When picking the best deodorant for yourself or your teen, it is important to remember a few things. It has got to be effective smell good and be safe. Mainstream deodorants and antiperspirants can have potentially dangerous chemicals such as:

Parabens: which have a lot of different uses in a wide variety of products and even food, the primarily use is as a preservative, anti-fungal and for its bactericidal effects. There is thought to be a link between using deodorants containing parabens and breast cancer. The way it was explained to me is that parabens can mimic the hormone estrogen which has been verified to play a role in breast cancer.

Aluminum: There is a thought that the Aluminum contained in antiperspirants may be linked with Alzheimer's disease. What researchers have found is that some forms of aluminum when found in the brain can cause the neurological damage associated with Alzheimer's disease. Whether or not the aluminum found in antiperspirants cause increases in aluminum content of the brain, still needs to be determined. Aluminum is one of the most toxic substances to humans. Aluminum damages nervous systems in both infants and adults. It is linked in anemia, osteomalacia, glucose intolerance, memory deficits, and Alzheimer's, Lou Gehrig's (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), and Parkinson's diseases. They do know that aluminum is extremely toxic to the human nervous systems and should be avoided. Humans also absorb aluminum through the skin: a 2001 study showed that aluminum was still present in blood samples 15 days after one application of aluminum to the armpit.

So a natural deodorant may end up being a much better choice. I have found Varsity Naturals Teen/Adult Deodorant to be very effective and keeps me feeling fresh and odor free all day. You can find them at www.teendeodorant.com