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Herbal Wisdom:  Help! Deodorant allergy!  |
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RachelLeigh
True Blue Farmgirl
635 Posts
Rachel
Rainier
WA
USA
635 Posts |
 Posted - May 17 2013 : 10:08:37 AM
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I need advice! I have sensitive skin but don't react badly to things immediately. Over time, I'll develop bumps/rashes/etc. and have to discontinue my product usage. For a long time, I've done great with Dove Deodorant. In the past few weeks, though, I've developed VERY itchy, irritated underarms. Scrubbing them with a rough washcloth is absolute relief. So now I need to find some deodorant that won't cause an allergic reaction. I've tried the "natural" stuff before (Tom's, that crystal thing) but I wasn't impressed. Does anyone have any suggestions to help one very itchy-armpitted gal? 
Farmgirl Sister #5159
My blogs: http://14thandoak.com & http://thehomefrontkitchen.com
"Faith is one foot on the ground, one foot in the air, and a queasy feeling in the stomach." - Mother M. Angelica
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MagnoliaWhisper
True Blue Farmgirl
2817 Posts
Heather
Haysville
Kansas
USA
2817 Posts |
Posted - May 17 2013 : 9:21:14 PM
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I wasn't impressed with the crystal either, but it did help to make sure that the stick was very wet before using. But, it doesn't last long for me even then. BUT, it's been better (less itch! lol) then anything else. Even baking soda just gives me itchy pits! lol
http://www.heathersprairie.blogspot.com |
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sjmjgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
566 Posts
Stephanie
Mt. Vernon
Iowa
USA
566 Posts |
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Rosemary
True Blue Farmgirl
1825 Posts
Virginia
USA
1825 Posts |
Posted - May 19 2013 : 12:51:13 AM
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Why not make your own, Rachel? MaryJane has a recipe in her latest FarmGirl magazine. Also, you'll find a nice long thread on the subject right here. Rather than risking duplicating all the good advice it contains, I'll just suggest you check it out.
Also, I was reading somewhere lately that if you do wax removal of your underarm hair regularly, you will never have underarm odor. Supposedly, after a few treatments, a lot of women find their underarm hair pretty much stops reappearing. Not my cuppa, but it bears passing along. |
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countrymommy85
True Blue Farmgirl
898 Posts
Krystle
MT
USA
898 Posts |
Posted - Jul 26 2013 : 07:25:37 AM
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I like the natural deo's that my health food store sells. So far each one I have tried worked well. Last month I couldn't afford to buy a stick so and I didn't like the stone but I decided to try that Thai Crystal roll on and it works WAY better than the plain stone. I have also tried Weleda spray deodorants which I got off amazon. My husband is sensitive to regular deo's also, this sensitivity just started the past year for him!
Mothers are those wonderful people who can get up in the morning before the smell of coffee. ~Author Unknown
http://countryrenaissance.blogspot.com
http://www.etsy.com/shop/SunflowersAndHoney |
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AnnieinIdaho
True Blue Farmgirl
437 Posts
Annie
ID
USA
437 Posts |
Posted - Jul 26 2013 : 10:31:51 AM
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Hi Rachel,
I have multiple chemical sensitivities so deodorant caused me many problems to include rashes. Here is what worked for me. I started using Witch Hazel on cotton pads to thoroughly wash and clean under my arms. Let air dry in a few seconds and that is it. At night once again clean. Even if I have showered, I use the Witch Hazel under the arms. I know it helps keep the bacteria down, and it has cleared up any rashes in just a few applications. I love using this instead of deodorant. Two applications, once in the a.m. and once before bed work for me. CVS Pharmacy has a product with pads presoaked in Witch Hazel I like because of convenience. For travel there are foil packets with larger "sponge bath" size sheets soaked in Witch Hazel.
Best to you! Annie
"The turnings of life seldom show a sign-post; or rather, though the sign is always there, it is usually placed some distance back, like the notices that give warning of a bad hill or a level railway-crossing." Edith Wharton, 1913 from 'The Custom of the Country'. |
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chris-ib
Farmgirl at Heart
2 Posts
Chris
San Diego
CA
USA
2 Posts |
Posted - Jul 29 2013 : 11:50:02 AM
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| Please, if someone could copy the deodorant recipe from the May edition of the MJF here I'd be so thankful. I made it, love it, but can not find my magazine! |
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RachelLeigh
True Blue Farmgirl
635 Posts
Rachel
Rainier
WA
USA
635 Posts |
Posted - Jul 29 2013 : 1:04:47 PM
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Hello, ladies. After I posted this, I did see the other thread. My apologies for the duplicates. That being said, I don't have the time these days to make my own, so I was using the Crystal brand stuff for a while. BUT over the weekend, I went to Lush and bought their all-natural solid deodorant. It's made with witch hazel, among other things, and scented with patchouli. So far, so good!
