is to start with understanding; because the more we understand, the less we have to fear.
