Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Baking Soda Deodorant

I was recently reading up on heavy metals (that our bodies do not need) in different everyday products and what alternatives are available.  One of the biggies for me was aluminum.  I learned that aluminum is linked to alzheimer's.  This is not a big deal to some, but my grandmother had alzheimers, and it is not pleasant at all.  So what is aluminum in anyway?
  • Deodorant
  • Baking Powder
  • Some cosmetics
  • Maalox
  • Rolaids
  • Canned foods (it's what the can is made of)
  • Many cooking utensils, pans, etc.
My, my.  Well, a girl can't tackle everything at once, so I started with the ones I have the most contact with - deodorant and baking powder.  It's easy to find aluminum-free baking powder, and it's just as cheap as the other.  Check one off my list.  Two - deodorant.  Now that one is a little more tricky.  I don't know about you, but I don't want to stink! 

So, I was doing a little research, and I thought about the homemade deodorant recipe posted here by one of my comerades, but until I have the materials, I just wanted something easy.  I came across 2 things:  isopropyl alcohol and baking soda.  For the isopropyl alcohol, just simply fill a small spray bottle with it, then spritz your pits a couple of times a day.  The alcohol kills the bacteria since that's what causes BO anyway, but allows you to sweat, which is one of the ways the body detoxifies itself.  For the baking soda, the instructions said to put some in a small tupperware style container, take a large facial powder brush and treat the baking soda just as you would facial powder - dip, tap, brush on delicately.  Done.  So, this is the one I tried today.  It was not hot, so even though I perspired, I was not drenched.  However, I did run/walk intervals for about 2 miles today.  And you know what - NO STINK!  I was impressed. 

So, I will try this for a few days and just see if it holds up, and I'll let you know.  I may still try the alchol one too, or maybe some combination like a 'spritz, dry, powder' routine.  I'll get back to you on that one.

2 comments:

  1. Also, check your cookware. Many older or cheaply-made pots and pans are made of aluminum. Icky. Many processed breads you buy at the store also have aluminum in them. A lot of store-bought tortillas contain aluminum.

    If you have a hard time finding aluminum-free baking powder, here's a homemade recipe:

    2 parts cream of tartar, 1 part baking soda, and 1 part cornstarch.

    My great grandmother didn't buy deodorant, she spritzed with alcohol and perfume. Thanks for the fond memory!

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  2. Oops. Sorry, I missed that you had listed pans in your post.

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