Catching Fire- the Natural Deodorant Saga Continues...

Advice (I wish someone had shared with me) for anyone looking to make the switch to natural deodorant:

Do it in the winter- unless you are extremely lucky, this will be a trial and error undertaking.
Don't cake on gobs of the stuff- (esp if you use one with baking soda) I don't know if it was out of skepticism or habit, but I realized I was really loading up.
Buy before you DIY- self explanatory. I recommend etsy over commercially produced stuff like Tom's. You get to sample something made by someone with experience... before you make a huge mess in your kitchen.
For Pete's sake don't forget to wait at least an hour after shaving to apply- I'm so guilty of this, but it's terrible for your skin no matter how natural the product.


Here's my story:


My armpits are on fire!

I couldn't imagine this transition in the sweltering summer.

So I found a natural deodorant that I absolutely adore. You can find it & a bunch of other fantastic products at Hippie Chick Herbal Harmony on Etsy. This stuff smells amazing and I really am very happy with it.

Then, about two weeks in (which, for the record is the longest I've ever stuck with any natural deodorant) I started to notice that my armpits felt a little sore. I didn't see any redness, so I figured I was just going through an adjustment. Then I did a bonehead thing and applied the deodorant without waiting {at least an hour} after I shaved. Redness, bumps, pain.. eek.

I've never had heat rash, razor burn, or any other irritation on my pits. Lucky? No. I get it elsewhere. Ugh. So since this is new territory, I decided to stop shaving and stop the deodorant and do some research.

Turns out that I have a pH problem. Baking soda is incredibly alkaline, and that means irritation. So how do I get my pH back to normal? Distilled water and good ol' Apple Cider Vinegar (1 Tbsp to 1 Cup) twice a day.

And LET ME TELL YOU there ain't nothing in my life that has made me feel so crunchy. Smelling my vinegar-y musky pits these past few days has made me oh-so-grateful that I am on spring break. My, how different spring break for me for degree #2. Ten years ago I was partying in Hawaii.

Back to arm pits! I chose to take the full week off from any deodorant and just do the ACV routine. I'm also not shaving. So I smell ultra funky and I'm rockin the Chewbacca look.... needless to say I have no dates lined up this week.

At night I'm putting a bit of coconut oil on the irritated skin and it seems to be clearing up really well. Two more days and I'll get back to my beloved Perfect Pits in Lavender.

Stella Clare Accessories

A few years ago, I sort of fell into a side business. I make accessories from headbands for kids to bridal veils, boutonnieres, bouquets and just about anything my clients can dream up that they'd like me to create.

I was (and still am) poor, so I wanted affordable pieces for other frugal ladies out there. My crunchy heart told me to use all the unwanted materials possible, so I collected boxes of old material (vintage.. score!), decrepit center pieces/faux flower arrangements, broken jewelry, etc etc etc... and I branched out into using feathers (cruelty free, of course) from the birds on my parent's land.

Stella Clare was born.

I named her after my two grandmothers, both style icons in their own rights. Stella was the costume curator at the Met in NYC and taught fashion design at various schools. Clare is the kind of woman who always looks like she's in an advertisement... totally impeccable taste.

Check us out on Etsy!

Let's Talk Arm Pits...

Who doesn't love a good arm pit discussion?

OK so I have always been reluctant to switch to a "natural deodorant" because in my experience rubbing dirt in my pits would have probably been more effective.

I sweat. I'm not one of those girls who has to be on the tread mill for 20 minutes before the sweating starts. I sweat if it's a little warm and I have clothes on.

So needless to say when I get nervous, drink to much coffee, exercise, or any combination of  the above, I sweat and I just have to live with that. For me the idea of a natural deodorant working was just laughable. For most of my adult life I was looking for some kind of miracle prescription stuff to keep me from sweating through my clothes all the time. Sexy, I know.

However, my crunchy heart wouldn't let me go that far. I hated thinking about all the chemicals I was shoving under my arms on a daily basis just asking my lymph nodes to get poisoned.

I am aware that the evidence for a link between deodorant and cancer is shaky, but I'm not going to wait around for these researchers to get it together. Doctors used to be in smoking commercials, let's not forget. It took an embarrassingly long time for published studies to definitively link smoking to tons of awful health problems. Regardless of whether traditional deodorants cause cancer, I know they always stop working. I end up with yellow stains from the chemicals and I smell like sweaty flowers.

I've asked my crunchy friends to recommend a natural deodorant because I've struck out again and again. Turns out most of them are dealing with the same issue. So I decided it was officially my mission to find a safe deodorant that actually worked.

I'm happy to report I have found my miracle arm pit saver. Drum roooollllll.....

I mean, the name of this stuff is Perfect Pits. Found it on etsy at Hippie Chick Herbals. I ordered lavender, and I gotta say that after a few intense clinical rotations in critical care units and state mental hospitals, some big exams and presentations, and even working out.... my arm pits smell like a spa.

I still sweat, but I always did no matter what I used. This time I don't have weird stains or funky deodorant balls... does anyone else get those? I can't be the only one. Anyway sweating is toxin elimination, so I am fine with it. I'm also very excited to smell good when I do it.