Deodorant…

Exercise is life up in here. If I miss my workout, I tend to be grumpy, less patient, and if I miss it repetitively I tend to get a little depressed. There’s no secret that I’m a sweaty beast when I work out, my kids avoid post workout hugs like the plague. I had been using traditional deodorant and/or antiperspirant since I can remember, oh the high school days of sweating during gym class, not such a fond memory… I digress, the further I venture into becoming my healthiest self, the more I realize how many toxins are in things we use daily. Have I eliminated everything, no, but I’m trying to avoid the things where I can.

Enter…

After learning that antiperspirants block your sweat glands, and hearing that the aluminum used to do so has been linked to women who get breast cancer, getting it 15 years earlier than the women who didn’t use antiperspirants, I went on the hunt for a more natural deodorant. I had a little breast cancer scare a few years back, it ended up being nothing but it still scared me enough to make me want to be proactive instead of reactive with my health. Unfortunately the first glass slipper didn’t fit. So I thought I’d share with you my experience trying to find the best option for me.

Option 1: Nubian Heritage Coconut & Papaya 24 Hour Deodorant

I’ll be honest, I’m cheap, found this deodorant at Walmart. After spending an average of $4 on my old antiperspirant deodorant, paying double that was a bit of a shocker. I took a quick glance over of the ingredients and saw they used vegetable glycerine (be-still my vegan heart, though it doesn’t claim being vegan on the wrapper) but also that the shea butter is a fair trade ingredient. If you’ve never looked up fair trade, I’d encourage you to learn about it, not just for your sake but for your fellow man, woman and child.

I liked this deodorant for the first couple of days, especially the smell. It did the job a deodorant should do BUT my armpits didn’t like it. I started to get rashy and irritated skin. I’m guessing it’s because of the sodium stearate, fancy talk for baking soda. I used coconut oil and baking soda as a face wash for a while and had the same reaction. On to option 2.

Option 2: Nourish Organic Stick Deodorant, Almond Vanilla

I made sure to check the ingredients for sodium stearate and was in luck, this deodorant was even a little bit cheaper, about $6 a stick. Which was surprising because it seems like organic means spendy. I loved that they promote being vegan, cruelty free and chemical free. I used this deodorant for a few weeks before realizing the negatives. I worked hard to earn my Insanity shirt and I started seeing what looked to be stains in the armpits. {insert frowny face here} Thankfully I have a handy Fels-Naptha bar that works great for getting out oil stains. Also realized that I wasn’t feeling as fresh and deodorized as I should. Another stick bites the dust, onto option 3…

Option 3: Schmidt’s Rose + Vanilla Deodorant

I’m starting to see a pattern here, each of these deodorants has vanilla in them. Makes me think of the 90’s when Vanilla Fields perfume was popular, remember Sunflowers? That was my favorite. Any who, I was a little nervous trying this deodorant because it also has sodium stearate in it, you’d think I’d learn. I put a post out on FB in the Chicked Nation Group to see if anyone had a recommendation, this brand was the top, top, top choice. On a whim, we were at a natural foods store in Hood River, on our way to camp when I found some. Ten dollars, was a risk I was willing to take since Troy was paying for it, even though we pool our funds. Mind games at their finest. {Yes I’m rolling my eyes at myself.} But guess what…. Winner, winner, vegan dinner! I’m on pit stick number 2 of this same brand and I’m still loving it. Even though it uses coconut oil also, it’s not so much that it slicks on easy. A couple swipes and I’m good for the day and there’s no new pit stains. There must be a small enough amount of baking soda that it doesn’t bother me, I guess I’ll never really know. I’m just happy to have found something that works! Maybe next stick I’ll try a different flavor, who am I kidding, I’m a creature of habit. Although, they do have a holiday line. ♥O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree ♥

Want to know what’s in your deodorant or other cosmetics???

As I was hunting to learn more about ingredients in deodorant, I found this website called EGW’s Skin Deep Cosmetics Database. It lists all sorts of make-ups, lotions, soaps, etc. and rates them. High risk or low risk. Check it out!