Years ago, when I was just a wee teenager, I heard a rumor that the ingredients in normal deodorant can cause a host of bad news for your health. In a lot of ways, this made sense to me. First of all, women and breast cancer seem to be a match made in hell and one has to wonder if it doesn’t have something to do with shaving your armpits and then applying deodorant with aluminum in it to your newly “opened” pores–right next to your lymph nodes. Afterall, the skin does absorb what we put on it and it makes sense that newly shaved skin would be even more prone to letting in the bad guys. Secondly, alzheimers has also been linked to the aluminum in deodorant. So, this news stuck with me, even when I was very young. It just made intuitive sense (and I am also a little paranoid when it comes to alzheimers and breast cancer).
For years, I was a girl without a working deodorant. I tried a myriad of natural products with varying–but unsatisfying–results. I tried Tom’s of Maine deodorant a few times which always resulted in sticky armpits that didn’t smell any better and even seemed to sweat more. There was an Amber Paste perfume that I used for several years which did the trick (people near me would ask, “What smells like cookies?”), but also left brown stains on the pits of my shirts. And, of course, there was regular deodorant which worked, but always freaked me out when it came time to wash it off and I had to exfoliate my skin for it to feel normal again.
Then I found Lush’s deodorant bars and I was sold. They worked wonders and left me feeling fresh and optimistic. Finally, something out there cut the odor without potentially putting my health at risk and without staining my clothes. But, even the charm of a working deodorant can be neutralized by pushy salespeople.
Yes, I abandoned my Lush deodorant bars because I HATE going into Lush. (Warning! Rant!) The salespeople are aggressive, pushy, and annoying. One time, I was accosted by a representative and forced to try his stupid glitter handwash, warning him that I didn’t have the money to buy anything but the deodorant in my hand. When I did not buy any additional products, he became rude and arrogant. It’s like he didn’t believe that I didn’t have money and I owed him for his quality time with me. Grrrrr. Sadly, this was not one isolated instant and I’m pretty sure that the staff at Lush are trained on how to be jerks and force people into buying things they don’t want. I am writing this now, in the hopes that some exec in Lush will read this and realize that they’re tactics are actually losing them money. I will NEVER go into your stores again. You boundary-haters don’t deserve my business!
…anyway!
Lush did give me one, final gift that I realized a couple of days ago. I remembered a pesky salesperson mentioning that the main ingredient in their deodorant bars is baking soda. Aha! So, I decided to try baking soda and see what happened.
Who knew the answer to my armpit woes was in my kitchen all along?! The baking soda doesn’t keep me completely dry, but that was never too big a concern. What it does do is neutralize my body odor in a clean and healthy way. Just what I was looking for! Inspired by this discovery, I went online to find a few recipes for deodorant using baking soda and have settled for a very simple solution.
My yummy-smelling, home-made deodorant.
So, for anyone who might be interested, here is the deodorant solution I’m using (courtesy of this site): It’s one part baking soda and one part cornstarch (I find it keeps you drier and it also cuts the graininess of the baking soda) and a few drops of essential oils (optional). The oils I used were cinnamon and tea tree, but you can get creative and make whatever scents you like. Put your mixture into a tupperware container, shake and voila! You have deodorant. I put it on using my hands when my skin is still a little damp from the shower. It works like a charm.
Not only does it work, but it’s inexpensive and a cup of the mixture will most likely last me for several months. The packaging is limited and the ingredients are natural, so it’s good for the environment, too. I can’t tell you how relieved I am to have found this solution. If you have also had this struggle, I hope it helps you, too! And, if the people at Lush drive you as nuts as they drive me (nuts enough for me to stop buying “Love Lettuce” or “Cupcake”, two of my favorite masks), maybe if enough people blog about it, they’ll get the message!
