Deodorant – Oh, Who Needs it Anyway!

Do you have a dirty little secret that you’d like to share, but worry about being judged if you do?  I did, up until now.  I am just gonna let it out, though, because I feel like we’ve bonded so much.  You know, like I bond with my coffee every morning.  That’s huge.  Me and my coffee – we are tight!  So, here’s the deal, a couple of years ago I happened to be watching an episode of Oprah.  Oh, settle down.  That is not my dirty little secret, but I totally see how you might think so.  Anyway, on that show she had Julia Roberts as a guest along with her friend Sophie Uliano.  Of course, Julia was promoting her friend’s new book, Gorgeously Green, which has become one of my bookshelf favorites.  During the show Julia mentioned something that sort of suprised me.  Apparently, she doesn’t wear deodorant.  GASP!  Even Oprah was shocked, but commented about how Julia always smells good because, I guess, she sniffs her whenever close to her?  Well, that is between Oprah and Julia, but still, Julia doesn’t wear deodorant and she still smells nice?  Go figure!  I thought, there is no way I could do that, but then I thought some more when I really started to read the labels and researched a bit about the ingredients in many deodorants.

~First, one of the most common things you will find in deodorants is aluminum.  It gets absorbed into your body and over time really isn’t safe and in some cases could be linked to breast cancer or Alzheimer’s.  I’d prefer to avoid both, thank you very much!

~Another common ingredient is parabens.  Parabens are basically chemical perservatives (simply put, bad combo!).  They have been found to be disruptive to hormones and may even cause reproductive harm.  More and more often you will see right on the bottle/package of your health and beauty products if something is free parabens. 

~ One more ingredient I will mention that bothers me about deodorants is talc.  The purpose of talc is to absorb moisture, but it can do way more, in a harmful way.  The biggest concern is that it’s a carcinogen and has been linked to ovarian cancer.  Enough said about that one.

These are just a few ingredients you should be concerned about because they are found in several products that you may have in your home.  Okay, so I don’t think I have actually confessed anything yet, have I?  Well, here it goes….I do not wear deodorant, at least not most of the time.  Stop right there!  Don’t you dare click away for fear the overwhelming stench of my odor will somehow absorb through your computer’s screen.  Quite frankly, I smell pretty!  I also feel I must disclose that I shave.  Yes people I shave.  Good God, I am not one of those types who never shaves, rarely showers, and only washes my hair on the fourth Tuesday of every month. Crunchy I am not! 

Basically, I just wet a washcloth and give a quick wipe every now and then throughout the day.  So far(for nearly two years), my family still wants to hug and snuggle with me without holding their breath so I think I am doing okay. 
Do me a favor, if we meet in person, please just ask first if you want to give me the “sniff test.”  I really need to be prepared for such things.  Much like you don’t just attack and rub the belly of a pregnant woman simply because she’s pregnant(at least you shouldn’t and if you are, it’s rude!), you don’t get to check me for stench just because you read this post and are wondering.  So there you have it, my big confession!  Now, it’s your turn. I dare you to write your own post and leave me a link to it or share with me in the comments your own dirty little secret.  I promise I will never use it against you, unless it makes for a good joke or tease because such great material should never be wasted!