October is Deodorant Month

I first came up with the idea for this blog when I heard a news story weeks ago linking deodorant/antiperspirants to breast cancer.  Deodorant and breast cancer, who would have ever thought?   “What do you expect, Sarah, when you are apply those chemicals to your lymph nodes everyday,” a coworker commented to me one day.  True true.  There are lymph nodes in our armpits I suppose.  But I never thought deodorant could be the culprit of breast cancer.  Oh that lovely “shower clean” scent that has brought me so much confidence since my awkward middle school years.  I remember the first time I ever used deodorant via a trial package given to me in health class in sixth grade.  In the trial package I received a pink Bic razor, a small tube of fresh scent perfume, Candies maybe?, and a small Teen Spirit sample deodorant stick.  I have to admit that I wore that sample stick of Teen Spirit down to its very plastic core.  I was liberated by its sweet shower scent.  By applying Teen Spirit I was applying years, popularity, wisdom.  With every application of Teen Sprit I became cooler, more normal.  Teen Spirit was revolutionary and it took advantage of me at such a very impressionable, vulnerable, and awkward age.  So you can imagine how hard it was to walk away from Teen Spirit, from Degree, the scents of my youthful confidence.  It was terrifying.  And may I remind you that I am also a woman ever-mindful of my scent and ever mindful of the scents of my environment.  Call it Southern hospitality, or call it paranoia, but I always have to have onions cooking or a scented candle burning when the guests come over.  I need my stuff to smell good.  So yes, the transition to a “natural” deodorant was terrifying. 

But terrified as I was, I was being called to change.  The news story was the final piece of convincing evidence.  Months prior, however, I had also learned about the lack of regulation that governs cosmetic industries.  Unlike our food products, which are regulated fairly heavily on account of public safety, cosmetic products are not held to as-stringent standards.  For more information about chemicals in cosmetic products and the lack of regulation that cosmetic industries face, you can visit Annie Leonard’s Story of Stuff Project. The mounting evidence surrounding chemicals in our deodorants and our cosmetic products left with me with no other option than to change.  I am changing for my health, for the health of my fellow sisters and brothers, and for the health of my planet.

My natural deodorant revelation also inspired me to start this blog.  I have hopes that this blog will go beyond talking about deodorant.  I see this blog as a medium through which to talk about all kinds of cosmetic and household cleaning products.  I hope this blog to be a conversation among women and people about ways to make our bodies and our environments healthier, without harmful chemicals. Each month I am inviting one person to write about their experiences switching to a new product that does not contain harmful chemicals.  The month of October is deodorant month, so I am writing about my experiences.  I will also rate the products I’ve tried and allow other women who try the products to do the same.  (Please see the rating system on the sidebar). 

And so I want to challenge you ladies to try natural deodorant. I recommend Nature’s Gate “Spring Fresh” and Lafes deodorant stick.  Together these two are a great combination.  You can put the Lafes on first and then the Nature’s Gate.  The Lafes neutralizes the odor-forming bacteria, and the Nature’s Gate leaves you feeling fresh and clean.  You will forget all about Teen Spirit and embrace the new world of natural deodorant… well hopefully.  I do have to warn you, however, that these are just deodorants, not antiperspirants.  So it will be an adjustment.  The antiperspirant component of many brand name deodorants is what is being linked to breast cancer.  Most antiperspirants on the market contain aluminum oxide the harmful carcinogen culprit. However, if there is a time to try a new deodorant and move away from antiperspirants, fall would be the time.  You have those long sleeves on, so no one will even notice the difference.  And hopefully there will not be much a difference at all - as far as odor goes.  So come along with me and engage in this challenge.  Be changed, be healthy.