Deodorant

Prodigalsun · Post by **Prodigalsun** » Fri Jul 29, 2005 10:50 pm

Ok...Here's a change I made about a year ago. I stopped using deodorant. I know what you are thinking. EEEEEEEWWWW!!!!!! But, the reason I did it was I think in keeping with every day systems. I got to thinking about it; the reasons why most deodorants work is that they plug up the pores, keeping them from sweating. That didn't seem healthy to me at all. So, I switched from using deodorant to using a mineral stick. The mineral stick kills the bacteria that make the stink, resulting in odorless sweating.

The process wasn't pretty. First, my underarms got very inflamed, and then didn't smell very well as all those pores started opening up, after being blocked for so long. Then...it mellowed out, and I found I didn't sweat as much as I used to. The mineral stick worked fine, but I found I didn't need to use it that much, as my arms didn't smell unless I'd been working out, or gone for more than a day without a shower.

Hopefully not TMI for anyone out there.

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Fri Jul 29, 2005 11:17 pm

Okay all together now,,,,,, EEEEEEUUUUUUWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!

LOL...
Actually I am right there with you Prod! I gave up on many chemically based products over the past ten years...
I don't know about the mineral stick, and all that burning stuff, but I use Tom's of Maine natural deodorant... It has extract of coriander, chamomile and witch hazel!
It is non toxic to the body and smells very very nice! Kind of lemony!
And now,
So do I!

I don't like the smell of regular "perfumy" deodorants, but the real bad stuff is not the deodorants.. It's the antiperspirants...Antiperspirants are bad not just because they clog the pores... They usually have a drying agent like Aluminum, which is pretty bad for you if there's enough floating around in your bloodstream... Of course if it goes on your skin, it will seep into your bloodstream... Case in point... Look at all the transdermal patches out there for everything these days...
Try the Tom's product it is very nice on the nose!

PS.. FYI...This board has a lot of outspoken members on it.. You aren't alone...
Well between Ariel and her poor intestines, and me and my burping the other day, and usual updates on my manic state or otherwise, plus Prunie Peeties penchant for prune juice, there are plenty of people who tend to be a bit TMI'ish!
Someone is bound to mention adult diapers or something else unflattering somewhere down the line! (but I hope it's not me! LOL...)

Well, thanks for sharing! LOL...
Glad you don't stink anymore Prod!
Now come over here for a big "non-smelly" hug!!! LOL

Hope you are having fun not stinking up the state of Washington!
Peace and "Lavender",

Deb

spiralstares · Post by **spiralstares** » Tue Aug 09, 2005 4:18 pm

I got to thinking about it; the reasons why most deodorants work is that they plug up the pores, keeping them from sweating.

Well, deodorants don't keep anybody from sweating, anti-perspirants do. And they don't do it by "plugging up the pores," so I don't think you have much to worry about.

Post by **Justin** » Tue Aug 09, 2005 4:57 pm

Another possibility is to shave your underarms. I knew of one guy who was a mason by trade - a lot of sweating there. He shaved his underarms to reduce the places for the stinky bacteria to grow. It's not the sweat that stinks, it's bacteria poop (more or less.)

J

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Tue Aug 09, 2005 5:44 pm

Bacteria Poop???

Blehhhhhhhhhchhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LOL....

Justin, sometimes I just have to believe that ignorance is "bliss"
But thanks! The image of my armpits being a port-o-potty for microscopic travellers will be etched in my consciousness forever now!!!

One of my ex-boyfriends used to shave his armpits... He was from Egypt and said it was customary to do that so as not to stink much...
Of course this particular guy had a penchant for eating fresh garlic on everything under the sun, so it cancelled out the shaving!

I like that Tom's stuff... I think that odor is sometimes an indication of how well our bodies are detoxifying... When I am premenstrual, I really experience "Stank" of the highest degree.... Then when that passes I am sweet as a flower! (Well maybe not a flower... LOL....)

Will someone please put this thread where it belongs... In the
"Smell at your own risk" section!

Hi Prod, and Spiral!
Peace,
Deb

carolejo · Post by **carolejo** » Wed Aug 10, 2005 10:30 am

hmmm. Yeah, I think that personally I'd better be sure I stop itching so much when I sweat before I call a halt to the anti-perspirants!

I can see why it's a good idea *not* to use them though. If it means I have to wash my pits out twice a day, then it's not exactly too much trouble, is it?

