How I embraced smelling like a Water Buffalo

Let's talk about my armpits.

I sweat. Yeah yeah yeah, everyone sweats. But not like me. Not even close. The pit stains that I used to rock were epic. Lifting my arms was never a good option. Try telling that to the 70 judgey high school girls you're conducting during choir. I had to ensure that I wore dark colors, stayed away from certain materials, had extra clothes in the car, never borrowed clothes from anyone....and always carried deodorant with me. Super strength, super aluminum filled, super toxic, prescription strength deodorant.

I was told that I could get botox shots in my armpits to stop the sweating. ummm...pretty sure there's a legit reason WHY I'm sweating. Not sure I want to completely stop it. and isn't that botulism? do we really want to go there? So I let them prescribe me a deo. The first time I used it I'm pretty sure I cried all night long (you must apply to freshly washed pits at night, then in the morning shower and use your regular deo). SO. MUCH. BURNING. And I was still sweating through my clothes.

I was delighted to find that my boyfriend, now hubbs, also sweat profusely. Perfect match! So, together we dealt with the awful pit stains that ruined many a shirt.

Enter our granola period. I noticed that once I switched to eating only organic, whole food, i wasn't sweating quite as much (except for the first few months after having babygirl....I would literally leave a Kristen-shaped sweat stain in my sheets. TMI??) That was a nice perk, and I kept on using my prescription strength deo (take your pic, I've used all of them), except this time it almost sorta kinda worked.

Until I read an article on propylene glycol. That crap is scary...and in pretty much ALL of our personal hygiene products. Shampoo, toothpaste, facewash, deodorant, lotion (it was also found in some citrus flavored beverages. awesome.)

About PROPYLENE GLYCOL: Propylene glycol is a small organic alcohol commonly used as a skin conditioning agent. It has been associated with irritant and allergic contact dermatitis as well as contact urticaria in humans; these sensitization effects can be manifested at propylene glycol concentrations as low as 2%.

This stuff sucks. It is rated a 4 by the EWG (Environmental Working Group), which is categorized as a “moderate” health issue. It has been shown to be linked to cancer, developmental/reproductive issues, allergies/immunotoxicity, neurotoxicity and endocrine disruption. It's main function is to alter the structure of your skin so it absorbs more chemicals into it- all of the other chemicals that companies put into hygiene products.

And then, there's the whole aluminum issue. Of course, there are studies that say it's just fine, but if there is a possibility that it's linked to breast cancer and Alzheimers, I'm gonna stop smearing it all over my pits.

What's a sweaty girl to do?

I went to the closest natural market and picked out a natural, aluminum free deodorant. And smelled like a water buffalo. NOT. OK. They did tell me that I would have to re-apply several times a day. And for a while I did. And I embraced what I've been calling my brothers for years- the dirty hippy.

But this hurt. Deep down in my insecurity-induced vanity, this one was killing me. I've ALWAYS been terrified of smelling bad. Stankphobia. I'd lived with it forever. And I have the nose of a bloodhound. (pregnant and sick, I was standing in our closet when the hubbs attempted to walk into the bedroom, as I shrieked "GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT WHAT DID YOU EAT I'M GONNA PUKE!!!" poor guy ate a hot dog several hours prior to that and had no idea he was not allowed to ever smell like anything ever around me and my super-sensitive schnoz.) So the stank? Not gonna work.

Then I read a blog post by one of my faves, Food Babe. Food Babe blog here. She talked about this one deodorant that she was given to try, and she and her hubbs loved it. So, I checked it out. OH. MY. PEAS. (sorry, apparently we've been watching too much SuperWhy in this house). This is the best deodorant I have ever used- including "regular" deo! So here's the info:

Organic Primal Pit Paste. Use it. love it. Thank me later. They have a few different scents (using essential oils), and you can get the stick form but we went for the stuff in the jar that you just smear on- you get more and I didn't want to worry about the stick melting. And it seems like a lot more money, but it will last longer than your average deo stick. There are only a few ingredients, which happen to be the ones I got for a homemade deo that I never got around to making. There are also varying strengths. We got strong, cause that's how we roll.

And bonus? Since I've started using the natural deos, especially this one, I've noticed that my armpit stubble is not nearly as gnarly, or frequent since the switch. I know you were dying to know.

So use it. and tell me how you like it. Then leave a comment on Primal Pit Paste facebook page and tell them too. It's always nice to hear that your products don't suck.

Loves!

UPDATE (June 14, 2013)

I still love and use this product. But I found, and so did a few others, that it can leave your pits a bit dry and itchy- the baking soda can do that. My friend Amanda discovered that if you mix equal parts coconut oil and pit paste, it works like a charm, and doesn't give you itchy pits. AND primal pit paste is coming out with a new sensitive skin deo in the very near future. YAY!!