I hate that even today "green" still hast to fight the stigma of being inferior, costly and/or producing stink... ie: those folks that don't shower to save water, or what-have-you.
On top of this, I sweat. I don't perspire. Perspiring is for princesses, and although I have three friends that think I have princess qualities (I don't really), I don't perspire, I sweat like a pig. And it is not clean smelling, I have to tell ya... it is that stinky "stress sweat." The kind that stains your white tanks yellow.
So, I am the ultimate tester for eco-deodorants... and a-testing I have been (sorry Cricket for those days where it didn't really turn out so well). As the tip says, ALBA worked as well as my paraben-filled Secret, and the others that we listed I can wear on non-stressed, non-hot days. I actually have taken to using the Miessence organic one before going to bed, after my shower, to get a jump start on it. I don't care that my body is absorbing it since it is probably even good for me. And should I have a scary dream, I won't stink up my PJs with stress sweat.
Off to give away all the products that didn't work to people who like practical jokes... I will tell them it works great and to wear it for good luck at their next meeting with their boss when asking for a raise. Jen
Have you tried crystal deoderants? I’m using one now and it’s the best thing I’ve ever used. I don’t smell. Ever. Anymore, and I used to have pretty bad smelly issues.
Welenda Sage deodorant sounds wonderful. I love the clean scent of sage. I do use Welenda Salt toothpaste. No flavor, no colors, no fluoride, and most importantly no mint.
My favorite deodorant is Nature’s Gate mandarin orange patchouli. It is lightly scented and works very well. I too put a bit on after showering even if it is bedtime for the jumpstart affect.
My second favorite is Tom’s of Main calendula deodorant. It too smells great and works well. My husband’s favorites are Kiss My Face lavender and Nature’s Gate ginger grapefruit. I love to try new stuff and Welenda Sage is next on my list. I hope all you biters try the wonderful Nature’s Gate and Tom’s of Maine products!
I have tried many as well, and the best by far is the natural crystal deodorant. It’s not an anti-perspirant but you won’t stink. And there’s absolutely nothing in it to worry about. You just rub it on after you shower and you’re good to go!
I was going to mention the Thai (crystal) stone deodorant, but perhaps that’s what Kris and Jessica are referring to. For years, I thought I couldn’t get away with anything but some aluminum loaded anti-perspirant, but I’ve been amazed at the scent free protection I get from the Thai stone. I still sweat, but I never stink...even on the hottest, most humid days of a New York City summer.
http://www.alz.org/Resources/FactSheets/FSAluminum.pdf
This is a web link to the Alzheimer’s Association about aluminum
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/MED/content/MED_6_1x_Antiperspirants.asp?sitearea=MED
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_2X_What_are_the_risk_factors_for_breast_cancer_5.asp
2 web link to the American Cancer Society about deoderant
Parabens are a preservative that are used in many kinds of personal care products. Without a preservative, the products would be able to build up bacteria growth and other things that would make that product not safe for human use nor would it last on the shelf in your home for you to use it. Preservatives are necessary and not always something bad. Even those products at the health food stores have to have some kind of preservative in them or they would be rotten by the time you were to buy them.
Parabens have been getting a bad reputation for a while now as a POSSIBLE harmful ingredient. But what is important to note is that this all stemmed from one report by a certain doctor. This doctor HIMSELF stated in this report that the research is NOT conclusive, that a LOT more research needs to be done in this area before hard and fast conclusions can be drawn about parabens. In addition to that, he states in this report that they could not tell whether the parabens they were finding in the bodies they were testing came from the products they were using, or from their OWN bodies, because our bodies MAKE parabens too!
And the USP (US Pharmacopoeia) has stated that parabens are safe for use in these types of products. That means that parabens had to be tested and examined by 1000’s of doctors, researchers, and PhD’s that sit on the board of the USP, and if they could prove they were NOT safe, they would not recommend their use. But they have not found them to be harmful. And in case you are wondering, anything that is USP grade, which all of our ingredients are, means that they are an even higher and purer form that you would find in other products. So look for companies that use USP grade.
Another natural deodorant that i find really works is the Lemon and coriander deodorant from http://www.nealsyardremedies.com. They also do lots of other natural (and usually organic) cosmetics etc. The company are based in the UK (as am I) but seem to be expanding into US and Japan. Their products also seem to be stocked in several shops in NY (see website)!
I have used natural deodorants for years and the very best one is from Earth Science. They work!
Also, using a wash cloth with an natural soap, such as Zum Bars or Pangea Organics removes the bacteria because of their essential oil ingredients. My son and daughters use Earth Science Unscented and Rosemary Mint. I highly recommend them as a Holistic Healthcare Practitioner.
