I’m going to let you in on a little secret (no pun intended). 🙂 Some of you that know me in real life might be a little surprised.
Most of the time, I don’t wear deodorant. Yep, there it is. Now that it’s out there, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Or maybe I should wait until I see some of my friends again and see if they’re still willing to be friends with me. 🙂
It all started about a year ago when I was pregnant with Brenden. I had been reading about some of the nasty ingredients in different personal care products. Deodorant, actually specifically antiperspirant, contains aluminum. Aluminum has been linked to Alzheimer’s and breast cancer, two things that run in my family. Antiperspirants actually work because the aluminum blocks, or clogs, your sweat glands, meaning that you don’t sweat, when maybe you should. You also usually put it on after you shower, and shave if you’re a woman, meaning that your pores are open and even more absorbent. Also, antiperspirants are created to stay on your skin and work for hours (isn’t that the marketing campaign of some of the major brands?) allowing even more exposure to the aluminum and other harmful chemicals it is made up of.
I didn’t really know what to do as far as alternatives to conventional antiperspirants, but I also knew I didn’t want to keep putting it onto my body, so I basically just decided to stop wearing it. I kind of think that God gave us sweat glands for a reason, and maybe it’s not such a good idea to block them and keep them from working right. I was at home most of the time with my daughter, so it wasn’t like I was going to be super stinky around other people. And I found, surprisingly, that I actually didn’t sweat much (it was wintertime, but I also was pregnant) and I didn’t really have any body odor either.
Now, I think I am one of those lucky people that naturally doesn’t sweat much (don’t hate me!), but I also think that maybe there is something to the idea that when we put on deodorant or antiperspirant every day, that it messes with our bodies natural balance.
I do feel like my body has kind of regulated and balanced itself. I didn’t wear deodorant all summer long and didn’t have any problem with sweating too much or stinking really badly, unless I was exercising, but again, isn’t that when we are supposed to sweat?
Baby Steps
I know that just stopping wearing deodorant may not be something that you are ready to jump right on board with, so I have some baby steps and other alternatives for you to try. Basically the point is to move away from antiperspirants and also deodorants that contain harmful chemicals and find an alternate method for dealing with sweat and body odor.
Baby Step #1 – Switch to deodorant. While most conventional deodorants have chemical ingredients that should be avoided, at least they don’t contain aluminum, so this would be a small step in the right direction. It also may help to begin the process of regulating your body too, since you aren’t artificially blocking your sweat glands. This is the step my hubby is on.
Baby Step #2 – Use a rock crystal deodorant. This is a more natural form of antiperspirant. I know some people swear by it, but it doesn’t work so well for others. You may have to try it and just see if it would work for you. You can find it at major drug and grocery stores, it’s not something that you have to order online.
Baby Step #3 – Use baking soda. This is what I used over the past year if I felt like I was getting sweaty and stinky. I have a shaker with baking soda in my bathroom for cleaning, so I would just shake a little onto my hands and pat it onto my underarms. It won’t stop you from sweating, but will help with the smell. If you’re concerned about wetness too, you can mix equal parts baking soda and cornstarch and apply that to your underarms. The cornstarch helps keeping sweating to a minimum. This is a super cheap and low commitment option. If you don’t like the baking soda on your armpits, use it to make some cookies! 🙂
Baby Step #4 – Make homemade deodorant. I recently made this homemade deodorant, and really like it. I still don’t wear deodorant on most days, but if I know that I’m going somewhere or doing something where I might sweat more than usual, I’ll wear this. I also see myself using this in the summer time when I’m more likely to sweat.
BIG Step #5 – Stop wearing deodorant! This is not really a step I expect most people to actually take, but I would love to hear about it if you do, and how it works for you!!
Being Frugally Green:
I told you that I think that my changes in personal care products are the most frugally green things that I do, and here’s why – the best part about not wearing deodorant – it’s FREE! And it has simplified my life – I don’t have to worry about cutting coupons for deodorant and matching them with the sale at this specific store during this specific week. Also, I can buy the ingredients for the homemade deodorant in bulk and then whenever I need to make some, I have everything I need on hand. I don’t create waste from used deodorant containers. It’s just one more thing that I don’t have to worry about in my already busy and full life!
Try taking a baby step towards a safer, more natural deodorant option this week! And of course, you’re welcome to chime in if you know me in person and have noticed that I’ve been sweaty and stinky over the past year! 🙂
Frugal Fridays at Life as Mom
Finer Things Friday at Kitchen Stewardship this week!
