Shortly after H and I got together, he asked me to please stop using antiperspirants containing aluminum. He said he'd be willing to change my diapers if I got Alzheimer's, but he'd really prefer not to.
So. Yeah.
I went down the long road of trying out every single natural deodorant on the shelf at Whole Foods, and most of them don't work for shit.
I SWEAT, you guys.
cue: MUSIC + SUNLIGHT STREAMING IN
(or: LIGHTNING BOLT?)
Whatevers.
When I saw that Malin + Goetz is making a eucalyptus deodorant I wrote and begged them to send me a sample for review.
I am proud to say have now tested this product on 14-hour film shoots, 3-days-without-a-shower-road-trips and, as of Monday afternoon, in HOT FUCKING YOGA CLASS.
It rules. Truly.
The eucalyptus scent (which is unisex! you can share with your husband!) doesn't linger for more than a few minutes after application. And when I start to sweat, I don't smell like eucalyptus so much as I don't smell.
Image courtesy of Wallpaper. They like the M+G deodorant so much they gave it the Wallpaper Design Award for Best Grooming Product.
i am in need of a new deodorant ... or any for that matter.
ReplyDeleteUm, this is actually kind of a breakthrough for me. You may have changed my life today.
ReplyDeleteLove,
The girl who refused to wear jersey fabrics in middle school because she sweat so much
@Maddie I know. Was that a puberty thing?? Jr year in high school I avoided anything light-colored b/c of the PIT ISSUE.
ReplyDeleteI think it might have been. I think it comes in hormonal waves because it was worst during puberty and it's bad again now that my body is like "you are of the baby-making age." Fucking HORMONES.
ReplyDeleteThe best part? Despite a NEED for super duper deodorant, anything other than freeballing makes my pits itch like crazy.
Lush has a few natural deodorants. I've used Aromaco and T'eo and like them both!
ReplyDeleteOh dear. Are regular antiperspirants really that bad?
ReplyDeleteBecause I sweat a lot too. Like, more than a lot of men. I don't want Alzheimer's but I'm mildly terrified of switching over to the natural stuff.
I'm happy you found something you prefer to your old brand.
ReplyDelete(and sorry about this PSA, but...)
as a professional in the field of Alzheimer's care and research, I have to point out that there is no proven connection between AD and aluminum. Slathering oneself with the stuff is probably not the greatest thing for your body, but is not a known cause of Alzheimer's. (there are still none.)
Fin.
@Kerry it's true. there's no proven connection to breast cancer either. but...
ReplyDeletenice! i might get this for my husband. my fave is 'the healthy deodorant' from lavanila. it rules, too.
ReplyDeletehttp://sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P237120&categoryId=C16290
@esb - I hear you, and agree. Nothing wrong with getting away from as much of that junk as possible, just in case.
ReplyDeleteI just don't want any of your readers to be the people calling my office in a rage because their dad has AD and HE NEVER DRANK ONE COCA-COLA NOT EVEN ONE!! It breaks my heart.
swoon. you know the way to a crunchy girl's heart! i must try this magical stuff.
ReplyDeleteI was excited until I found out that this sh*t costs $18.
ReplyDeletebeing the sweatiest of all sweaty women I can say with confidence that botox in the pits cures ALL
ReplyDelete@Cara. Same here.
ReplyDeletei am so glad you've posted this. the husband and i have been having the same debate for forevs, and i have tried EVERY deodorant on the aisle at whole foods and NONE of those bitches work.
ReplyDeleteI'm getting this shiz. Cos Tom's is a fucking joke, albeit a temporarily-sweet-smelling one.
ReplyDelete@Maddie I sweat like a mofo in high school, too. Thank god baggy sweatshirts were kind of "in" at the time. Also, my armpits itch right now.
ReplyDeletei decided to eschew deodorant my sophomore year of college; largely because i wanted to eliminate shit plastic packaging from my life, and i was worried about all the chemicals i was slathering on myself. it helped to remember that nobody wore deodorant for most of human existence. but, i was pretty stinky for a year, despite the pit-crystal (do those things work for anyone?). my parents told me i needed to shower when i visited home. i did a puppet show for a class project and it was probably the worst afternoon of my partner's week. i was dedicated.
ReplyDeletemy deodorant breakthrough: baking soda. dust it under your arms like baby powder and you will not smell, all day, possibly into the next day. if the powder chafes you, dissolve in water and apply. if you get really wet and sweaty; add cornstarch. works like a charm. no residue from either. If you want it to look and feel like creamy roll-on deodorant, add coconut oil.
trust me (or look it up).
I have this one from the Body Shop in my gym bag.
ReplyDeleteIt's fine. Requires a reapply after a few hours and not as good as the chem ones, but that's because they're chem. And it's $5.
Okay, so I am also a sweat-er. But my main issue is not the smell, but the actual sweating. I don't like that.
ReplyDeleteI'm guessing this means I will be sticking with my (unproven but potentially) cancerous and heavy powered antiperspirant.
Although it has gotten way better as I've aged. Maybe in another 10 years I won't need it at all?
I finally switched to a non-aluminum deodorant myself! High fives! It's probably not as good as this one, though. Mmm eucalyptus.
ReplyDelete@Rachel I was VERY RELUCTANT to give it up, but I find that I sweat a lot less than I used to when I used the evil stuff. A LOT LESS.
ReplyDeleteI recommend giving it a shot.
