The deodorant dilemma

Itchy, irritated underarms are never a good thing.  Especially if you are riding a mechanical bull.  On the beach.  In a bikini.  True story.

So lets back up for a minute…what is this deodorant dilemma?

Here’s the story…as someone who has always been pretty concerned with what she is putting into her body, I’m also concerned with what I’m putting on my body.  When it comes to most skin care, I’ve got it all figured out.  Deodorant is another story.

Conventional antiperspirants have a long list of chemical laden ingredients that just don’t sit right with me.  But I don’t want to stink, either.  Over the years, I tried some of the more natural alternatives, including Tom’s of Maine, and that crystal.

They may work for some, but sure didn’t for me.  Ugh!  So I googled natural deodorant, and came up with all sorts of DIY recipes.  Most of them involve baking soda and coconut oil, with various other ingredients like essential oils, shea butter, beeswax, etc.  I tried a number of different formulas.

The good news is, the homemade stuff worked.  As in, I didn’t stink.  Bad news is, over time, the baking soda was very irritating. So even though I didn’t stink, I had red, itchy bumps.  Not good. Now this was my own personal experience.  Maybe you have done fine with natural deodorants.  Or with baking soda.  I did not.

I finally found something that works for me.  It’s made by a company called Lavanilla, and it’s called The Healthy Deodorant.  It has  been  effective and non-irritating.  No stink, no nasty red bumps.  A win-win!  I like it so much I put it in my amazon shop, and you can find it by going to “Things I love” on the menu.  It is in the beauty section.

Something you should understand is that this is a deodorant, not an antiperspirant.  In other words, it controls odor but not sweat.  We are meant to sweat.  It is not just a cooling mechanism for our bodies, it is a way of releasing toxins.  So it’s not a bad thing to sweat.

I have heard there are some other more natural brands out there that are effective.  As I try them, I’ll report back and let you know.  In the meantime, let me know what you think…have you tried any of the more natural brands?  How did they work for you?