Farmgirl Sister #5159
My blogs: http://14thandoak.com & http://thehomefrontkitchen.com
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Sitnalta
True Blue Farmgirl
4208 Posts
Jessica
NJ
USA
4208 Posts |
Posted - Jul 29 2013 : 1:34:08 PM
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I have the same problem as you described, Rachel, when I've used a deodorant for a very long periods of time. I am extremely sensitive. I used the unscented Degree for a couple of weeks and then am able to go back to the Dove. I think our bodies get used to things and decide they don't want it anymore. LOL! (maybe?) Anyways, that is what I have found have worked for me so far. My skin attracts every itchy, hivey thing there can be. One of the fun things of being extremely fair skinned. I'm glad you've found something that works!!
hugs
~Jessie
"Wonder Woman hasn't got a cape, she just turned her apron around"
Farmgirl Sister #235 |
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naturemaiden
True Blue Farmgirl
2569 Posts
Connie - Farmgirl #673
Hoosick Falls
NY
USA
2569 Posts |
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Rosemary
True Blue Farmgirl
1825 Posts
Virginia
USA
1825 Posts |
Posted - Oct 06 2013 : 08:21:01 AM
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Rachel, making your own deodorant takes about ten minutes, tops, plus shopping time to stock up. In those ten minutes, you can make enough to last you a year. Are you sure you don't want to give it a try?
By the way, if you're really sensitive, as I am, you might want to cut back on the baking soda and essential oil ingredients in the homemade recipes. Also, for me, arrowroot powder works better than corn starch. (I think it was a farmgirl here who pointed out that corn starch could feed bacteria. I thought that made sense, so I made that change. I bought a huge bag of arrowroot powder at my health food store for about $6. Yes, that's pretty expensive, but I'll probably die of old age before I use it up, and it keeps forever. :)
This and some other stuff that goes into making your own deodorant isn't cheap (especially the organic coconut oil) until you add up all those $2.00-$3.00+ purchases of the store-bought stuff, not to mention all the useless plastic containers you're adding to the landfill. |
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RachelLeigh
True Blue Farmgirl
635 Posts
Rachel
Rainier
WA
USA
635 Posts |
Posted - Oct 06 2013 : 7:27:59 PM
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Thanks for all the recent replies, ladies! I finally settled on Lush's powder deodorant. It's made from coconut oil and other things, and I smell tropical, which I love. I do think I'd like to try to make my own. Considering it seems like I'm never going to be able to wear "normal" deodorant again, I need to make my own and save some $$$!
Farmgirl Sister #5159
A father. A daughter. A hero remembered. http://journeytotunisia.wordpress.com
My blog: http://14thandoak.com
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texdane
Farmgirl Legend Chapter Leader Chapter Guru
4658 Posts
Nicole
Sandy Hook
CT
USA
4658 Posts |
Posted - Oct 07 2013 : 06:18:22 AM
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Hi Rachel,
Just wanted to add something. I started making my own deodorant last year or so. We, too, have sensitive underarms. I use the recipe calling for coconut oil, corn starch, and baking soda. I developed a rash as well as a few of my farmsisters in my chapter. Corn starch can irritate, so if you are that sensitive, try cutting down the cornstarch a bit. Really helped and we've had no issues since.
Farmgirl hugs,
Nicole
Farmgirl Sister #1155
KNITTER, JAM-MAKER AND MOM EXTRAORDINAIRE
Chapter Leader, Connecticut Simpler Life Sisters
Farmgirl of the Month, January 2013
Suburban Farmgirl Blogger
http://sfgblog.maryjanesfarm.org/ |
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Kaygee
Farmgirl at Heart
1 Posts
Karen
Wichita Falls
TX
USA
1 Posts |
Posted - Mar 22 2016 : 2:39:38 PM
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Hello; I'm a n00b to the forum.
