Posts Tagged ‘armpits’
OK. Where did I leave off?
Oh, yes. I was stinking up the place.
Off I headed to Whole Foods once again, the nearest store with the most natural, chemical-free options. There is a whole slew of natural deodorant options. The Crystal natural mineral salt deo. The Crystal helps to neutralize the bacteria that feeds off of your sweat, thus cutting down odor. (That’s how most all of the natural deodorants work, by trying to neutralize bacteria.) Tom’s of Maine’s line also works the same way, by using natural ingredients to reduce bacteria. I went with Tom’s of Maine Lavender scented Long Lasting care stick. It claims to work for 12 hours.
Try two hours. Maybe three, tops. I’m sorry, Tom, but I have to tell it like it is. My pits were ripe and nowhere near a field of lavender after a couple of hours. I was using this product in September & October, not too hot and not too cold here in New England, under normal circumstances. Cleaning house or raking the yard, it didn’t matter. I was disappointed. I love the Tom’s of Maine line and what that company stands for – and I know that it must work for somebody.
So I went back for another try. I was standing there staring at all these natural deodorants. They offered a plethora of organic natural ingredients: hemp, tea tree oil, organic essence oils like lavender. Pure plant and seed oils. Name it. There was a very crunchy granola looking employee working in that section. You know how Whole Foods has their employees who are trained and knowledgeable about their supplements, beauty products, etc. She approached me and asked if she could help. *Sniff sniff* She didn’t stink. Maybe she could clue me in.
“Have you tried any of these deodorants? I’m allergic to the regular stuff. I tried Tom’s but, you know…I was having to clean my pits and re-apply several times a day.”
She nodded her head and looked sympathetic. And very quietly said:
“They are all kinda that way. I’ve tried most of them myself. You just have to get used to cleaning and reapplying a few times a day.”
WHAT?! No way. I must have looked taken aback, she pulled a Nature’s Gate deo off the shelf and said “This one isn’t bad” I don’t want to start a collection of half-ass deodorants in my house. She tells me that Whole Foods, bless their hearts, would take it back even if I used it. My used deo? Yup. They take back most everything. Folks have returned dead floral arrangements and have gotten their money back. Nice policy. Because within 2 weeks I returned the Nature’s gate.
I still had the stick of Tom’s, not having kept my receipt. so I started to swipe tea tree oil on it then putting it on. That helped extend the protection a bit, but not too much. Tea tree oil has anti-bacterial properties. But it still wasn’t enough for me.
Then one day while cleaning my bathroom with vinegar and baking soda, it occurred to me to dip the Tom’s stick into the baking soda.
The heavens sang. Angels wept. Glory be, it worked. And it worked well. No kidding. The baking soda really knocked out odor. I did NOT stink all day. Nope. I put this one to the test over and over with great success. Yes, it leaves some white stuff on the inside of 
your shirt but who cares? It even helped with some of the wetness.
After getting online and checking it out, many people have figured this one out. There seems to be a question of aluminum in baking soda, so I bought Bob’s Red Mill organic baking soda. never hurts to be safe.
Then I started to poke around some more online. And I found Simple Mom. One of my new favorite places to land when sussing out advice on a whole host of topics. I clicked on the Green & Frugal living link to find just the article I was looking for on homemade deodorant and the reasons behind why we should avoid deos with parabens. Parabens are linked to cancer. See the FDA page on this here.
So I decided to try the recipe she provided. A mixture of Barlean’s virgin coconut oil, which is solid (a favorite of mine that you will see in 
many future posts) that I already had on hand, baking soda, and cornstarch. Virgin coconut oil anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and antiseptic properties. Mashed all together, and smooshed it onto an old deodorant container. Let it set. Next time I went to use it, bingo. That was the ticket. Easy to use.
Please note that coconut oil does start to melt at 76 degrees Fahrenheit. So in the warmer months in will be stored in the fridge. I also recommend putting it on and letting it absorb into the skin & drying a bit before putting on clothes. I noticed a tiny bit of oiliness on my shirts unless I let it dry first. Then, it was no problem. (I usually wear cotton shirts, nothing fancy. I don’t know if it would rub off and leave an oily mark on other fabrics. Let me know how it works for you.) I also have a container of baking soda and cornstarch in my bathroom cabinet with an old makeup brush. I dip the brush in and swipe a bit more on my pits, in addition to the coconut oil stick, if it’s going to be a particularly sweaty busy day. It even helps with wetness. I know this stuff works for me. I can be pee-yew free for a couple of days. How do I know?
Because I don’t bathe every day.
Helga, Live Green Mom, have you gone too far? You don’t cleanse yourself on a daily basis?
Until next time, folks, when I defend myself. Stay with me!
