Serenity and Fire with Krista

Why You Should Stop Fighting Sweat: The Truth About Natural Deodorant, Hormones & Healing

• Krista Guagenti

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We’ve been taught to see sweat as something to hide, but what if it’s actually one of your body’s most brilliant design features?

In this episode, I’m breaking down the truth about sweat—how it’s connected to your hormones, your nervous system, and even your emotional health. We’ll talk about why blocking it with aluminum-based antiperspirants can throw your body’s balance off, and how switching to a clean, natural deodorant supports your skin microbiome, lymphatic health, and overall vitality.

💚 In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • Why sweat doesn’t actually smell (and what causes odor instead)
  • The difference between your sweat glands and what they reveal about your health
  • The real impact of aluminum and synthetic fragrances on your skin
  • How to make the switch to a natural deodorant successfully
  • My favorite spa-level rituals for post-sweat glow


At Panacea, we believe in healing through alignment—not resistance. And that means letting your body do what it was beautifully designed to do. So the next time you start to sweat, remember—it’s not something to fix. It’s something to honor. 💚

Use code Serenity10 to save 10% on your first hyperbaric oxygen or whole-body LED light bed session at Panacea Luxury Spa Boutique.

SPEAKER_00:

Welcome to Serenity and Fire, the podcast where wellness meets grit. I'm your host, Krista Guidenti, founder of Panacea Luxury Spa Boutique. Join me as we dive into the intriguing world of biohacking, clean living, cutting-edge spa trends, and the hustle, grind, and grit of entrepreneurship. From my personal battles with weight management, infertility, and a 30-year journey to create and launch my dream business, to building a sanctuary for those who have been touched by cancer. I'm here to share real talk, inspire big dreams, and spark a passion for holistic living inside each and every one of you. So let's dive in. Welcome back to Serenity and Fire. Today we're diving into sweat. I know, super gross, and you're probably thinking, who wants to talk about that? But we're going there, and here's why. Sweating is not only completely natural, but it actually says more about your health, your hormones, and your natural biological pathways than most people realize. I personally have always been a sweater ever since I was a little girl, all the way to today in my perimenopausal years. And I used to get super embarrassed about it, especially in a society like ours, where we're obsessed with being polished, perfumed, and perfectly dry. To be fair, no one likes smelling BO, including me, and no one wants to be around someone who's sweating profusely all over them. But we've been taught to view sweating, which is one of our most natural body functions, as something to be ashamed of. But what if we've been getting it all wrong? What if sweating is actually something to be coveted? What is this glistening salt tinge signal from our body actually telling us? And does it always have to be gross and stinky? But before we dive into all of that, let's first start with the fact that our bodies have about two to four million sweat glands, but not all sweat is the same. Most of your sweat comes from ecarine glands, the ones that help regulate your temperature. This is the light, watery sweat that cools you down after a sauna, after a long workout, or even after exiting a cold plunge. Then there are apocrine glands. These are found in your underarms, your grain, and other areas connected to scent and hormones. These glands produce a thicker type of sweat that's rich in lipids and proteins. And when bacteria on your skin breaks it down, that's when you get that odor. But here's the truth: sweat itself doesn't actually smell. It's clean, it's neutral, it's your body's way of helping boost immunity and release heat and emotional energy through the skin, which, as we know, is our body's largest organ. So why do we fight sweat so hard? Well, it's because modern culture has told us that it's messy, embarrassing, and unprofessional. And honestly, most of us associate sweating with odor, which feels pretty gross. That's where antiperspirants came in, especially the ones containing aluminum salts like aluminum chlorohydrate. These ingredients dissolve into your sweat ducts and form tiny plugs that physically block perspiration. In fact, did you know that antiperspirants are classified as over-the-counter drugs because they actually change how your body functions? Deodorants, on the other hand, are not the same thing. And that's one of the biggest misconceptions in the beauty aisle. Deodorants don't actually stop sweat. They simply reduce odor by