I did experiment with not washing my hair in Shampoo as a teenager - it got pretty rank before it became bearable though. Also, the hair was healthy and shiny by the end, but it didn't smell very nice really. I sometimes use a malt vinegar rinse instead of shampoo now, that cuts some of the greasy-ness without weighing it down with lots of other gunk.
C.

carolejo · Post by **carolejo** » Sun Aug 21, 2005 12:56 pm

Well, after mulling it over for a while, I decided to give it a go and quit the deodorant as well. Aferall, my cat doesn't need deodorant and her fur always smells really nice, even though she eats very stinky catfood and licks herself all over to get clean (how do they do that...?! - Probably didn't ought to take this train of thought any further!)

The first couple of days I was really stinky! I had to wash out my armpits 3 or four times a day with soap and water. I thought it might just be the toxins leaving my body. Then I thought I'd try to kill off the stink-making bacteria by using some of that hand sanitizer stuff (hope you know what I mean, like rubbing alcohol, comes in a little bottle and can be used to clean your hands on holiday when you don't have access to soap or water) on my armpits after a shower. since then it's not been so bad. I only have to wash them out morning and night with soap and water now and the smell is really not unpleasant.

Yeah, it's not a sweet chemically smell, but it's kind of nutty / woody Warm living flesh kind of smell. Not bad at all. S hasn't complained at all either, which is fine by me!

I think I can probably live with this.

Anyhow. Hope I didn't gross you out or anything

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Sun Aug 21, 2005 5:26 pm

Wow!!! Nutty pit Carol!!! Ha ha ha ha!!!!!!!!!!
It's so nice to have company!!! LOL...
Seriously, I know I said this before, but if you can get this type of stuff in Holland, look for something called Toms of Maine...
If you send me your mailing address, I'd be happy to airmail it to you to try it out...
If interested email me Carol... we wouldn't want you to outshine your cat and offend passing by Dutch people!!!
LOL....
Love,

Deb

carolejo · Post by **carolejo** » Mon Aug 22, 2005 2:58 pm

I dunno about Holland, but I think I saw it in the wholefoods store at the weekend, here in Leeds. I'll check it out. If it works for me I'll export it wholesale when I finally get out of blighty.

C.

carolejo · Post by **carolejo** » Sun Aug 28, 2005 9:07 am

I just wanted to put a little update in the 'smell at your own risk' section (

Hiya Deb!))

I went to Sainsburys (a bit of a more upmarket supermarket than Morrisons or Netto, which is where I normally end up) last night and had a look around their 'alternative' grocery isle. I found a whole selection of products from Toms of Maine, including 4 different 'flavours' of deodorants.

I did a quick smell test and decided to try out the 'woodspice' one. (I'm not really a Honeysuckle Rose type of Gal, so the woody, fresh outdoorsy smelling one suits me best, I think.

)

Well, I put some on after my shower last night and so far so good. I really like the way it smells. I don't ever use any scents, perfumes or other things like that (just a neutral soap-free bodywash - my skin is very fussy and being itchy is a standard state of affairs for me, so I try to minimise the irritation as far as possible) so I'm looking forward to 'testing it out' on the people I meet. I'm not going to say anything, but if the usual effect of changing my deodorant holds true, someone is bound to comment and ask me if I put on a new perfume!!

I'll let you know how it goes.
C.

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Sun Aug 28, 2005 2:08 pm

Yeah CJ, I am not big on perfume either... I don't even like when there's a lot of fragrance in my laundry detergent...
But that product is such a natural and pleasing one, I like it...
Hope you are a hit at the office!!! LOL...

Somehow natural smells are nice and the synth stuff is yucky...
I also like Aveda products, though I'm not sure if they make anything other than hair stuff....
Love,

Deb

carolejo · Post by **carolejo** » Mon Aug 29, 2005 9:05 am

There's this shampoo over here called 'herbal escences'. I personally find it very gloopy and really far too heavy on my hair, but the stuff sells like crazy....

...They sell it as a 'totally organic experience' (yeah right! Spot the marketing bollox) with pictures of women washing their hair and going into raptures about it all. Basically what this means is that they sell it based on how good it smells!!!!

Doesn't that just tell you something about the kind of world we live in...? How good a job the stuff does on washing your hair isn't a factor, but how good it smells IS!

For the record, I should add that as it's mostly fruit and herb extracts it smells of, it does actually smell pretty good...! That's about all I'd want to use it for though... Open the bottle, have a sniff, close it again.

carolejo · Post by **carolejo** » Sun Oct 30, 2005 8:02 pm

Thought I'd post a short update on the 'smell at your own risk' thread.

I've become a Toms of Maine deodorant convert - so much so that I've bought 3 sticks with me from the UK as I haven't found it in Holland yet!