@ esb - hmmmm ... almost convinced. i might try it. but only because i am trusting that you are a sufficiently sweaty person and therefore a reliable source.
ReplyDelete@Amber you beat me to it - baking soda (or bicarbonate of soda) is THE BEST deodorant. It's a Japanese beauty secret. I've also tried all the natural deodorants and none of them work (Pitrok is completely useless).
ReplyDeleteBut bicarb! My skeptical mum uses it, my man uses it. It's perfect for camping or road trips, or dance classes because you can carry a tiny little pot of it in your bag and with wet fingertips you're done.
It works
It's safe
It's good for the environment
It's cheap!
And in case you still don't believe me - it really really works.
I'll never buy deodorant again. Seriously, I would become a Bicarb/baking soda ambassador since discovering it. (I also use it for shampoo, but that's another story.)
@rachel @esb joe has EXTREMELY sensitive skin, and after years of breaking out in armpit rashes, he stopped using antiperspirants and moved onto natural deodorants. he is also a sweater, but after just a few weeks of cutting out *bad* deodorants, his sweating reduced drastically. i think your body becomes dependent on that stuff, therefore making the problem worse. he eventually had to cut out natural deodorants too because they also started irritating his skin. honestly, he only smells/sweats heavily when he works out now. it's kind of amazing. anyway, he's been looking for something to use specifically for exercise, so i'm going to forward him the link to this post.
ReplyDeleteOh, I need to order some! I've tried every natural deodorant, even some $20 versions and none of them worked. I'm currently coating my pits in... milk of magnesia. It's weird, and embarrassing to admit, but it's the only thing I've tried that keeps me from smelling (except for when I work out). And I sweat. A lot. And smell. I read about milk of magnesia on some random internet message board... because that's where you go for solutions when nothing else works, right?
ReplyDeleteESB thank you!! I quit antiperspirants and started using the JASON tea tree deoderant stick which I LOVed for about a month. But I still smell when I use it and I hate the smell of it, or any deoderant or antipersperant for that matter, mixed with my sweat. I will have to give this shiz a try.
ReplyDelete$18 is a little tough to swallow. For sweaters on a budget, I just did a post about homemade deodorant the other day, but have yet to try the recipe myself. It's supposed to work great, though. I'm going to get the ingredients this weekend and give it a go. We shall see! If it's a fail, I'll be paying the $18.
ReplyDeleteWow! I had no idea there were so many other heavy sweaters out there. My concern is mostly of the wetness variety and not as much with smell. I still have to be conscious of the clothing I buy, which majorly sucks. If its not black or a sweater, I'm probably out of luck. :/
ReplyDeletei totally wish i could buy into this . . . i really do. i tried so many "organic" deodorants out there . . . and was okay with the sweating since my sweat doesn't really smell. and i definitely felt better about the health benefits . . .
ReplyDeleteuntil i went to india and rode on a hot bus with a hole in the floor for 2 weeks. that ruined everything.
now i use that clinical dove stuff to soothe my own insanity.
Getting this. Tom's blows.
ReplyDeleteA friend who is studying to be a naturopath told me the other day that excessive sweating can be a sign of zinc deficiency. She used to sweat HEAPS but then started taking zinc supplements and now very much enjoys wearing light coloured tops :)
ReplyDeleteOh and forgot to say I use a crystal and it works me for me most days (no idea if the doe crystals available here is Australia are different to the ones you use). If I know it's going to be a long hot running around kind of day, I'll take an evil chemical one with me, but I don't like it.
ReplyDeleteOh thanks! I want to try this. My husband also uses natural deodorant and gets on my case about my antiperspirant addiction but I also sweat a lot! I've heard that your body overcompensates when you use antiperspirant and you'll sweat less when you get off it (kind of like how your hair/scalp eventually gets less oily when you stop shampooing every day because it's not reacting to having all the oil constantly stripped out). $18 is hard to swallow though. Maybe I'll ask for it for Christmas.
ReplyDeleteok, either heavy sweating is way more common than i thought or there is some kind of correlation between blogging and heavy sweating. definitely going to have to try this option out. @esb, have you tried any of their other products? looking for a good shampoo/conditioner option that doesn't involve washing my hair with vinegar.
ReplyDeleteLADIES, please stop using antiperspirant. When you sweat, your body is naturally releasing toxins. If you are not letting that shit out, guess where it's hanging out? Right next to your tits. Let alone the chemical garbage that is absorbed into your body via your pits, right next to.....your tits. Call me a hippie but I am a firm believer, studies or no, that there has got to be a link to the alarming increase in breast cancer cases.
ReplyDelete@Ashley H and I both use the peppermint shampoo + cilantro conditioner.
ReplyDeleteCan't recommend em highly enough.
@esb - sweet. thanks!
ReplyDeleteI have to say that I also sweat a lot and was so happy to hear that malin+goetz makes a deodorant ! I recently tried their peppermint shampoo and conditioner on a recent trip ( the hotel uses the brand as the guest toiletries) and was amazed at the product.
ReplyDeleteI recently went on a similar whole foods quest and after trying a few that left me sweaty almost before I applied them, I had a break through. you have to look for ones that specifically say they "absorb" also. (Why don't they all?!) The top two (in order) 2. Hugo Naturals (absorbs via rice powder, i believe) 1. NF (Nature de France) le Stick with green clay. Both are around $7 if memory serves. Still, I can't wait to try this one to see how it compares.
ReplyDelete