The Great Aluminum-free Deodorant Search

Aluminum is one of the main ingredients in deodorant and has faced some harsh reports lately about its safety. Some sources warn that aluminum is absorbed through the skin in the armpit and is absorbed into breast tissue causing breast cancer, although the National Cancer Institute says that no clear evidence has been found proving this. There’s also lots of talk that using aluminum products also causes Alzheimer’s Disease, but again, there isn’t conclusive evidence. Many Alzheimer’s experts did say that although there isn’t any hardcore evidence, it is not outside the realm of possibility and if avoiding aluminum makes you feel safer, to do so. Many cited that lots of products are advertised as completely safe only to be recalled or banned a few years later. Asbestos, anyone? Being safe, rather than sorry, isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

For me personally, the desire to limit my usage of aluminum products stems from that being one of the heavy metals I’m poisoned with (I’ll test next week to see if we got rid of it all!). Since we don’t know the actual source of the aluminum in my system, I have to look at the things I use on a regular basis that might be the culprit. This brings me to my deodorant. If changing my deodorant means a greater chance that I won’t get to such a sick, fragile, and scary place again, I’m all for it! So, the search began…

First I tried The Body Shop’s DeoDry™ Dry-Effect Deodorant Fresh & Floral Roll On ($8). It’s a liquid deodorant that boasts of full 24 hour protection, in addition to being paraben and aluminum free. I liked the floral scent- not too girly or too strong, but the scent wasn’t enough to keep me happy with all the negatives I found. I stayed dry and didn’t have any white marks on my clothes, but it didn’t last anywhere near 24 hours. I had to keep it in my bag to reapply a couple times throughout the day, and I still had to do body odor (BO) checks on the sly to make sure I didn’t need to apply again. I also had a hard time putting it on after shaving my armpits in the shower. It burned so much I shouted expletives each morning when I put it on. One roommate thought this was pretty funny. The other seemed a bit uncomfortable with the way I started the morning. Needless to say, this wasn’t a winner for me. So I moved on.

I decided to try The Body Shop’s same deodorant in the solid form ($8). They were out of the “fresh & floral” scent, so I bought the “chilled & breezy” stick. I didn’t scream bad words when I put this one on, but I still felt like I had to constantly smell myself and reapply way more than any normal person should. I got so tired of reapplying I decided, again, to move on.

When my friend and I went to Native Roots Market for shopping phase #1, I bought Queen Helene’s Tea Tree Oil Deodorant Stick ($3.74). At this point, I feel I should tell you that I’m not an overly critical person. However, I really don’t want to spend money on a product that isn’t working for me. Once I found that Queen Helene’s deodorant (also paraben & aluminum free) needed to be reapplied constantly and left lots of white marks on my shirts, I could safely say that it wasn’t the product for me either. I started wondering if I had abnormally smelly armpits, or if the aluminum was what made deodorant work in the first place. Was it hopeless to find an aluminum free deodorant that worked for me?

In a last attempt I bought Tom’s Long Lasting Deodorant Stick (about $4) at Target. I smelled all the scents in the Tom’s line before purchasing one to make sure I picked the best one. I decided on Apricot. I’m not usually a fruity scent kind of person, but I really liked this one. Turns out, it wasn’t just the smell I liked. This deodorant completed my search. It promises 12 hour protection, and I can honestly say for me it works about 10 hours. It never burns when I put it on, it doesn’t stain my shirts or leave white marks on them, and I know I am not adding aluminum back into my system after working so hard to get it out. Hands down, this is one of the best deodorants I’ve ever used, and it’s definitely the safest. I even made my mom try it, and I’m happy to report she’s using it and recommending it to her friends too.

It’s hard work trying to change your life for the better, but it gets a little easier when you know that you never have to stop and check for B.O.- that your deodorant’s got you covered.

Marx + Beauty Magazines = one long day...

I know I haven’t updated in a bit. I seem to be falling into my crazy perfectionist trap of thinking that it has to be perfect to go out into to blog world. So instead of posting, my post rafts pile up in word documents on my laptop and in my head. In an effort to help end that I decided for better or worse, I’m just gonna post and post and post. If it’s not perfectly written or a comma is missing, too bad! I just need to get going. Time’s a wasting! (Please, dear reader, don’t add comments to critique my writing style just yet. I’m too new and unsure of this being any use for anyone.)

Chelation therapy #17 kicked my butt today. It was a rough one to say the least. I usually try to sleep for the two+ hours I’m waiting on the IV to drip, but today I just couldn’t make myself sleep. I fidgeted and rustled, but nothing seemed to help. The EDTA in my IV drip felt what I would imagine Icy Hot would feel like flowing through your veins. It doesn’t usually feel like this for me, but occasionally I’ll have a bad day with it. Today was one of those. I got a good 30 minutes of dozing at the end, but just felt completely shot for the rest of the day.