targeting bacteria and balancing your skin's pH. But here's the tricky part. Many mainstream deodorants still contain aluminum compounds, parabens, or synthetic fragrances. So something that's marketed as fresh or clean can actually introduce unnecessary chemicals to an area of your body that's highly absorbent and home to major lymph nodes, key players in your immune system. Now, to be clear, sweat glands and lymph nodes do completely different things. Sweating is not detoxing, it's your body's cooling system. But when we constantly block that process, the skin's natural microbiome, the ecosystem of good bacteria, can actually shift. Warm, closed-off environments tend to favor odor-causing bacteria, and that's when we get that imbalance. So the issue isn't that antiperspirants clog your lymph nodes. It's that this delicate area contains thin, permeable skin, and many people, including myself, prefer to limit daily exposure to synthetic additives, especially aluminum and artificial fragrances. Switching to a natural deodorant is really about letting your body's natural systems do what they're meant to do while being mindful of what you're absorbing every day in your body. Clean formulations rely on ingredients like magnesium hydroxide, zinc, arrowroot powder, or essential oils to keep things fresh while letting the body breathe. At Panacea Luxury's Ba Boutique, we talk about healing through alignment, not resistance. The goal isn't to fight your body's design, it's to support it intelligently. And we talk a lot about creating environments for the body to heal, not to suppress its signals. And sweat is one of those signals. It's your body doing its job beautifully. So why do people always associate stinkiness with sweatiness? Odor happens when the delicate ecosystem under your arms, your skin microbiome, like I mentioned earlier, falls out of balance. When we use harsh antiperspirants, synthetic fragrances, or alcohol-heavy sprays, we disrupt that bacterial harmony. Then when the bacteria recolonize, odor often comes back even stronger. Switching to a natural deodorant is not about being trendy, it's about working with your body. It respects your skin barrier, supports a balanced microbiome, and allows your natural cooling system to function as it was designed. And yes, it's okay to sweat, it's okay to glisten, and it's okay to smell human. At Panacea, we view the body as a sacred ecosystem. Every drop of sweat is part of your body's intelligent temperature regulation, not something to fear, but something to honor. When you let your body do what it was built to do, you create space for balance physically, energetically, and emotionally. Your skin really is extraordinary, not because it detoxes, but because it communicates. Although sweat can carry trace amounts of certain substances from the body, like heavy metals, the quantity is negligible compared to what's processed by the liver and the kidneys. That's your true detoxification system. So when you sweat, you're not flushing out toxins, you're cooling, circulating, and recalibrating. Sweat helps regulate body temperature, keeps pores clear, and contributes to healthy-looking skin. You know that post-sauna glow that you feel if you're someone out there who likes using the sauna like I do? That's enhanced blood flow, delivering oxygen and nutrients to the skin's surface, the true source of that radiance. When we practice things like contrast therapy, where we alternate hot and cold treatments, blood vessels dilate and constrict, and that improves our circulation. This vascular workout is a well-recognized effect, and it's one that we visibly see in our guest complexions at panacea. That rapid temperature shift also stimulates the nervous system, leaving many people feeling both invigorated and deeply relaxed. Sweat also carries antimicrobial peptides that help defend the skin, and that's where helping to boost the immunity comes into play. It also flushes the pores and can have a gentle cleansing effect. But a little word of caution around that. If sweat remains on your skin, it can mix with oil and bacteria and lead to irritations and breakouts. I know for me personally, if I don't take off my sweaty clothes and get in the shower after I work out, I typically always get breakouts like around my sports braa. So a quick rinse after sweating, followed by hydration, is going to help keep your skin balanced. And while sweat does contain water and minerals, it isn't a primary source for the skin barrier. In fact, excessive sweating can actually dehydrate your skin. That's why a light cleanse and proper rehydration after your sessions are key to maintaining that glow. At Panacea Luxury Spa Boutique, guests who use our traditional sauna or especially our Himalayan salt saunas regularly notice clearer, more radiant skin and deeper