If you are looking to use natural deodorizing and anti-bacterial products I have been using the Body Shop’s spray on peppermint oil with about 10 drops of pure tea tree oil mixed in. It really works and you can re-apply during the day (no residue but it makes you smell mildly minty and your clothes keep the scent especially lingerie). I find it works well even when I am hiking.
I tried this recipe here in the tropics of Panama, where there are lots of sweaty people without the cash to buy deoderant:
1.) Slice a lemon in half, and then dust the face of it with baking soda.
2.) Smother your pits with the face of the lemon.
3.) Rinse lemon-half off, store in a fly free, cool place.
Seems to work… and lemons and baking soda might be cheaper than deoderant in the long run.
I just found the Tom’s of Maine apricot deodorant to work really well. At first I was skeptical about whether it would work, but after using it once I’m hooked.
L.A. can get pretty sticky for months on end… and I swear by Kiehl’s “Superbly Efficient Anti-Perspirant & Deodorant Cream.” It squeezes neatly out of a little tube and, though it has citrus extracts, it is unscented. I just checked and, yes, it contains parabens, but it has no aluminum and contains mysterious and magical “micro-sized drying molecules.”
(P.S. Keep up the good work Heather and Jen! Love your blog.)
Lemon.
I keep a fresh lemon in my fridge and slice off a thin wedge to rub under-arms after showering when the need starts to arise.
Sometimes I’ve also used it in the shower.
I’ve found that it cuts the stink for days! and when I do start smelling again, I smell slightly like maple syrup.
Extremely low cost (free to me from my lemon tree), 100% organic, biodegradeable.... a truly green alternative that works!
I’ve never tried the baking soda dusting as sugested by our Panama friend.... just plain lemon works great for me!
In regards to the parabens as preservative and the USP (US Pharmacopoeia)…
I guess it’s ok to them that parabens are classified as toxic, known as estrogenic chemicals and other endocrine disruptors, and therefore an ingredient that is not safe. If you’re comfortable with that, then continue using whatever over the counterbrands are available out there. (http://tinyurl.com/fbjdg)
BTW, they will also tell you the same about SLS (Sodium lauryl sulfate)…
As for baking soda and tea tree oil, my only caveat is that they can irritate your skin so be careful if you leave it for prolonged periods. Mixing tea tree with a carrier oil (like jojoba or grapeseed) helps with this.
I have recently tried scrubbing with baking soda in the shower (about a 1tbsp on each armpit), rinse with water, and then following with a spray of diluted apple cider vinegar and water (1/2 a part of each) and another rinse of water. This seems to work pretty well. I like to follow with an essential oil (because I like some scent)—lavendar is good because it is also an antibacterial.
My lots-of-underarm-hair friend called me up raving about a Lush product, Aromarant. She even gave me my first bar. I love it for three reasons:
1) Lush does no animal testing and this product contains no paraben
2) it is effective in doing its job, and smells really pleasant (I love sandalwood)
3) it comes in a bar; no hard plastic applicator
Lush has other deodorant bars that might be better suited for different skin types. From looking at the reviews, some people rave about Aromarant, and others are not impressed. Your mileage may vary.
Thanks for bringing this issue up. About 5 years ago, I started and on again, off again relationship w/ typical anti-perspirants - this was when I bicycling alot & training for a week long bicycle ride. APs just weren’t enough, so I just went w/out!
Anyway, now, I can’t use the fragrance-filled APs, between the fakey, perfumey smell and just not working ... eww, just makes for slimey pits.
I use a crystal deodorant, too, and sometimes will use Nature’s Gate or Tom’s of Maine. One thing that helps de-stink, using an exfoliating scrub in the underarm region while showering.
I like the Body Crystal mineral salt deodorants too. The way to use these products best is to apply right after a shower. The mineral salts form a permeable (breatheable) layer that prevents the growth of stinky bacteria in your sweat - without attempting to clog your pores by preventing sweating. And your body needs to sweat to cool off of course. The Body Crystal/Thai mineral salt type deodorants come in stick, spray, roll-on, and powder. The powder is mineral salts and cornstarch (NOT talc, which is unsafe to inhale). The powder’s my favorite because I like to feel dry right away. I have seen Body Crystal products also in hospital gift shops. Especially good for the scent-sensitive or immuno-compromised. I believe in them enough that I sell them too! ;)
For the past two days, I have used cornstarch under my arms, and it works to keep me dry and odor-free. I originally used it to de-stink my very smelly dog, Freddie, in between trips to the groomer and it works great on him.
It’s a simple and inexpensive solution for yo’ pits. I would suggest not using it straight from the box because that’s… gross. Put it in a jar, dip your fingers in, and rub on your underarms.
I don’t know if it works in stressful situations, but it is working well for me right now.
Is it green? I don’t know if the cornstarch industry is dirty, but I’m assuming it’s just starch from corn. In fact, the only ingredient on the box is “cornstarch.”
