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Does anyone have any natural deodorant ideas?

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  • pixxpixx Raw Master

    nefertiti666 Whatever is cheapest on the shelf. ;~) Typically, Aristocrat & it is 80 proof. Unflavored. Occasionally some other brand- sometimes the "good stuff" when at a friend's house. Since I don't drink it, I really don't care about brand.

  • wow! i am loving this thread! for years i've been using the crystal stick and just recently stopped altogether. i figure between my mostly raw diet and all the detoxing i do in bikram yoga most of the stinky toxins are out of there. and well...i've also been taking the, "i'm human. humans sweat. deal with it." tactic. :)

    but i love your recommendations, pixx, on vinegar and vodka! i've been trying out white vinegar for the last week or so and when i remember to use it i'm definately noticing a lower level of the funk. i personally like a little b.o. smell on people. hey! it's got our pheromones in it and i think it's quite sexy on women. but anyway...

    my question is this: as a former drunk i'm wondering if the vodka can absorb at all in your body. i'm not in a space where i feel like i'll lose all control and swill my deoderant. so that's not what i'm worried about. but i know the danger of using commercial deoderants is in all the chemicals and how they can absorb into the lymph nodes in your armpits. is it possible that the vodka can absorb into you that way as well?

    thoughts?

    also, pixx, i'm particularly interested in using the vodka because i like the idea of mixing some essential oil with it to have a sort of added pleasant smell. could you do this with the vinegar? or what about isopropl alcohol?

    thanks!

  • Ooh, I like the products at the Terressentials website. I don't recall seeing that brand at my HFS. I may have to put in an order. Good prices on facial care also. Since Lush products have become outrageously priced.

  • pixxpixx Raw Master

    semperfey~ The vodka/vinegar shouldn't affect pheromones, I wouldn't think; I could be wrong- but I really don't think so. It simply keeps bacteria from being able to breed. Bacterial waste is what smells bad, not sweat. YES, what you put on your body will definitely be absorbed into your body! Whether it will be of a quantity to be problematic in your situation, I really don't know; I personally wouldn't chance that. Sure, you can put the EO's into the vinegar, no problem. I don't recommend using isopropl alcohol for two reasons: one, I've been told (I can not smell, so I don't know first hand) that it gives off an unpleasant odor, which might be intensified in a warm area like an armpit. Two, I've also been told by a paramedic, that it can be toxic, if smelled on an ongoing basis. [I used to use it for household cleaning. (I would spray it on shower walls, to keep down mold, so I was breathing it in a bit often.) Now I use the vodka or vinegar.]

  • I second Megan's suggestion for Naturally Fresh roll-on. I tried *every* natural deodorant out there (including Dr. Hauschka at 20+ bucks a bottle). This is the only stuff I have tried that works. It comes in unscented as well as a couple of scents. I still sweat, but it doesn't smell. I work in an organization where I have to look very professional and B.O. would be completely unacceptable.

  • Hey, RawLibrarian, I am a librarian also - transitioning still, though.

    I really wish the Naturally Fresh deodorant worked, but I swear, I think the bacteria like it, because it just equals funkiness multiplied for me!

    I am still reticent to buy vodka, but it sounds promising . I think white vinegar will have to do for now.

  • thanks pixx! i will try some essential oils in my vinegar. do you have any that you recommend? that are not too overwhelming. or you know...too flowery...

  • Semperfey, I would recommend something like lemon or thyme. They're not really flowery. If the thyme burns your skin, dilute it with grapeseed oil and then add it to the vinegar. The thyme also has the advantage of being antibiotic, so It should help kill any bacteria in your armpit.

  • pixxpixx Raw Master

    Sorry, I am a lavender freak, so that is what I use. (It, also, is antibacterial.) I'm not a good one to suggest "man-ly" smells, as I can't smell at all (congenital anosmia). I enjoy the lavender, because I still get the calming (and antibacterial) effects, even though I don't detect the scent. ( I use it for general house-cleaning, too.)

    I have seen patchouli listed on some deodorants. My stepson used to really like that. Just a thought?

  • germin8germin8 Raw Master

    The Thai Stone... i.e. salt rock.

    BTW, thanks for those tips juliennecoyle

  • lemon and thyme sounds good! i always have this bias about patchouli, like it's too "hippy" or something. but the truth of the matter is that i actually really like the smell of it. i should just use some of that stop being silly!

  • pixxpixx Raw Master

    I know what you mean-semperfey- I think the same thing! But I don't think I've met anyone who did not like it...funny. :~)

  • Pixx- If you cannot smell, does this mean you cannot taste?

    I have never liked patchouli. It smells like dirt or body odor to me.

  • pixxpixx Raw Master

    Ah, no- it does not mean that. That's a really common question! Thing is, smell does *enhance* taste, but it isn't all of it. Most folks get so dependent on that enhancement, that when they get a cold, they no longer "taste". Since I never have been able to smell, I've never leaned on that crutch, so to speak. Trust me, taste buds are indeed doing their job! Of course, I have no way of being able to tell if the flavor I taste is what you taste- but of course, that could be said of any one!

    :~)

  • So I did try the vinegar, and it sort of added a sourness to the already existing odor. Maybe mixed with vodka it will be more effective.