I made it back for my “Wealth, Power, & Prestige” class, which is a sociology course on the study of inequality. We were critiquing Marx, and all I could think about was how Marx and I would totally be coffee buddies. I think if Marx were alive today, he’d want to end genocide and provide healthy alternatives. Then the part of my brain that wasn’t feeling high decided that this was quite impossible. Why would dear Karl oppose violence and bloodshed if it led to an overthrow of the bourgeoisie currently in power? And why would he want to give choice with products that were healthier alternatives to their counterparts? I realized how ridiculous the dialogue in my head would seem to anyone else listening to my thoughts. So, in my altered state I decided I wanted to be a cactus for the rest of the day. I know, I know, but it made sense in my head at the time. Clearly, this shows why my mom still has to drive me to and from chelation. As much as I seem semi functional, there’s really no telling what’s going on in my head.

Yesterday I bought an issue of Allure magazine, but waited to crack it open til tonight. I quickly got frustrated by it after leafing through the whole thing. The issue was comprised largely of Allure’s “beauty awards”(a time when Allure announces the winning beauty products in all sorts of categories). There were so many products featured that I kind of got disgusted looking at them. There were so many pages devoted to these top products that contain known and unknown chemicals and toxins, and they’re simply going to hurt people- not all people, but isn’t hurting some people hurting enough people? Of all the categories there were a few lines devoted to “natural” products. Not enough products were listed and just because something is all-natural doesn’t mean it is safe. Example- Heavy metals are natural, but consuming them in the wrong quantities will kill you. I’m frustrated by a world so concerned with looking young and gorgeous that we’re literally killing ourselves. At the same time, I know I’m a part of that world. How I look isn’t my biggest concern, but I definitely spend too much time trying to make myself look good. I’m not ugly, by any means, but I’m not breathtaking. It seems that being average makes me want to try a lot of things to bump my beauty up even just a bit. We’re programmed from a very early age that things are much better if you’re pretty. Then we grow up and buy magazines that tell us what products we need to use to obtain that beautiful perfection we’re striving for. That perfection that is unattainable. It’s shallow and ridiculous, but it’s the honest truth. Every girl wants to hear that she is captivating and believe it. I think the hardest part is the believing it.

I want to look at magazines that talk real social issues right alongside promoting products that are healthy. I want to see an emphasis on things that matter, but also get some beauty talk that helps me understand how to celebrate me and highlight the way I’m made. Anyone know of a magazine like that? If so pleeeeeeeease comment! I want to financially support that magazine and promote it as well.

I’m off to bed. Sweet dreams…and leave me some comments ;)

Today was shopping phase #1. Because heavy metals are in so many things, I have to change the majority of the products I'm using to prevent more metals from poisoning me again. That means food, cleaning products, makeup, body care products, etc. Since I expect this to take a while (and be quite pricey) I've broken it up into different phases. Each time I focus on getting just a couple of different things. The goal of shopping phase #1? To replace my toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, and deodorant. I grabbed my reusable shopping bag and headed to Native Roots Market (http://www.nativerootsmarket.com) to complete the task.

Now, I'm sure you're thinking this doesn't sound like a big deal. You simply don't understand, because, sweet Jesus, it was a HUGE ordeal. You know how excited you are when you get to pick out clothes for the first day of school? How you sift through everything you own, but become so overwhelmed at the thought of picking a single outfit that could determine and set the tone for the entire year? How you realize there is no possible way to choose something? How you wanna curl up in a little ball on your closet floor and rock back and forth like someone who's escaped the looney bin? That's exactly how I felt but worse. There were so many things to choose from! What if I get the wrong thing? What if I hate the way it smells? What if I end up having an allergic reaction to one of the natural ingredients? What if I have to come back and buy another expensive product that wouldn't work either and I continue to do it over and over again and don't find anything...ever? I'm not normally this neurotic, but it's taken me a while to find what products work with my difficult, thick, wavy hair and weird skin. It seems like such a small thing, but it feels like I'm going through puberty all over again.

Fortunately, I had one of my best friends, Tag, with me. He's a raging environmentalist that supports my efforts to be healthy, eat organic, attempt composting, and be an activist for everything I believe in. He was so patient and helpful. Picture me running back and forth between each shelf and attempting to read all the labels, smell everything, compare prices, and then repeating it several times more. Tag read labels to me, smelled things, and took products from me as soon as I decided on them so I couldn't change my mind. He is the epitome of helpful. I was such a wreck that I would have cried without having such a chill and patient buddy on my side raving about how much better things will be with me feeling better.

I left Native Roots with more than I meant to, but who can resist a getting a couple snacks when they're about to have a nervous breakdown in the soap section? Not me, dear reader. Here's the breakdown of what I bought:

-2 Clif Kids Organic Twisted Fruitropes
-paraben & aluminum free deodorant
-mini bottle of all natural shampoo
-fluoride free mouthwash
-tea tree oil conditioner
-lip butter (locally made!)
-cruelty free, fluoride free mint toothpaste
-1.87 lb. of brown bismati rice
-waste minimizing toothbrush (that's handle is made of flax!)
-non-bleached, chlorine free baking cups (the ones for muffins & cupcakes)

All of this booty totaled $53.49. That's not too shabby. I definitely need to figure out where I'm going to be pulling money from to fund these healthier, but undeniably more expensive items. Definitely more on that to come. (I welcome any & all ideas on the matter, though.) You can expect reviews on each product very soonish. But for now, I'm gonna go brush my teeth without fluoride being anywhere near my mouth.