8.23.2010

crunchy

i admit it. 
sometimes i just bite my tongue and don't always share things about myself on the internet.

you know, the different things. 

pathetic, i know.

it's sorta like hiding my light under a bushel i guess.
 
the crunchier(more natural) i get, the weirder and weirder i become. 

but whatever.


today, i decided to share something i learned when my dear friend angie asked on facebook,

"Ok granola girls out there...I have been reading Dr. Oz's books You the Owner's Manual and You on a diet and learned about how the ingredients in antiperspirant are not good for you. Links to hormone mess-ups, breast cancer, alzheimer's ...on and on. The problem is...I don't want to stink! I tried a tea tree oil typ...e-no luck. I can handle the soggy armpit feel, but not the b.o. factor. Any suggestions?"

here's my reply....
many, many moons ago i had heard enough junk about the junk (like aluminum, parabens and propylene glycol) in antiperspirant/deodorant that i began a quest.
the quest to find a natural deodorant that actually works. 

the quest was long....and stinky because, well, i realized that bottle after bottle, that i all i had acquired was a LOT of barely used bottles of deodorant stashed under my sink and flowery smelling b.o.

i'm here to report to you from my own experience that NONE of those natural deodorants worked very well...

for some unknown but dumb reason {probably because i intended to return them SOMEDAY} i have chosen not to part with a portion of my experimental purchases. here they are. several years later.
can you imagine the dismay i must have felt when time after time, my quest was thwarted?!? 

(o.k. i'm probably being a bit melodramatic about deodorant, but i spent a pretty penny on this little quest of mine over the years.)

i do know that what i decided to do back in 2008 has changed my life forever.


only problem is that even with the best of intentions,i never got around to making it. 

too forgetful to run to the store and buy shea butter i suppose?

another good intention gone to waste, right?

oh contraire. 

when reading her recipe, i realized that the main deodorizing agent was something i had in my very own kitchen cabinet. 

yup, you guessed it.

good ol' baking soda.
the other ingredients seemed to simply be a catalyst for applying the stench fighting sludge. 

sooo i created my own "recipe" for homemade deodorant:
1-slightly wet the tips of your fingers
2-dip them into dry baking soda
3-smear it on your underarms.

fancy. i know.
 
i've been hooked ever since.

true story.



here is where i list some of the perks to using this pretty white power:
1-COST- a 99cent box will last for a full year {as long as you don't drip too much water in it and make it turn into a rock like i do periodically.}that's cheap!
2- AVAILABILITY- ever been to a grocery store or corner market that didn't carry baking soda? i think not! 
3- IT FIGHTS ODOR- even when i forget to wear it all day and i start to smell not so fresh, i can put it on and the not so fresh is gone in a matter of seconds.
4-IT IS NOT TOXIC- you can eat the stuff....and of course it's all natural. it's baking soda by golly! 
5- IT WILL NOT STAIN- my white textiles have been yellow and buildup free for years.

here are some of my experiences from over the years.
*it's weird, but my when i first switched from conventional d.o., my armpits turned black. it was a bit shocking, but i kept on using it and it shortly went away....which i imagine happened AFTER the toxins from the other junk were pulled out of my armpits. 
**baking soda is NOT an antiperspirant.you will sweat. it's something the body is SUPPOSED to do {even if it's not all that cute.}
*** the only time it fails to work for me is when i have failed to put it on....so, if you've smelled my b.o. before that's probably because i'm one of the most forgetful creatures on this planet.
**** when my diet is squeaky clean perfect i don't even have to use deodorant...but i'm not so good at that as a pregnant lady.


so that's my 2 cents worth (as opposed to my 5.99 cents worth which is a common cost for natural deodorant}... for angie and for anyone else out there ready to stop clogging your underarms with chemicals.

c'mon, all you've got to loose is a few pennies (and maybe a friend with a sensitive nose or two) if it happens not to work for you! :)

why not give it a try (or not,) and let me know what you think ?!

20 comments:

Judy said...

What a great idea!! I've never thought of that - I'm like you - i've tried different kinds but never thought of just baking pwdr.!!! It totally makes sense!!! Glad you shared!!

Angie Larkin said...

I think that is so classic that you had the old ones that didn't work! You just saved me a lot of dough! Hilarious.

It is so alarming that your pits turned black! What nastiness has built up in mine? I'm so going to give it a try. If it works for me, I'm treating myself to a cute container and perhaps a powder puff;) Thanks Julie! Can't wait to see you tomorow!

Michelle said...

I loathe the thought of putting all those nasty chemicals on my skin too. I also loathe natural deoterants - they are so icky! Lucky for me, I hardly ever sweat, so I only wear deoterant maybe once a month or so. I'm pretty sure I don't smell. (If I do, you would tell me, right?)

I REALLLY think you should share more of these things you do... so many people would benefit!!

christina said...

ohhh, a powder puff! i can just imagine us ladie, sitting in our unders, powdering our armpits with a puff. i have had a crystal deodorant that i've used for years, but mostly only after i've taken a shower at night, (because i hate that gross feeling that conventional deo has in the morning) or am working in the yard or exercising, you know, the times you are really going to sweat no matter what. i actually like my crystal, and angie, i even used that thing when we were neighbors, little did you know!

thanks for the wisdom, julie. i think i will be trying this out.

Amy said...

One day when I'm crunchy, I'll give it a try.

My mom tried it and said it works, but then she broke out in a rash. She now uses the Crystal and it works for her.

i said...

Amy...I do remember having a slight rash at first now that you mention it. Probably the detox. Haven't had that problem forever though. ;)

Leslie said...

Oh boy, I'm so NOT crunchy, but interested in this. I do not like to catchy ANY whiff of BO from myself so I'm very particular about my deodorant. But, I'd be willing to try this, just maybe once we get out of the hotter season or on a weekend. I can't do it on a work day (unless I bring my trusty Lady Mitchum with me for back up!). Seriously, if your pits turn black at first, this has to be delicately timed. So if you wet your fingers and smear it on, does it "dry" right away ie. can be put your clothes on right away or do you wait a little?

Jill said...

JULIE!! Awesome. I too have tried everyone of those product in your photo, haha :)
I'm trying this tomorrow!

Larae Taylor Merritt said...

okay, I guess I"m the minority! I like my Secret deodorant, but I will make sure I have a stock of baking soda in my food storage. Can't be stinky and hungry at the same time! :) Thanks for sharing, Julie!

i said...

no worries larae. you are NOT the minority. just willing to speak up. you taylor have always been secret folk ever since high school. i still remember! ;)

leslie...you'll need to give it several days to get the other stuff out of your system. i'm not sure if you have that long. ;) i just apply it right out of the shower and rub it in well then it has no problems powdering. NOW, if you apply it in your car i can't guarantee you won't have a powdery mess on your hands.,....and all over your shirt! :)

Karen said...

I'm going to be honest, no deodorant works perfectly for me. I so want to try the baking soda and see if it solves my problem. Thanks for sharing your little "personal" secret. I'm so going to try it. My grandma has been telling us for years that antiperspirant is so bad for us. I just ignored her because I didn't want to stink.

Stacie said...

Hmmm...I might actually make the switch.

Robinson Family said...

I love that you just posted this. I hate that I've been having to use clinical strength antiperspirant and deodorant. The only reason I use the antiperspirant is because even conventional deodorant doesn't work. Like you I've developed darker underarms because of what I've used and I hate it. I also have the issue with whites having the darker underarm area and I hate that. I am SO trying this. I don't care if I sweat I just don't want to stink! :)

Karen said...

Ok, a real testimony of Baking Soda used as deodorant. Yesterday, I tried it, got my fingers wet, made a paste and applied. I did happen to use some essential oils because I wanted a fresh scent like deodorant. Now I have to admit it feels a bit like sandpaper in my armpit. However, it TOTALLY worked all day long and I even checked this morning with no foul aroma. Now, if that's not personal, I don't know what is ;) If you're a sceptic (which I was) just try it. You can bring your deodorant in your purse in case you don't believe it and in the rare situation it doesn't work. I'm curious to see if anyone else has tried it.

i said...

How wonderful Karen! Some B.S. is finer than others...the TJ's brand has been not so sandpaper like for me. :)

* said...

I never heard of using Baking soda for deoderant, and I have several extremely crunchy friends. Thing is, I think they skip the deoderant all together. :) Fab idea, I just might try it!

Darrell and Alissa said...

I have lot's of friends who are "crunchy" some ideas I think are great, some not so much. This one makes we want to try it... jsut to see. But even if I tried I have a feeling I wouldn't be able to brave going out with out my Dove protection on!! Yep, one of the Taylor's veered away from Secret...
The black arm pits would totally freak me out, wonder what it is int he deodorant that causes so much yuck in the skin??

Anonymous said...

WOW, my Sweet Julie is sooo smart!! Thank you for telling me about this before you blogged it. I've been sold on B.S. for almost a year now. It works for me if I remember to use it. Love, MOM

Amber said...

I'm going to give this a try for sure!

**when my diet is squeaky clean perfect **

Can I ask for details on what that means??

Michelle said...

I tried Tom's too and it gave me a rash but I do like the Arm and Hammer deodorant (go figure) but I only use it in the winter, less sweaty months.

I have a question... what do your kids eat the other 364 days a year for breakfast when it's not their b-day? Do you cook breakfast everyday?