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I tried a green superfood type supplement earlier this year. I can't for the life of me remember what brand it was. But while I was on it I didn't have any body odor so there was no need for deoderant. I've heard that others have had similar experiences. I don't know if it's the extreme nutrition or the probiotics or something else that causes this phenomenon, but it was really cool. :)
Sweating is great! I wouldn't trade it for anything...however, I work in a public library, and it's sort of embarassing. I have not gone to that seeming plateau of no-smell-sweatiness yet. It's really hard to imagine.
I think I will try the coconut oil trick tomorrow.
I have always had a problem with underarm odor. Even when I used commercial stuff (before realizing how bad that was), I had trouble finding something that really worked for me. When I quit commercial stuff and went on the search for something natural, I had months of disasterous experimentation. Natural products that worked well for others didn't do it for me. I don't mind sweating (that's a great thing for the body), but just couldn't take the embarrassment of odor.
I finally found something that works fantastic for me!! I use a roll-on deoderant from Real Purity. Honestly, this is the best deoderant that I've ever used! It's a bit pricey, but so very worth it. I order 4 or 5 at a time to save on shipping. I'm not affiliated with them and don't get any commissions or anything. I just love this stuff. I hope they never quit making it, 'cause there just isn't anything that works so well for me. I know I sound like a commercial, but I love it! There might be something in it that I'm not aware isn't so good, but it's clean enough for me! www.realpurity.com
You might not have thought of searching the recipes for a deodorant , but here it is!
http://www.goneraw.com/node/13046
I have not tried it, but it sounds good :~)
here is the link to the crystal thread, which I do use
http://www.goneraw.com/node/18645
Thank you so much, everybody. I'm gonna fiddle with all of these suggestions.
I love the salt crystal! A lot of people try it and say it doesn't work for them, but there are a few tricks to it and everyone who's followed them seems to have success.
1) Rub for 20-30 seconds (most people don't do it long enough)
2) Run the salt crystal under the water in between rubs and when you're finished (to rinse off bad bacteria that get stuck to it)
3) Don't give up to quickly! It won't work for the first few days. You have to wait until it kills all the bad bacteria for it to really start working. I'd recommend giving it a full week before deciding it doesn't work for you.
4) It works a lot better if you shave your pits (unfortunately)
Although the salt crystal is not really an antipersperant, I have noticed that I don't sweat nearly as much with the crystal, and it makes a world of difference when your sweat is odorless!
Try www.bee-simple.com it's awesome. I love the fresh scent.
I emailed the shop owner for you pixx. She said that she was sorry. She does have them available for $4 a piece. She is going to put them back up, but for the time being you can email her through her website to order one. Make sure you ask for the fresh scent. I LOVE it!
Hah! Megan Lyne, I am currently experimenting with the Naturally Fresh roll-on, because it was cheap, but it still makes a funkdified smell when mied with my oh-so-dainty sweat.
I guess finding the right deodorant is a (hellish) process. Hee hee.
By the way, about the salt crystal and the "natural" deodorants- I see that the main ingredient is frequently an alum derivative. Isn't this fairly similar to aluminum, the ingredient in anti-perspirants/deodorants that we are trying to stay away from?
I understand it is processed far less and so remains much less risky, but still....?
And VODKA as a deodorant? I have to say, that is the first I've heard of that! I always knew it had to have more than one use, besides just swilling it, that is. :)
Maybe I'm gross, but I kind of like the smell. A body needs to sweat.
pixx, what kind of vodka do you use?
wow! i am loving this thread! for years i've been using the crystal stick and just recently stopped altogether. i figure between my mostly raw diet and all the detoxing i do in bikram yoga most of the stinky toxins are out of there. and well...i've also been taking the, "i'm human. humans sweat. deal with it." tactic. :)
but i love your recommendations, pixx, on vinegar and vodka! i've been trying out white vinegar for the last week or so and when i remember to use it i'm definately noticing a lower level of the funk. i personally like a little b.o. smell on people. hey! it's got our pheromones in it and i think it's quite sexy on women. but anyway...
my question is this: as a former drunk i'm wondering if the vodka can absorb at all in your body. i'm not in a space where i feel like i'll lose all control and swill my deoderant. so that's not what i'm worried about. but i know the danger of using commercial deoderants is in all the chemicals and how they can absorb into the lymph nodes in your armpits. is it possible that the vodka can absorb into you that way as well?
thoughts?
also, pixx, i'm particularly interested in using the vodka because i like the idea of mixing some essential oil with it to have a sort of added pleasant smell. could you do this with the vinegar? or what about isopropl alcohol?
thanks!
Hey, RawLibrarian, I am a librarian also - transitioning still, though.
I really wish the Naturally Fresh deodorant worked, but I swear, I think the bacteria like it, because it just equals funkiness multiplied for me!
I am still reticent to buy vodka, but it sounds promising . I think white vinegar will have to do for now.
thanks pixx! i will try some essential oils in my vinegar. do you have any that you recommend? that are not too overwhelming. or you know...too flowery...
Semperfey, I would recommend something like lemon or thyme. They're not really flowery. If the thyme burns your skin, dilute it with grapeseed oil and then add it to the vinegar. The thyme also has the advantage of being antibiotic, so It should help kill any bacteria in your armpit.
lemon and thyme sounds good! i always have this bias about patchouli, like it's too "hippy" or something. but the truth of the matter is that i actually really like the smell of it. i should just use some of that stop being silly!
So I did try the vinegar, and it sort of added a sourness to the already existing odor. Maybe mixed with vodka it will be more effective.