  • My husband (a previously stinky man) uses baking soda and it works great! Just rub it in after you shower. How cheap and easy is that?!?!

  • emtpdmomemtpdmom Raw Newbie

    I use baking soda as a body scrub, and always make sure to scrub my pits well. Then I rinse and pat dry. No odor. On the rare occasions when that is not sufficient . . . like when I've eaten something other than raw vegan the day before . . . I use a Thai crystal, just in case. That seems to be the only time I develop body odor.

  • pixxpixx Raw Master

    nefertiti666: "So I did try the vinegar, and it sort of added a sourness to the already existing odor."

    Umm, "already existing odor"? It needs to be applied on a freshly clean body, to keep *away* odor; not after you are already stinky.

    From what I have read, though, vodka will remove existing odor from fabric, so maybe it will from the body, too(?). But again, I would recommended to apply it on a freshly clean body.

  • Alvera roll on deodorant is what my boyfriend + I use...my mom ordered a case of it and never used any of them so we have practically a lifetime supply for free. Read the vitacost reviews, many people agree that it works great and is VERY nontoxic.

  • mewmewmintmewmewmint Raw Newbie

    I hate the sticky crap they sell. I wish they would make a powdery one like they do for the non-natural. I was able to get some orange scented lotion that was made locally that worked great. It wasn't made for a deodorant, it was just a hand lotion.

  • Pixx, I was speaking of the odor that exists from the sweat as it occurs, not that I used it on dirty pits.

    I used it after showering and then went to work. Work is pretty strenuous, and I tend to sweat from the stress, and from the physical work. Sweat is good! Just not the smell. And, okay, I UNDERSTAND that if you're not 105% raw that you will stink; that seems to be the concensus among the people on this site! But I am transitioning, and am not willing to dive straight into 100% raw. One day!

  • keewikeewi Raw Newbie

    Foul smells from the body is toxins coming up from the skin. After being on a raw plant diet for a couple months I noticed my odor to be quite fruity and nice. I haven't used soap or deodorant in months and never smell, never have greasy hair and I have long hair, and always feel clean. Raw plant food is the best : )

  • pixxpixx Raw Master

    nefertiti666~ So sorry to hear you are having issue with it. I used it for well over a decade before going raw. I used to drive trucks, and work in warehouses, so I was quite used to hard physical sweaty work. Never was a problem for me; the vinegar worked well.

    The few times in my past that I did have an issue with body odor, I was still using commercial antiperspirants, and one time I tried sage because I had read it would work. It doesn't.

  • thanks anyway pixx! We all have unique body chemistry, etc. I had some success with kiss My Face roll-on, I was just tired of buying it ($7 for deodorant is steep) and figured there must be some natural substances that would combat the bacteria as well. I inherited my father's ability to sweat like a pig when I am doing something as simple as cleaning a room! (My mom told me that she rarely perspired, but I never bought that! Even she wore deodorant!)

    I am going to continue experimenting with these suggestions. I realized that after I put the vinegar on I need to leave my arms in the air to allow it to dry on me. Especially before dressing! I am so new to all this.

  • I systematically went through the natural deodorants I could find, returning them every week to purchase a new one, until I finally found the one and only natural deodorant which worked well enough for me: it's called Teens Turning Green and it is sold at Whole foods. I hope it works for you!

    p.s. remember that you can always bring stuff back and be reimbursed for any product you are not satisfied with...

  • I used the Teens Turning Green one for quite a while too! But now I found one that I like even better: Organic Grooming by Herban Cowboy in the "Wild" scent (I think.) My little health food store nearby had a sign in front of the original "Dusk" scent that said, "THIS ONE WORKS!!!" But it smelled yummy masculine and I wasn't really into that (found it on sale recently and picked one up for my husband though - I'll let you know if he likes it.) However, two new scents became available - unscented and, I believe, "Wild". I picked up the "Wild" one; it smells deliciously spicy, like cloves and other sweet spices. That actually seems to work for me, especially if I need a quick re-apply after rock climbing or whatnot and don't have time to shower. Sometimes I'll double up with the crystal rock and the Herban Cowboy stuff. Combine those and even after an 1.5 hour long aikido class, wearing a heavy dogi, in the upstairs of a middle school without air conditioning, when it's over 85 degrees out..... I STILL smell decent! :-)

  • there are a couple brands at the store. Im not sure if they are 100% natural but its worth a looksy.

    Toms All Natural or Arm & Hammer Baking Soda.

  • emtpdmomemtpdmom Raw Newbie

    Raw Divas current Newsletter includes a recipe for natural deodorant. Scroll down a little less than half way for the directions. http://www.healthinhighheels.com/

  • I read that recipe, emtpdmom! It sounds interesting.

  • i'm not into caked deodorant, natural or not. i wear a lot of black and don't like the residue it leaves everywhere. it's totally unnecessary, anyway.

    i have settled on "weleda - sage deodorant." it's spray-on made up of just alcohol, water, and essential oils. i think it's swiss but you can get it at health food stores anywhere. i got mine at a local one, but i think they also sell them at whole foods. it's light, kills bacteria, and leaves a subtle, fresh scent that feels so natural (like sage and rosemary). i ride my bike to work everyday even in hot, humid weather and sweat a ton but i never stink with this deodorant. it's pretty amazing.

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