Is that your pits?

Is that your pits?

You know when you cop whiff of a passerby and had an unfortunate what’s that pong moment? I believe we’ve all experienced that at some time or another. Or a workplace with a seemingly well-groomed colleague who you need to take a step back from, or even more embarrassingly given the task to let them know they need to step up their underarm grooming regime. eeek

It’s not an easy topic for some, and it can be quite personal. Some people don’t even realize they are a bit stinky! But I’m sure as heck I’d rather know than be putting people off, although I guess it could be an effective way to manage potential covid space invaders?

It was the late 1800s and early 1900s that the first ‘modern’ commercial deodorants came about. The first deodorant was called Mum (yes, it’s been around that long!) developed to kill odor producing bacteria and the first antiperspirant to get on top of sweat production and bacterial growth was called Everyday, so they’ve been around for around 130 years. I guess as clothing changed and layers and fabric types changed our pits pungency became more of a ‘thing’ to deal with rather than a natural bodily occurrence. We went for thousands of years without such potions! Although many cultures did experiment with ways to mask personal stench. The Egyptians used carob, incense, and even porridge as deodorant.

Interestingly, perspiration from humans is mostly odorless, but once the organic components are fermented by bacteria in hot humid environments that’s when the BO element enters the equation. I reckon one of the important things to think about is that we are meant to sweat, it’s our bodies way of naturally cooling. To inhibit this action with antiperspirants which literally have been made to try and stop this, doesn’t sound like a great idea to me!

Deodorants on the other hand are made to help mask any bad smells that come from the bacteria that ferment the body odor, I totally get this. But there are natural deodorants and there are natural deodorants, and many attempts have been made over the last 5 to 10 years with mixed results. I’ve literally made it my mission to make one that’s not only great value for money (actually there’s pretty much zero margin on my deodorants, more on that in a sec), but one’s that actually work.

Some of us have been wearing natural deodorants for a while, we’re used to it but for those of us who are willing to give it a go for the first time one of the things to remember is, if you’re been wearing antiperspirant for years, your body has come to rely on it. There may be a few weeks of adjustment so try it for at least two weeks to get in the swing. Winter is probably a good time to start a natural deodorant routine.
So, with all this in mind and in the interests of a more pleasant working environments and close proximity like when we travel in cars, I think it is nice to have the confidence to flail your arms with gusto without having to worry about what’s wafting from our underarms.

I’ve developed two, Lavender or Peppermint & Tea Tree. They’re both cruelty free, blended in NZ, Paraben-Free and totally Vegan. If you want to give one a go there’s even a 30ml version of the Peppermint &Tea Tree, so a fairly low outlay to give natural a go. As a nod to my early days seeking an affordable natural deodorant myself, I want everyone to be able to afford these products so although a 60ml would usually retail for $20, I have these online for only $16. A 60ml should last you around two months with use every day. (See more info on my new fandangle website here).

We’ve come a long way from the use of carbolic acid (used in the early 1900s) but unfortunately some highly manufactured shelf products are rife with nasty chemicals not remotely good for the skin they are soaking into or the environment they are being sprayed upon. Surely this is one small way we can both look after our largest organ and do so without environmental impact. Although the porridge the Egyptians used has made me
curious!

Take care,
Hayley xx

References:
Mental Floss
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/581529/historical-deodorants
Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deodorant
Smithsonian Magazine
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-advertisers-convinced-americans-they-
smelled-bad-12552404/