relaxation, thanks to improved circulation, gentle emphatic movement, and nervous system calm. Pair those sessions with cold plunging or contrast therapy, and you create a true vascular rhythm. Vessels expand and contract, blood moves, and energy resets. It's one of the simplest, most powerful ways to feel grounded and alive. So while sweat isn't a detox in the clinical sense, it is a form of release, a ritual that really connects you to your body's rhythm and its innate intelligence. So let's talk about when sweat isn't typical. Sweat is one of your body's most honest signals, but sometimes those signals can get a little confusing. If you find yourself sweating excessively, even when you're not hot or active, you might be experiencing hyperhydrosis. This is when the sweat glands are simply overactive. It's usually harmless, but it can be uncomfortable and can definitely affect your self-confidence. Stress and anxiety, hormonal shifts, low blood sugar infections, certain medications, neurological conditions like Parkinson's disease, heart conditions, certain types of cancers like lymphoma, which can cause night sweats, or even your genetics can all play a role in causing hyperhydrosis. On the other end of the spectrum, where you're not sweating enough, that's called anhydrosis. And this can be a bit more serious because sweat is how your body cools itself. If you rarely sweat, even during heat or exercise, it can definitely lead to overheating or dizziness. And then there's stress sweat, that distinctive, strong scent we notice when emotions run really high, it's triggered by adrenaline, not temperature, which is why it feels different and is often more intense. So when should you see a healthcare provider? If the sweating interferes with daily routines or social life, if you're suddenly starting to sweat more than usual, if you experience night sweats for no apparent reason, or if the sweating is accompanied by other symptoms like dizziness, chest pain, weight loss, or shortness of breath, then those are all reasons why you would want to consult with a physician. At Panacea Luxury Spa Boutique, we teach clients to view sweat as feedback, not failure. If your body is sweating more, less, or differently than usual, it's not random. It's communication. Your job isn't to fight it, it's to listen and try to understand what's going on. So outside of these atypical situations that I mentioned with anhydrosis and hydrosis and stress sweating, there's something beautifully comforting about sweat. It's the body's way of saying, I'm alive. The body is so smart, and sweat is one of those signals that communicates what is going on with our bodies. So instead of covering it up, embrace it and listen to it. Sweating is strength, it's natural, and it's knowledge about your body, and knowledge is power. So the next time you reach for a deodorant, think about this and grab the natural deodorant. Your body will thank you for it. So here's your serenity and fire takeaway for today. If you're like me and you're a sweat house, just know your body isn't broken. It's actually brilliant. Sweat is not something to fix, it's something to celebrate. At Panacea Luxury Spa Boutique and through Serenity and Fire, I'm all about helping you look and feel your best. So every detail really matters to me, even your deodorant. For more clean living insights and spa level rituals that you can bring home, tune into my next episode and I'll be talking about how to detox your underarms safely and effectively, what really happens during the awkward transition period after ditching those aluminum-based antiperspirants, and how to shorten that with a few spa grade rituals and ingredients that actually work. Okay, that's it for today. As always, thank you so much for listening to Serenity and Fire. If today's episode inspired you, the best way to support the show is to follow, leave a review, and share these episodes with those that you love most. And don't forget to follow us on social too at Serenity and Fire. Until next time, keep balancing Serenity with Fire. I'm Krista Guigenny, and I'll talk with you in our next episode. At Panacea Luxury Spa Boutique, we don't just offer traditional spa treatments. We create rituals that relax your mind, restore your health, and rejuvenate your spirit. From biohacking technologies to advanced oncology trained care, everything we do is designed to help you heal on the deepest level with clean, holistic therapies, products, and amenities that are second to none. And right now you can experience two of my favorites our whole body LED lightbed or hyperbaric oxygen therapies. And as a thank you for listening, you'll get 10% off your first session when you use the code Serenity10 at booking. What is your panacea? Let us help you find it because true wellness isn't a quick fix, it's a ritual.