So far, I had 2 comments about how good it smells. I'm pretty happy with it myself too and my armpits are no longer itchy and unhealthy-feeling like they used to get with all the chemical stuff.

So there you are.
C.

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Sun Oct 30, 2005 8:44 pm

Carolejo!!! I am so happy you like it! LOL..

Did you ever try the "Unscented" version? That's the one I use..
The reality, though, is that it has a great natural lemony scent!
One time I put it on, and Richard actually stuck his nose into my armpit to smell it!!! He was like
"Aaaaahhhhh!!!!"

Now how often do people come up and stick their nose in your armpit unless they are some sort of fetish freak??? LOL..

Enjoy your fragrance!
LOL..
Love,

Deb

carolejo · Post by **carolejo** » Mon Oct 31, 2005 6:53 am

The woodspice one is definately my favourite. It's got a really gentle scent, not at all 'in your face' or overpowering.

C.

jackj · Post by **jackj** » Wed Jul 20, 2011 6:08 am

I find Mitchum roll on to be the best for me its well and is very pleased with the results. I never did like the spray ones of any kind. Very Happy

Post by **reinhard** » Wed Jul 20, 2011 1:15 pm

After much trial and error I use "certain dri."

It's frighteningly effective -- I'm sure the stuff causes cancer, it works that damn well.

Nothing else I used ever actually worked -- except for ruining shirts.

Certain-dri works so well that I can run 4 miles in 95 degree weather and be drenched in sweat -- except for my bone dry armpits. And that's from having applied it 2 days before.

I'm not sure that's even healthy, but dammit it does what it's supposed to. Makes me think of that scene in Goldfinger...

The reason it works (I suspect) is that the active ingredient is different from the active ingredient in almost all the other brands (aluminum chloride vs. -- in my experience -- ineffective aluminum zirconium tetrachlorohydrex gly).

I wish I'd discovered this about 2 decades ago, because I've always had a tendency to sweat like a beast, and I would have been a much less insecure adolescent.

Warning: you have to use the stuff as directed or it'll itch like hell (don't put it on after showering, don't put too much on, don't use it every day).

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/ ... aysyste-20

Reinhard

wosnes · Post by **wosnes** » Wed Jul 20, 2011 7:54 pm

Nearly 40 years ago I dated a guy who never used deodorant. He was convinced that the more you used it, the more you needed to use it. Occasionally if it was very hit he smelled a little "sweaty," but nothing terrible. I stopped using it during that time, too, and had no problems. Then, for reasons I don't remember, I started using it again.

I stopped using deodorant about 10 years ago. At that time it was because I was having allergic reactions to any kind I tried. So I just stopped using it. Unless I tell someone, they have no idea that I don't use it.

Reinhard, both of my daughters have similar problems. One has been getting botox for it! That works very well. Her insurance covers it. She's considering surgery to correct the problem.

motorin · Post by **motorin** » Sat Jul 30, 2011 3:34 pm

I am a chemist and AlCl3 (aluminum chloride) is extremely corrosive - it gives off noxious HCl gas upon contact with water. In other words it would be VERY effective as a dessicant but also VERY painful (it would burn like crazy). That is why I was really surprised to see that as the active ingredient in Certain Dri. I use the stuff in certain chemical reactions and we have to be very careful to make sure water is excluded from any reaction. When you weigh it out, if you are not careful it and you accidentally smell some, it can be painful.

I checked that Certain Dri website and they do claim aluminum chloride is the ingredient - but checking around further I see it is most likely hydrated aluminum chloride: aluminum chlorohydrate. This will certainly make it much more tolerable. Also still more effective than the zirconium containing dessicant. I did read this:

"Aluminium zirconium tetrachlorohydrex gly is the INCI name for a preparation used as an antiperspirant in many deodorant products. It is selected for its ability to close pores in the skin and prevent sweat production. Its anhydrous form gives it the added ability of absorbing moisture. It is sometimes called AZG, and contains a mixture of monomeric and polymeric Zr4+ and Al3+ complexes with hydroxide, chloride and glycine"

At any rate, interesting discussion!

Post by **reinhard** » Tue Aug 02, 2011 4:26 pm

Well, I guess it's some satisfaction to have my hunch about this being next door to chemical warfare confirmed by a chemist.

I'm not sure I can quite bring myself to stop (works too damn well!) -- but I will be even more careful not to over-apply, though.

Thanks!

Reinhard

Everyday Systems

Deodorant

Deodorant

Thanks for the info! LOL...

Adventures in foregoing the deodorant!