The Road Home

My return to a more natural way of taking care of my body was born out of sheer necessity. Yes, I had grown up during a time when food didn’t have to be labeled organic, water came from a well in my grandmother’s front yard, and fruit and nut trees were in plenty supply. But as with most of us who came up during those eras, we thought we were the improved version, the more intelligent version, the more technologicially advanced version, because we could go into stores and buy our food and drink off shelves. Little did we know, the culmination of all these alleged foods, drinks and body care products would one day lead us right back to where our parents and grandparents had been. Those old ways we laughed at and thought were old, are now being made new again.

The Comeback Kid

So, when I say my comeback was born out of sheer necessity, it truly was. I needed to be able to hike, to bike, to sit at my desk feverishly working on a deadline with sweat running down my back, chest and underarms, and not smell a hint of funk. My entire life, I’d never had that happen for any length of time. That necessity coupled with my desperation is what brought me to my current business. I NEEDED a deodorant that worked. Through the years, I’d tried Mitchum, Dove, Secret, Degree, Right Guard, Tussy, Ban, Crystal, Tom’s—you name it. Each and every one of them failed me. Left my clothes with a musty odor that didn’t come out in the wash, and shirts ruined from the discoloration caused by aluminum.

I spent many days searching the Internet for ways to combat the funk. Under the belief that my funk had to be diet related, I fasted, changed up my already pretty good diet, drank even more water than I already did . . . but none of that mattered. If I sweat too profusely, which was pretty easy to do considering I battled with hyperhidrosis, the funk came leaching out of my ‘pits.

It was 2008, and I had been using the Crystal rock with waning success for the past two years. It had finally gotten to the point where the odd odor from the rock was leaving an even odder odor under my arms. That odor, I realized, was the return of the musk. You know, like Return of the Mack. Return of the Mack. Old music heads will know what I’m talking about. Back to the point: I hit the Internet again and happened to stumble on a recipe for making my own deodorant. I believe the ingredient ratios were 1 cup of cornstarch (non-gmo), 1 cup of baking soda, 1 cup of coconut oil and a few drops of peppermint oil. Pretty simple ingredients, all of which I had on-hand. Thus, began my journey into the field of handmade, natural deodorants.

Trial and Error, Error and Trial

My first foray into handmade deodorants was deemed a success . . . initially. I was able to use the entire first container with no issues AND no odor. I even made one for my husband to try. Then, came the second container. Eventually, I noticed a rash under both arms, followed by layers of peeling skin. I went online to see if others had noted the same issues. Many had. The underlying cause according to those sharing the recipes? Our ‘pits were detoxing. Give it time. A period of adjustment. So, I continued to use the deodorant, thinking that my ‘pits would get better, but they didn’t. Instead, my underarms began to turn black and rashes segued into boils. Painful boils. Leaking, bleeding boils. That’s when I got the hint. The one that goes, you’re a fool if you continue to use this deodorant.

So, I went back into my kitchen/lab and began to tweak the recipe. Based on intuition, since many weren’t flagging baking soda as the culprit, I decreased the amount of baking soda in the formula and substituted arrowroot powder for the cornstarch. My ‘pits were still pretty raw, so until they healed, I only used coconut oil. Of course, coconut oil was not enough to combat my musk, but it did offer minimal protection and it helped to heal my ‘pits.

Once my ‘pits were healed, I began using the new formula. While this one worked much longer, the rawness eventually returned. The fascinating thing is that my husband had used both and neither gave him any problems. But my sweaty butt just couldn’t get with the program. For me, it was back to the drawing board. This time, with more knowledge about the use of baking soda on the body. I realized that although I’d decreased it, I was still using entirely too much baking soda. At least, for my ‘pits. Remember, my husband’s were fine. And, come to find out, so were my older son’s. I was the ONLY one experiencing the sensitivity. But I knew this—if I could make a deodorant mild enough for me to use, yet still be effective in fighting odor, I’d have a winner. One that I could eventually share with others.

So, on my third broad attempt (because there were always little ones in-between), I decided to see if whipping the deodorant would make any difference. I also decreased baking soda to less than 5% of the total formula, increased the arrowroot powder, and added cocoa and mango butters for further moisturizing and protective qualities.

The first batch of that formula felt like a godsend. It was so easy to apply, and it felt good going on the skin. For months, I showed no sensitivity. Everyone in the house loved it, with the exception of my second youngest daughter, who immediately began experiencing sensitivity issues with what we’d come to find was the coconut oil. She hadn’t been part of our “test market” prior to this point, because she had no need to use deodorant. I subtracted the coconut oil from hers, upped the other butters and oils, and she was good. Until she wasn’t. She finally got bit by the baking-soda bug, too.