Works for Me Wednesday at We Are That Family
Nice blog and so in line with how I live, and what I am trying to incorporate with my family. Deodorant was one of the first things I “gave up” or at least decided to use sparingly when I wanted to live greener… (and that is after I already switched to a non-antiperspirant). I am not a huge sweater either so that helps…I am really excited to try the homemade deodorant, thanks for the link.
I found your blog through your husband’s facebook page where it had your family blog link…it’s hard to believe some of us have been out of college 10 years already!! Take care!
Kristy (Cain)
Hi Kristy! Thanks so much for stopping by! Aren’t we lucky that we don’t sweat too much?! I’m not sure I could go all natural if I did!
It’s so fun to keep in touch with friends from the past through blogs and facebook! I’d love to see more of you!
my backstory: i live in winnipeg, manitoba canada so we have super cold winters and super hot summers, i am 37, and in the last 10 years i have taken 5 years of fertility hormones that caused major hot flashes, have had 1 child and am now going through menopause with major hot flashes – SO I KNOW ABOUT SWEATING AND BEING OVERHEATED LOL! and i don’t wear deodorant. if you stop wearing it, it’s like your body adjusts to actually being able to sweat adn release more heat, so you don’t sweat as much. if i’m going out with friends where i think i may get overheated or i’m having a day of major hot flashes, i pat some cornstarch under my arms and underneath my breasts (sorry, but, we can handle that can’t we girls?!) and away i go. and i don’t have any odor at all. honest. just try it. you’ll likely be surprised!
ps i’m not a big ‘sweater’ to begin with but when a hot flash hits, it hits!
I have never really used deoderent. I’m lazy. It’s too much trouble to put it on and I find that rarely do I smell like BO. Trust me, if you smell like BO you can smell yourself. But I rarely do. But one thing I wanted to mention; baking soda has aluminum in it too. So you’re not avoiding aluminum by using baking soda. Just thought you might want to know.
Hi Dena,
Thanks for stopping by Live Renewed! I think you are mistaken about baking soda containing aluminum. Baking Soda is just sodium bicarbonate, it does not have aluminum added to it. Baking powder on the other hand usually has aluminum added to it, so it’s definitely a good idea to make sure you buy aluminum free baking powder.
Thanks for your comment!
Hi, I am LOVING your helpful tips for being green at home. I was really excited about seeing the blog on deodorant, but I don’t know that it will be very helpful to my family 🙁 My husband actually has used deodorant less than a handful of times in our 20 years married, but I stink! and sweat a LOT. I can’t stand to smell myself if I forget to put it on. Unfortunately, by boys seem to have inherited my stinky underarm syndrom. It is SO bad, I keep emergency deodorant in both of our cars. I tried Toms (and other natural deodorants years ago to no avail. I will try the rock, but if you hear of anything else, please let me know.
Thanks!
Jess from Texas
*my website is not up and running yet, I am just getting started blogging
Thanks Jess, so glad that you are enjoying it!
I’m so sorry about your situation – I’m really not sure what the best advice is. For me, I found when I switched to homemade deodorant that I stopped sweating as much, but you may have to go through a detox phase, which would not be fun. And the homemade also does a great job of covering up any smell. I have read somewhere that the smell is due to bacteria in the underarm area, so it has more to do with controlling the bacteria than actually controlling the sweating. That’s why the coconut oil in the homemade stuff is good because it has antibacterial qualities. I don’t know, just my thoughts. I hope you can find a solution that works for you – let me know if you do!
I just found you via ‘A Delightful Home.’ I too switched from commercial antiperspirant(AP). My husband likes Tom’s but I found I stink. I tried the homemade deodorant you listed and I LOVE it! I used to use AP in the morning and again in the evening when I exercised. I feel like I used to sweat MORE when using commercial AP. Before I bought coconut oil I used a mixture of baking soda and cornstarch that I just patted under my arms. That worked well too but I like being able to put the deodorant in an old AP container and use it just like I have for all these years. I’ve even started converting my co-workers!!
That’s great Suzanne! I’m so glad it works well for you!
I have slowly become allergic to every brand of deodorant/anti-persperant available in my area. I went cold turkey no deodorant in the midst of summer in a desert-y climate and while it was impossible to keep wetness away, the smell actually wasn’t usually that bad. That said, I am looking forward to making some of my own deodorant and seeing how that goes. I really would like to have something on hand when nothing just ain’t cutting it.
I know about aluminum and that is the reason why me and my whole family switched to natural deodorants, I made them do that. 🙂