Breast Cancer Awareness Month: The Dangerous World of Hygiene Products

When we think of our daily hygiene routine, we don’t tend to think of the dangers that go along with them. Our deodorants are meant to help us get through a day at the office without offending anyone, just as talc is often used to help dry up offensive odors and leave us feeling clean and fresh.

Both of these common hygiene products have something in common however—they’ve been linked to breast cancer in women.

Talc and Breast Cancer

The link between talc and cancer has been well established. To be clear, it’s not the talc itself that is the problem. Pure talc is safe to use and completely inert, but it’s frequently found alongside other, more dangerous minerals when mined, and is very easy to contaminate. The most common of which is asbestos—not something you want on your skin.

It’s very difficult to keep talc pure, and the link between asbestos and cancer is very well established. It’s best to steer clear of any talc on your body anywhere, due to the risk of it being contaminated. Contaminated talc has been linked to ovarian cancer, and it’s no stretch of the imagination to believe it could cause harm to the breasts as well. It’s simply best not to apply asbestos to your skin anywhere, especially in an area that may be prone to cancer to begin with.

Deodorant and Breast Cancer

The link between deodorants and breast cancer has been less well explored, but there’s good reason to be concerned. Deodorant contains many potentially harmful ingredients, and is worn very close to the breasts.

Deodorants, in particular anti-perspirants, contain aluminum which forms a temporary plug in the sweat glands. The concern is that aluminum may also have estrogen like properties, which can feed cancer cells and accelerate the growth of any cancer there.

Parabens are also a concern due to their estrogen-like properties. Until this is better explored, we may not have a clear idea of how these different ingredients interact with cancer cells, but it may be better to avoid them if possible.

How to Avoid These Products

Fortunately, if you’re concerned about these ingredients and want to avoid them, there are new products on the market that don’t use talc, aluminum, or parabens to make them work. NAPRIM Natural’s Dusting Powder for example, can be used as a deodorant to help keep you feeling fresh and dry.

It can also be used in place of talc for the same effects, without using any of the dangerous ingredients. These powders have other benefits as well. Not only do they have no harmful components potentially linked to cancer, but they have ingredients that nourish the skin instead.

We all want to do something good for our bodies. Changing up our hygiene routine so our choices heal instead of harm, can be a great way to give back to the amazing body that carries us through each and every day.

Our bodies do a great job of taking care of us, it makes sense to give something back.

For more information on all-natural, vegan, talc-free products that are made in the USA, click here.