After about a year of use, I began to notice that any time I sweat a lot, my underarms would get a little itchy and slightly rashy. So, I upped the arrowroot in mine a bit more. I figured it might come from the friction and moisture buildup caused by overly sweaty ‘pits. That helped temporarily. By this time, I was selling the formula to others. Some had great things to say about the balm, and some were experiencing the same thing I was. Because I love the art of research, those experiencing what I was experiencing, became partners-in-guinea-pigging with me.

I soon began to offer the formula in stick form. For those just coming into knowing about our company, I aptly named the stick formula “Pit Sticks.” I, myself, switched from the balm formula to the stick formula. For years, the stick worked well for me. Then there came a time when the itchies returned. By then, I was a pro at knowing what the itch meant, so I decided to try flipflopping between the balm and the pit stick. This worked really well. No more rashes, no more itchies. Couldn’t explain why, but it worked, so I didn’t question it.

In the meantime, I was growing really unhappy with the state of my deodorants. I didn’t feel as if finding a formula that worked needed to be as complex as it was becoming. The flipflopping, the not knowing when the itch would start up, the few reports back of sensitivity in customers. Let me say something about that. While I only heard back from a few customers regarding sensitivity to the deodorant, I now have come to know this. Customers TELL YOU when something’s wrong by not buying your product. So, while only a few actually dropped me an e-mail or phoned me, EVEN MORE were telling me it wasn’t working for them by not placing repeat orders.

Back to the drawing board I went. This is when I formulated the NO-BS (no baking soda) pit sticks. The balms were still doing well, with most who used them doing repeat buys, but the pit sticks had been holding in a neutral position. The NO-BS pit sticks were a hit for those who couldn’t deal with the baking soda, but didn’t want to revert to other so-called natural deodorants that contained questionable ingredients or back to the conventional deodorants, which contained even more questionable ingredients. No sensitivity was reported with the NO-BS deodorants, BUTTTTT the NO-BS pit sticks didn’t hold up long enough. Some users got as little as two hours out of them. There were others, who probably didn’t perspire as much, who got longer use. Still, I was not satisfied. I couldn’t be. I couldn’t be satisfied until there was a deodorant I could use that lasted all day, that didn’t stain my clothes, that didn’t cause irritation. I wasn’t willing to trade being funk free for irritation. Not only did I want this for myself, but I wanted it for my customers.

The Epiphany

Forward to 2014. I go to bed one night thinking there has to be something that works. I’m missing an essential ingredient or set of ingredients. I wake up the next morning, and the little voice in my head whispers, “zinc.” Don’t think this is where I get all spiritual with you, but you have to know me to know that I get many of my best ideas by working through problems in my sleep. This was an example of that.

I set out to find out as much as I could about the use of zinc as an odor inhibitor. Pleased with what I saw, I then decided on what method of dispersement I wanted for the zinc. I noticed that most liquid deodorants on the market contained alcohol. I’m not too keen with having alcohol under my arms every day, so I squashed that idea and gave consideration to aloe vera gel (passed because it goes rancid quickly), distilled water (concerned about mold growth regardless of distillation procedure) and witch hazel. To make this long story shorter, I settled on the witch hazel for many of its beneficial properties, one being its ability to fight odor as well. I wanted my deodorant to have every advantage.

I measured out the first of the zinc/witch hazel formulation into a $1 plastic spray bottle I picked up at Walmart. The next day, I applied the first sprays. Since that day, nothing but magic has happened. Needless to say, I did spend time tweaking the ratios to get the right amount of zinc to the right amount of witch hazel. When I realized I’d finally found MY deodorant, I was ready for others to test it. Testing began early 2015 and wrapped up in August 2015. Users from around the country put my deodorant to the test, doing whatever it is they did in the course of a normal day, and each time, it passed. With every pass, I breathed a little easier.

Farewell, My Fairweather Friends

At the completion of testing, I immediately pulled my old line of pit sticks and balms. I knew it was something I needed to do. I will always carry a soft spot for them, because they were part of my first forays into the natural deodorant market, but I’m also intelligent enough to know when to stop beating my head against a brick wall, and in this case, tearing up my ‘pits and the ‘pits of others. I’d much prefer satisfied customers than a satisfied ego. Egos don’t sell deodorants.

From the time I launched the new deodorants, I have witnessed a major difference in my customer communications. I receive more feedback than ever on how pleased users are with the product. How wowed they are that “it actually works.” I have never received so much feedback on any of my other deodorants. Not only do I receive feedback, but there have been many repeat orders. I’m finding they’re not only ordering for themselves, but family members and friends as well. They’re just that impressed.

In the end, I feel like a Virginia Slims commercial from back in the day, minus the cigarette: You’ve come a long way, baby. Why, yes, yes, we have. :-)