Natural Deodorant & why we don't sell it

"Do you sell deodorant?"

Me; "No. Sorry." 

And for the past year I ponder about it.  ......Should I?

We haven't used deodorant for over 10 years. 

I know, right?  We smelled quite 'gamey' in the first couple years. 

the chickens never minded :o)

Sorry to all the folks who may have encountered that.   

But other non-deodorant folks will assure you, it doesn't last, the smell that is.

And it's true.  

The smell subsides.  And after a few more years you will only notice extreme smelly insistences accompanied by certain foods you consume.  And then even further down the road you will notice that the only time you smell at all is when you are seriously sweating.  And eventually, even sweating, the smell is questionably offensive.  ...It can get there.

But why can't most people get there? 

 Let's face it we live in a sterile and comfortable world.

We were fortunate to not have many others to impress, nor to offend, working for ourselves.  In other words, we weren't around many outsiders.  This makes it a lot easier to go all natural.

...And I'm just a dirty, crazy, hippie at heart.        ✌(⊙﹏⊙✿)

But let us talk about why I have not ventured into the natural deodorant formulations.  I mean there is enough folks requesting and purchasing such products.

I sit on the fence because;

1.) Generally if we don't use it & love it, I don't sell it.

2.)  It can be so problematic.

3.) Sweating is good!  This is healthy and we should never be in opposition to this natural and built-in healing process.

4.) I'm a bit of a minimalist & purist.  Yeah it's a synergistic thang.

Ok #3 leads into #2.  We are going to get technical now.

Sweating happens to cleanse the body of toxins.  It is the body's way of cooling itself down and your lymphatic system must work properly for many reasons including healthy, glowing skin.  So when we are intentionally putting something on our under arms to prevent the smell the first thing a deodorant formulator is going to take into account is how to stop this sweating from happening.  This is what is known today as 'antiperspirant'.  This generally contains a cocktail of YUCK and to clog up those pores, aluminum is the heavy metal of choice.

Now most natural seeking people already know this and thus opt for an aluminum free deodorant.  And that's is certainly a wise choice of action.

So kuddos to you!  

ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ

Yet the next thing a formulator is going to take into account is the deodorizing part.  And natural deodorants are very nice for this.  There are plenty of natural and superior ingredients that do an excellent job keeping the smell at bay such as coconut oil, baking soda, citrus essential oils and more.  And this is because they are efficient at preventing bacteria from growing.  And it is known that it is the bacteria which smells.  But the one that works the best at this is baking soda and this is extremely alkaline.  This is generally the problematic ingredient for most folks when it comes to natural deodorant.

See there’s 1 billion organisms per square inch living on your skin (1) at any given moment.  This amazing realm of its' own is made up of different kinds of bacteria, fungi, mites, and viruses in which play a role in maintaining a healthy skin barrier.  And then you have the ebbs and flows of skin. ~~~~

Yeah, skin goes through changes too.  So what works for a season may or may not work long term.  This I am saying in consideration for a product that may work for you for some time yet may not work in the long run.

Your skin also has a healthy ph balance to maintain.  This is said to be 4.5 - 5 (2).  Thus disrupting this balance can be problematic to either degree, more acidic, or more alkaline. This is why we recommend trying a vinegar rinse for those having irritation issues while using a natural deodorant that includes baking soda as an ingredient.  It very well may be that your body needs more acid (the vinegar) to balance back out due to the very alkaline baking soda you have been (usually newly) using.  The goal here is to maintain this ideal acidic ph balance so that "bad" bacteria does not grow.  Needless to say, skin issues arise when there is an unbalance.  And it naturally wants to balance itself back out.   And this is good because it is trying to communicate with you, "Hey, there is a problem here."

So I hope you can see how finicky natural deodorants can be.

Of course you might keep one around for those special evenings out or perhaps you work in an office and sit right next to someone but if you can, we encourage you to try and go without.  At the very least, a "detoxing" of the under arms for a few days to a week is very beneficial.  You could add some bentonite clay applications to this and or some tea tree oil, if you do not have sensitive skin.  All of these help to nix the "bad" bacteria and reclaim some balance.      

And if you can't ~ then seek out a natural deodorant with pro & pre-biotics.  This will also help ramp up the "good" bacteria which in turn will help you to smell better in the long run by keeping the "bad" bacteria down and thus the smell at bay.

In the meantime, I'm still considering weather or not to venture down the formulation of such a natural product.  But you'll be the first one's to know if I do.  (*＾-‘) 乃

    
(1.) The skin microbiome: Associations between altered microbial communities and disease
(2.) Natural skin surface pH is on average below 5, which is beneficial for its resident flora.