After seeing so many tv shows about the "breast cancer gene" and about people getting cancer from hot water bottles left in the car too long and my own family history of breast cancer and so many girls I know who've had cysts, I got scared. Even though my breast exam seemed normal, I still decided to take measures into my own hands. If you've been reading long enough, you know about my absolutely MISERABLE experience with facial oil cleansing (do not do it!), and I've also tried oil pulling (I'll post on that if I can ever stick to it), so cutting out deodorant seemed like a natural next step for me.
What's wrong with deodorant?
The active ingredient in deodorant is aluminum. Basically, deodorant and it's active aluminum-based ingredients from a temporary plug in the sweat glands to keep sweat from coming to the surface of the skin. By applying this chemical so close to our breasts, there has been research that shows the aluminum can travel into the glands around our breasts and stimulate estrogen which in turn stimulates breast cancer cells. Not cool. It is so hard for me to fathom the idea of GIVING myself breast cancer, so it's time to put a stop to the nonsense.
I read a bunch of articles about alternatives, but none of them every said "I smell amazing even though I'm not wearing deodorant." So that's kinda scary. Nevertheless, I'm doing it. We have a local store called Eco Chic that promotes chemical-free EVERYTHING. I knew these ladies would be the right ones to ask, and they recommended Funk Fighter by Pure Pursuit, a local vendor. I checked it out and the main ingredient is coconut oil- not too shabby. Not a chemical to be found! They told me I would likely detox for a couple weeks, so I prepared myself for the worst.
My armpits are pretty sensitive, always a place I tend to cut or find ingrown hairs. Immediately upon trying the Funk Fighter, I felt them become softer, and for the first time ever, I could exfoliate them a little after a couple of showers. The first week I smelled totally normal- I had expected to detox right away! But I guess those "aluminum plugs" took a couple of weeks to make their way out of my skin and BOOM! Right in the middle of my Hawaii trip, beginning of week 2, the detox started. I had to apply the Funk Fighter 5+ times a day in order to keep the fresh scent going. I've never, ever been a bad smelling person and the one day I didn't have a chance to reapply, my husband said "Babe... You really need some deodorant." Kill me. So embarrassing. So I ran up to the hotel room and applied like five layers immediately. Major detox happening.
So here I am, week three and I smell... Pretty good. I'm thinking the worst days are over but who really knows. I feel better knowing I am actively contributing to bettering my health. While $9 may seem expensive for "deodorant" I highly recommend you at least try it. You can buy thru EcoChicLife.net and also check out mypurepursuit.com for more awesome info! She also shares her homemade shampoo recipes- that's my next project! Pinterest has make-at-home recipes too ;)