My husband (a previously stinky man) uses baking soda and it works great! Just rub it in after you shower. How cheap and easy is that?!?!
I hate the sticky crap they sell. I wish they would make a powdery one like they do for the non-natural. I was able to get some orange scented lotion that was made locally that worked great. It wasn't made for a deodorant, it was just a hand lotion.
Pixx, I was speaking of the odor that exists from the sweat as it occurs, not that I used it on dirty pits.
I used it after showering and then went to work. Work is pretty strenuous, and I tend to sweat from the stress, and from the physical work. Sweat is good! Just not the smell. And, okay, I UNDERSTAND that if you're not 105% raw that you will stink; that seems to be the concensus among the people on this site! But I am transitioning, and am not willing to dive straight into 100% raw. One day!
thanks anyway pixx! We all have unique body chemistry, etc. I had some success with kiss My Face roll-on, I was just tired of buying it ($7 for deodorant is steep) and figured there must be some natural substances that would combat the bacteria as well. I inherited my father's ability to sweat like a pig when I am doing something as simple as cleaning a room! (My mom told me that she rarely perspired, but I never bought that! Even she wore deodorant!)
I am going to continue experimenting with these suggestions. I realized that after I put the vinegar on I need to leave my arms in the air to allow it to dry on me. Especially before dressing! I am so new to all this.
I systematically went through the natural deodorants I could find, returning them every week to purchase a new one, until I finally found the one and only natural deodorant which worked well enough for me: it's called Teens Turning Green and it is sold at Whole foods. I hope it works for you!
p.s. remember that you can always bring stuff back and be reimbursed for any product you are not satisfied with...
there are a couple brands at the store. Im not sure if they are 100% natural but its worth a looksy.
Toms All Natural or Arm & Hammer Baking Soda.
I read that recipe, emtpdmom! It sounds interesting.
wow, vodka, that's really cool.
i used to use Toms, but I found it kinda sticky so i switched to Weleda Sage spray. it works really well in the summer.
You can also find very effective organic deodorants derived from 100% Natural ingredients at lovlis.com , don't block exit of toxins and perspiration and yet provide perfect protection from the odor
I using it and also their oranic shampoos are nice and special
I have finally found an awesome option for deodorant. I get the Crytall Ally spray deodorant. This is practical and of superb quality. Formulated with: Unconditional Love and Gratitude, Crystalized Mineral Salts, Organic Whole-leaf Aloe Vera, Angstrom Silver and Zinc, 24kt Gold, Liposome Vitamin C and Essential Oils. 4 oz
I get it from OrganicBeautyFood.com Its the best option I have found and now I don't have to rub an uncomfortable crystal under my arm to get protection from odors. Formulated with Angstrom Zinc and Silver which kill odor causing bacteria to make a pleasant body and foot deodorant.
I also have used so many things, I think the crystal works the best, even the spray crystal and its true it wont happen over night, it takes time for your body to adjust to it... I personally think a persons "natural" smell is a turn on and that is what it is for.
Read This!
Overall, the human sweat smell is a natural, animal-like, musky aroma which can be emotionally stimulating and sexually attractive. To many men and women the smell of clean skin and a little fresh sweat is the most powerful turn-on. In crowded places this is a subtle odor that gets hidden under the other odors such as food, smoke and any polluting chemicals in the air. Therefore, some men and women have resorted to their own chemical warfare with manufactured fragrances in scented products for skin and hair. These fragrances are often from flowers or herbs, or they imitate them.
There is historical evidence for the use of sweat to attract a mate. Once when Napoleon Bonaparte was returning home from a long period of warring he sent a message ahead to Josephine: "Home in three days. Don't wash." Old English folk tales passed down over many generations told young men how to seduce a young woman with his own sweat. The 'secret' was to place a clean linen handkerchief under his clean arm pit while he danced and twirled the young lady making her dizzy. After the dance, as she recovered, he was to fan her and dab her perspiring forehead with his pheromone saturated handkerchief. The results reportedly were guaranteed to be rewarding.
Desperate women from the Austrian and Swiss Alps also had their own secret weapon to capture men. They would place a part, or even a whole, peeled apple under their arm before the dancing started. After a series of dances they would discreetly remove their apple (and its secret chemical load) to give to the man to smell and eat. It was called a 'love apple' and came with an unwritten guarantee to produce its own rewards for both the woman and man.
In one research project, men preferred women's clean sweat odor over the most expensive perfumes, even when the sweat odor was imperceptible. Over 200 chemical compounds are secreted by the human body in sweat, saliva and genitals. Recent research identified that the arm pit and crotch secretions of men and women differ significantly. Not surprisingly, men and women each prefer the odor of the opposite sex. Very important factors that have great influence on the effectiveness of the sweat as an attractant are a person's cleanliness, diet and overall health.
Interestingly, some research unexpectedly found that women who live closely with a man (sleep with him and have frequent sex) have better balanced physiology. Menstrual cycles are more regular and overall health is better than women who live more isolated from men. The main factor appeared to be how much olfactory exposure (i.e smells) each woman had with the man and his body odors.
The pheromone 'androstenone' (a musky odor) has been identified in the sweat and urine of men and is presumed to be a sexual stimulant to women, especially when a day or two from, and during, their monthly ovulation. However, the same androstenone smell has an adverse effect on other men and induces anger in them! Androstenone reportedly has been synthetically manufactured and is being sold in various solutions on the Internet for men to use to hopefully attract women.