Self-Care Books
47 Simple Wellness Tips for the Body, Mind, and Soul- Kendra Pennington
Kendra, the breaker of societal belief systems that want you to mask who you are, presents deodorant that isn't toxic ( not as dramatic as the breaker of chains). We all remember the smell and disparaging looks from those around us when we hit the hormonal transition stage of our human development which created a not-so-pleasant odor when we perspired. I remember that time in my life, I was in HEB and one of my friend's older sisters saw us and was prompting us to buy the "Teen Spirit" brand of deodorant. This "write of passage" was so exciting, I had never bought deodorant before. My mom was willing to let my sister and me get whatever we wanted, it was magical!
Then as I got older I realized that deodorant after deodorant worked at first but then started to not work as time went on. The antiperspirant deodorants made my lymph glands swell and my underarms hurt. Then there was society, I would ride the bus home after school and I would sweat so much ( the reasoning behind no air-conditioning in buses has me perplexed to this day), and I remember being made fun of for sweating so much because it was a societal flaw.
Society has been trying to mask their smell for centuries with no success. To me, synthetic fragrances that make you smell like a fake flower or ocean breeze are not appealing. Not only that but "antiperspirant" is not good for you. I will go a step further and say, anything that makes your body not function the way it needs to function is not good for you, and if your body isn't functioning properly then that is a symptom of an underlying cause that needs to be treated, not masked. You need to sweat. The smell is another matter entirely. Are you healthy inside? What is your diet like? That is a huge clue as to why you smell really bad.
Another is, do you sweat enough? When you make your body not function like it is supposed to by using antiperspirant, toxins build up, so when you don't wear the gland-blocking antiperspirant you smell bad...well yes, that makes sense. Then there is the odor from those that wear no deodorant and/or don't shave, it is a natural smell and I don't mind it at all. I would rather smell that, like I said, than something fake.
Now, for those of us in-betweeners. I consider myself an in-between. I do like to shave, however, I will not use any artificial deodorants under my arms which happen to be a major zone for your lymph system. So what do we do? Well, I use natural deodorants, with natural oils, etc. This was through trial and error ( and still is). I discovered that my underarms are very sensitive. I have to be manage using anything with arrowroot powder, baking soda, or cornstarch ( these things are all mildly abrasive which is why my body can be fickle with them).
So what was I to do? I started using the Thai crystal then switched to a crystal spray. Those weren't working that well for me as far as odor goes and I am 90% super healthy ( I am largely Pita dosha and I live in hot-ass Texas, I am hot, hot, hot most of the time), plus I sweat like nobody's business. Societal judgments about sweating ..... is just a judgment, you can choose to adhere to them or say, "Um, no not today". Remember when companies thought putting cocaine in soda was a good idea? Ya. I also use Lume, which has been working for me really well for over a year, and has not caused any rashes.
So remember, if you sweat a lot then you may have to re-apply, if you start to smell funky and you don't like it.... go wash under your armpits or use natural deodorant wipes, then reapply. I do it all of the time, no matter where I am at! Use products that are good for you. Do what is best for YOU when it comes to products you are putting on, in, and around your body. Check out this video to learn more about why it is important to check your labels and check out my other blogs to learn more about healthier options.
