Why is magnesium such an amazing ingredient to use in non-toxic bodycare products such as our plastic-free Magnesium Deodorants? Let’s unpack the details of this wonder-mineral.

What is Magnesium?
Magnesium is the fourth most abundant mineral in the human body, and every cell requires it to function. Magnesium is found in the sea, earth, plants, animals, and, of course, humans. About 60% of the magnesium in your body is found in bone, while the rest is in muscles, soft tissues, and fluids, including blood.

What Does Magnesium Do?
Magnesium is involved in more than 600 of biochemical reactions in your body! Some of the biggies include:

- Energy creation: magnesium helps convert food into energy.

- Protein formation: magnesium helps create new proteins from amino acids.

- Gene maintenance: magnesium helps create and repair DNA and RNA.

- Muscle movements: magnesium is part of the contraction and relaxation of muscles.

Benefits of Magnesium
In addition to the essentials, magnesium has other possible benefits. These may include:

- Mitigating depression and PMS.

- Enhancing exercise performance.

- Improving sleep. 

Foods Containing Magnesium
Consult your healthcare practitioner about supplementing your magnesium intake, and in the meanwhile, these foods are incredibly magnesium-rich:

- Almonds:  24 grams per ¼ cup

- Avocado:  200 grams per medium avocado

- Black beans:  172 grams per cup

- Cashews:  30 grams per ¼ cup

- Dark chocolate (70–85% cocoa):  100 grams per 3.5 ounces

- Pumpkin seeds:  16 grams per ¼ cup

- Quinoa, cooked: 185 grams per cup

- Spinach, cooked:  180 grams per cup

- Swiss chard, cooked:  175 grams per cup

What Does Magnesium Do in Deodorant?
Remarkably, sweat itself does not necessarily possess an odor; it’s the bacteria on hair and skin that cause the unpleasant scents we associate with sweat. Magnesium’s main function in natural deodorant is to counteract odor-causing bacteria on the surface of the skin without impacting the layer of dermis where sweat glands, pores, and hair follicles exist.

If you are new to Alpine Provisions Deodorant, and if you’ve been using deodorants and antiperspirants made with aluminum, you might experience detox symptoms for a few weeks after you switch. The deodorant detox process is different for everyone. Common symptoms might include a temporary increase in odor and sweat. Stick with it! This means your body is releasing things that aren’t good for it.