Patricia
I can’t believe that there are all these comments and no one mentioned Terressentials deodorant. I have tried EVERYTHING out there (yes, every brand listed above), and nothing works like their all-natural, all-organic roll-on. The scent I use is lemony (can’t think of the name). It smells fabulous when it goes on, but later you can’t smell anything...including stinky pits. And I only shower every other day!!! My husband & I did a “stink check” each morning & night for a week when I started using this - certain that we would smell something nasty eventually. We never did! Now that it is warmer, I sometimes re-apply in the afternoon, but I don’t think I really need to. Try it! You won’t believe your nose. The only problem is that my breast-fed son can’t tell me by my smell any more ;-)
I think that all of your suggestions above are great probably for the smell factor, but what works really well on sweat. I am talking even in the middle of winter when it isn’t hot out that my shirts would be wet. No natural deodorant will help out there, I need major antiperspirant effects.
As a person with MCS [multiple chemical sensitivities] i appreciate when people not using chemicals on their body. I wonder why people are so afaid of the natural odor we emit? Sweat shouldn’t stink and when it does it has to do with what you are putting in or on your body to cause it to react in a stinky way. The smell is simply your body’s way of detoxing. Most deorderants simply cover up or mask the smell and are not effective and none of them will stop you from sweating. Sorry, it’s just not gonna happen. Personally i don’t use a thing and so far no one has fallen down dead b/c of it. In fact, i don’t use any chemicals on my body.....it’s just corporate aMERica trying to get our dollars by making us feel like we need something that we really don’t.
So many of you seem to like the Tom’s of Maine deodorant, but for me it actually *caused* a rather unpleasant smell… I think it reacted with my body chemistry in some weird way, which is why I think everyone’s favorites may or may not work for everyone else.
Right now I use Jason apricot stick deodorant, and it works really well… and by the way, it doesn’t have parabens (you said in the tip that it did). Perhaps this is a recent change on their part.
I originally made the switch only partly because of aluminum concerns… really I had developed some kind of sensitivity to regular deodorants/anti-perspirants, and was looking for something that wouldn’t make me itch like crazy. The brand I had before it ran out had changed it’s formula so even that gave me a bad reaction. The natural stuff doesn’t bother me at all, so I’m happy I found one that works.
But all those crystal deodorants are actually made of aluminium salts!
I wanted to switch but then when I read the back, surely they are as bad as just using regular AP?
Last week I started to develop a really nasty allergy/rash to a deodorant I’ve been using for years, so I figured it was time to switch to a natural one.
Based on this daily tip’s recommendation, I went out and bought Alba’s Clear Enzyme Tea Tree deodorant and unfortunately it really didn’t work for me.
I really gave it the benefit of the doubt, especially since I use many of Alba’s other products and love them, but I ended up sweating more and being more smelly for 2 days with Alba’s deodorant than I would have been had I gone without any deodorant at all. They were both very mild days where I was wearing cotton and was dressed appropriately for the weather and not doing any physical activity, so I finally threw in the towel.
A friend of mine recommended Tom’s of Maine. I went out and bought it (mmm apricot) and have been really happy with it.
crystal deodorants are potassium alum which is a natural mineral salt, inhibits bacterial growth which causes odor, thus eliminating odor, also known as aluminum sulfate, not absorbable through the skin. Alum, a naturally occuring mineral and aluminum are two different substances with different chemical properties.
the best ive ever found can be found at beyond health.com its called indiumagic
absolutely no odor no sticky film no alluminum
I have tried the Terressentials (Lavender scent)with good success so far. I enjoy the scent, and I feel the deodorant also helps to keep me dry. One time, I did get a little sweaty, but I dried right up, without feeling tacky or sticky. I was surprised! Best natural deodorant that I have tried so far. For me, its a keeper.
I actually make my own powder deodorant using cornstarch, baking powder, rosemary essential oil (has antibacterial properties), and sweet orange essential oil (to counterbalance the camphoraceousness of the rosemary). I apply it after a bath using a powder puff, and (best part) no funk! It has no antiperspirant properties (of course), but the powder does absorb sweat to a point, leaving you feeling dry on lighter sweat days.
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cheapwow goldorwowpowerleveling On top of this, I sweat. I don’t perspire.
Have you tried Weleda’s spray deoderant? I sware by it. I am against stick deoderants with a passion— you are just rubbing bacteria back onto yourself… Kind of gross!
I use the sage scent now, but used Lemon in the beginning until my father thought I had drunk some Gin and Tonics. The Lemon leaves an ever so slight G & T scent. I find the Sage nice, plus it is supposed to be an aphrodisiac…
Posted by: Jessica | May 02, 2006 at 04:47 AM