This issue frustrates me. I decided several years ago to stop using antiperspirants; my dad always claimed that there was a correlation between cancer and trying to keep your body from doing its job, and I just chalked that up to Dad being Dad. But I came around to his way of thinking, on that issue at least. It seems silly to me that we try to keep our sweat glands from cooling us off. On a 115degF day in August, with 85% humidity, when every pore on your body is perspiring, to have bone-dry armpits is a bit odd.
Try to find any effective aluminum-free deodorant that doesn't smell like Manly Locker Room Freedom! (Which is fine, if you like that sort of thing, but I'm really sensitive to strong smells like that). There are about 3 drugstore deodorants that are odorless/herbal/floral, and half of them don't work for me, and the other half break my armpits out in welts.
I tried one of Lush's cream deo's (Aromarant?), and that one peeled several layers off of my armpits after less than a week. My daughter, the Lush fanatic, suggested that I try T'eo, which is a solid powder, made with baking soda, tea tree oil and citrus. Normally tea tree oil is one of those odors that makes me feel ill, but the citrus neutralizes it very nicely. I teach for the military, and spend several days each month doing heavy, sweaty work in "the lab," which is usually an un-air-conditioned hangar...in Texas. T'eo works for me even under *those* conditions, even when brazing with 5700degF torches in July-August, and the only time I notice funky underarm odor is when I wear a shirt that isn't 100% natural fibers.
My only problem with Lush is the fact that it takes at least 1.5 weeks to order it from Canada, and my nearest store is 2+ hours away. I may experiment with the T'eo combo in homemade deo. I'm definitely going to try the Witch Hazel cleaning pads to see if that makes the deo even more effective.
Thanks!
Karen, Farmgirl #6917 |
Edited by - Kaygee on Mar 22 2016 2:41:53 PM |
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rksmith
True Blue Farmgirl
858 Posts
Rachel
Clayton
GA
USA
858 Posts |
Posted - Mar 26 2016 : 8:34:50 PM
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I make a nice roll on deodorant that is easy and quick. I've found that the homemade ones with baking soda and arrowroot powder tear my pits up exceptionally bad. I mix together aloe vera gel, Nature's Fresh Enzyme Spray and a few drops of whatever EO I am feeling like into a 1 ounce glass roller container. It lasts a while, works great. It doesn't do anything for sweat, but I've found that the more I use it, the less I tend to sweat anyway AFTER a period of what I believe is my pits releasing toxins. At first, I used it multiple times during the day (cleansing period I think) and then gradually was able to reduce how often I need to reapply although I have found that when I am super stressed, I get all anxious and sweat anyway. You could also use aloe vera and ACV or just a dab of ACV a few times, or Nature's Fresh by itself.
Rachel
Farmgirl Sister #2753
True enlightenment is nothing but the nature of one's own self being fully realised-- His Holiness the Dali Lama
http://rachelsmithhhp.com
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texdane
Farmgirl Legend Chapter Leader Chapter Guru
4658 Posts
Nicole
Sandy Hook
CT
USA
4658 Posts |
Posted - Apr 07 2016 : 05:35:00 AM
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Hi Rachel. I have had many problems with deoderants, even natural and homemade ones. I reviewed one for "Nicole's Picks"
a few months ago for the Sisterhood Newsletter, and it is really wonderful. It is in a blue spritz bottle:
http://www.amazon.com/EO-Organic-Deodorant-Spray-Lavender/dp/B007762NQE
It is made with essential oils and my whole family loves it. It is refreshing and works, and doesn't irritate.
I have found it on the web, at Whole Foods, and a few times at TJ Maxx.
Farmgirl Hugs,
Nicole
Farmgirl Sister #1155
KNITTER, JAM-MAKER AND MOM EXTRAORDINAIRE
Chapter Leader, Connecticut Simpler Life Sisters
Farmgirl of the Month, January 2013
Suburban Farmgirl Blogger
http://sfgblog.maryjanesfarm.org/
www.facebook.com/suburbanfarmgirlblogger |
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RachelLeigh
True Blue Farmgirl
635 Posts
Rachel
Rainier
WA
USA
635 Posts |
Posted - Apr 12 2016 : 12:22:21 PM
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This is actually SO interesting that this thread is alive again. My irritation got better so I stopped using the homemade stuff, and eventually moved to Shaklee's cream deodorant, but now the irritation is back and I'm about to switch back to natural methods! I'm excited that some new ladies have commented with new ideas.
Thank you!
Farmgirl Sister #5159
My blog: http://14thandoak.com
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Herbal Wisdom: Help! Deodorant allergy! |
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Help! Deodorant allergy!