*SUMMER UPDATE* July 7th, 2010
I’ve been using my home made deodorant now since January. Now, I know it is easy to say it works well in cold weather, but how about in the hot summertime? I have no air conditioning and we have had a heat wave here on the east coast this past week. I am thrilled to report that this deodorant has stood up to my sweatiest & grimiest activities, from running around all day outside with the kids or mowing the lawn (with my Fiskars Momentum Push reel mower!) to cleaning the house, all while dripping with sweat. No stinky pits here, I even made my husband (bless his heart!) give me the sniffing over to make sure. You know how sometimes you can’t smell yourself. Maybe that’s only when you have bad breath. Whatever. To remind you, you do need to get used to having sweaty pits, this does not prevent sweating, but you don’t want to prevent sweaty pits. Your pits sweat for a reason, to help cool you down and move toxins out of your body. It took me a while but not too long to adjust to this. AND this deo does melt at 76 degrees, so do not make the mistake I made and forget about it in your medicine cabinet when it gets warm outside. What a mess! I keep it in the fridge, quite refreshing. Another note: if you think you are an extra smelly person and you might need some extra odor protection sometimes, you can dab on some tea tree oil first, then the home made deo. Tea tree oil is an anti-fungal, anti-microbial that will give you that extra layer of confidence should you need it. Now, I do not recommend this every day, since tea tree oil is strong and can be an irritant to skin. It can sting if you have just shaved, too. Health hazards that might come from using tea tree oil on your armpits for prolonged periods of time are still being studied. I have used it a few times and it works fabulously!
*Update* October 26, 2011 - I still use this, it still works, one of the best homemade products ever. I swear by it!
Anyone else tried this recipe? Would love to know how it worked for you!
My armpits clearly were telling me something. Something I didn’t want to hear and ignored for a long time.
Last winter while talking with a group of girlfriends, one of them started making monkey noises and scratching at her armpits. I looked at her in confusion and she said, “You are always scratching your pits!” I wasn’t offended. I hadn’t even realized I was doing it, I itch my pits so often. I appreciate and encourage others to be honest with me.
“Because they always itch!” I responded. She asked me why and I didn’t know. But – I had an idea.
I know that you can develop allergies to long-term use products. In late 2008, after removing make up from my eyes the same way I always did, with Vaseline, since I began using makeup, I had a nasty reaction that lasted 4 days. (Please note that I only wear make-up about 10 times a year. Too lazy!) Swollen, puffy, crusty, painful, bloodshot eyes. I couldn’t wear my contacts. I just had to deal. I bought all new make up, nice stuff from Clinique & MAC. Nope, didn’t work. Same reaction. So I bought new make up again. Lancome. Prescriptives. Same reaction. I bought several different types of make up removers, from hypo-allergenic to the more expensive department store brands. Nothing worked. So now I have to pick and choose my occasions wisely. To wear make-up and deal with the aftermath or not?
I knew that my itchy pits were most likely an allergic reaction of whatever was in the anti-perspirant/deodorant. I consulted my doctor this past fall, who agreed that it did indeed sound like an allergy, and he offered to refer me to an allergist. No thanks, what are they gonna do, put me on meds so I can wear Secret? Whatever.
Do you know how deo/antiperspirant works? Your sweat isn’t what smells, it’s bacteria that feeds on your sweat, in the perfect place for it to breed, the dark, moist and warm confines of your armpits, that create that musky aroma. Sexy!
Deo/anti-perspirants work by plugging up the sweat glands to reduce sweat, therefore reducing odor. The main ingredient that does that is aluminum salts. There is so much controversy about aluminum salts. You have researchers saying it’s an urban legend rampant on the web, and that there is no truth whatsoever in any claim that there could be a link between an increase in breast cancer as well as an increase in Alzheimer’s disease.
But cancer researcher Philippa Darbre, PhD, of the University of Reading in England, doesn’t see it that way. She believes the evidence is mounting that the aluminum-based active ingredient in antiperspirants can mimic estrogen in the body.
“Lifetime exposure to estrogen is the risk factor which is tied most strongly to breast cancer,” Darbre tells WebMD. “If the aluminum salts in antiperspirants enter the body and mimic estrogen it stands to reason that constant exposure over many years may pose a risk.”
Doctors and researchers always have to say “may pose a risk” or “could possibly…” They cannot speak in absolutes until all research is done and considered conclusive. Until everyone agrees. And not everyone is going to agree, naturally. It isn’t in ‘everyone’s’ best financial interest to agree. I’m not talking conspiracy theory here, people. But let’s be honest. We know how Big Pharma works.
I would love to see a study done on women who have never worn deo/antiperspirant in their lives (they exist, right?) and women who have. See the differences.
So I stopped wearing deo/antiperspirant cold turkey in early September. It was a big decision, now I had to figure out what I was going to do, so that I did not offend.
Within 2 days my armpits stopped itching, what a relief that was! I didn’t even realize how awful my pits had felt until I realized how good my pits felts not using anything! Whew!
But right away you notice other differences. I’ve been using deo/anti-perspiant since I was 14. So I wasn’t used to the feeling of wetness there. I am not an overly sweaty girl, but I do run, work hard in my yard – you get the picture. It isn’t feminine or pretty to have that sweaty half-moon out there for all to see.
And then there was the smell. I am not an overly smelly chick (in my own opinion) but I do run and work in the yard and blah blah blah, you get the point. A sweaty odoriferous half-moon is truly unattractive, and I am an expressive woman that waves her arms 
around to get my point across. Waving my stink in all directions. I could certainly smell myself. My 8 year old daughter went to give me a hug that landed her squarely in Pittsville. “Phoo! What’s that smell mommy?”
*Sigh* That would be me.
Please join me for my next post, where I discuss the good, the bad, and the smelly adventures of finding a greener solution to my armpit issue. Sounds big!
