Eureka--No More I Reek-a!!

I've tried just about every kind of deodorant there is with minimal-to-no success.

I feel strongly that aluminum in conventional deodorants is very dangerous,

especially for women because we shave our armpits (usually) and that makes the skin especially permeable and because of the proximity to sensitive breast tissue.
Breast cancer has risen exponentially since the advent of antiperspirant deodorants.

But what to do??
I used to sweat--a lot.  And when I sweat because I'm stressed or nervous, I STINK.
At this point, I'd like to thank my friends and family for not pulling me aside and telling me that I stink.
That said, maybe their silence on this sensitive topic wasn't all that noble...maybe they just didn't want to come near enough to pull me aside.  Hmmmmm.

I said I'd tried just about everything, right?

Before I made the switch to "healthy" deodorants,
I tried nearly every kind of conventional antiperspirants--even the "clinical" ones.
All of these just seemed to make the problem worse (to which I now say to myself DUH.)


I tried any "natural" deodorant at Wal-Mart/Target (ones that didn't contain aluminum)
and several from our local natural foods store, inlcuding Burt's Bees spray, Crystal rock spray, a few from Tom's of Maine, and one from Kiss My Face.
I tried the one from Norwex; no luck.
I tried some crystal salt powder that was ok, but still not great for me.
I tried apple cider vinegar and I tried rubbing alcohol; both of these worked for a short time but were very hard to take with me.
(That was where I was at--having to keep some form of deodorant with me whenever I went out.)

To be fair, I gave each one a good month or so of use to let my body get used to it--
just so you don't think I tried one for a day or two, decided it didn't work, and then ditched it for another.
Add all that time up, and that's a lot of lost money and a lot of stink.

That is, until--UNTIL--I stumbled upon this recipe from Crunchy Betty,
I thought, what's to lose except ingredients?

 Solving the World's Deodorant Crisis:  A New Soothing Recipe
I also think Crunchy Betty is hilariously funny, which somehow lends credibility in my book.
I know.

It was hard for me to wait the two weeks for the herbs to steep in the oil, but it was absolutely worth it.
Eureka--no more I reek-a!!

Seriously!  I take a sniff throughout the day and I don't stink.
Even when my stress response kicks in, I only sweat--no accompanying stink.
I only apply it once a day (in the morning) and by the next morning, still no stink, even after working out.

I'm telling you--this stuff is amazing.
Here's why I think that is:
coconut oil is a natural bacteria buster and body odor is caused by bacteria
the herbs (I cut open tea bags and measured out the herbs) are soothing to the skin
arrowroot powder is non-gmo so it won't irritate the skin like cornstarch
essential oils are AWESOME--antiviral, antibacterial, soothing, they are God's way of providing perfect medicine through nature (his creation).

I would highly, HIGHLY recommend trying this route whether you have stink issues or not.
Let me know if you do!
I mean, let me know if you try it and if you like it--not if you have stink issues.
Well, you could tell me that, too, because I understand what that's about.
So, either way I guess...

The essential oils I chose to use were lemon and orange; it has a very pleasant--and not over-powering--citrus scent.  I did this so that it was "gender-neutral" for our home. :)
I store mine in a small canning jar (I think it's a half-pint size) in the bathroom cabinet.
If I had to describe the consistency, the best I can come up with would be to compare it to a paste-y peanut butter.
It looks like this after months of use: