This photo has nothing to do with deodorant except that I wasn't wearing any at the time! This is just me with precious baby Lillian when she was 1 day old. Love that little peanut and her parents too. Can't wait to watch her grow and teach her to not wear deodorant like her crazy Aunt Mariel.
That's right! I cannot believe I've actually gone over a week without putting on deodorant. This was a huge step for me as I really was a deodorant addict. It was kind of like a security blanket for me. I'd carry it around in my purse and any time I'd feel a little nervous I'd do a quick swipe to freshen up. A habit that, I've come to find out, was not so great.
Last week I got to travel back to Illinois for work. It was an awesome week catching up with beloved coworkers, friends and family. I'm so thankful! The last couple days I was there I got to spend time with Brittany and her family. We had lots of interesting discussions about health, whole foods, natural living and particularly how they all pertain to autism, since that's Britt's area of expertise. One subject that came up was the issue of deodorant. I had heard little bits here and there about how it's maybe harmful but nothing to break my long-time fondness for it. But as we talked about the aluminum in the anti-persperant, and other known carcinogens in deodorant, I became a bit uneasy. Seriously, what actually is this stuff I'm rubbing under my arm everyday? So close to my lymph nodes, breasts and, especially after shaving, exposure to my blood stream. There's so much unknown and many will claim that nothing has been proven. But the more I learn and research, the more convinced I am that in general, simpler is better, as far as what I'm putting in my body. And since I'm in the camp of trying to make effective changes that don't cost us extra money, I decided that forgoing deodorant was some thing I'd at least have to try.
And I've gotta say, I'm actually loving it! Is that weird? Since I work from home I figured that if I really stink, it's not a big deal since I'll only be offending myself. And to be honest, the first two days I was the stinkiest. But I've heard that this can just be a detox time at the beginning when my pores are finally opening up and sweating. Doing what they are made to do – imagine that! Anyways, since then, I haven't noticed much of a smell at all. In fact, I feel like at the end of the day, I used to smell a lot worse when I wore deodorant than now that I'm not. I can hardly believe it!
So to manage the smell, I've tried a couple things so far. I did buy one of those salt stick things you have to wet and rub under your arm. But my favorite solution has been to rub a little but of coconut oil underarm. The lauric acid in coconut oil kills odor-causing bacteria and leaves my skin soft and smooth. I haven't had any trouble with the oil marking my clothes, and best of all, I know exactly what's going on my skin (and of course therefore entering my body).
I'm so happy with this change and even Paul has tried my coconut oil trick! He teases me because I keep telling everyone about my new habit, but I can't help it because I'm excited to talk about it!
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