Best Natural Deodorant for Women: 5 Reasons to Ditch Your Drugstore Deodorant

March 6, 2019 · 2 Comments

Applying deodorant is a natural part of our day, just as brushing our teeth. After all, who wants to stink? Not me, sister, and I’m sure you don’t either.

So, what’s the deal with all-natural deodorants, what’s the best natural deodorant for women, and why should you give all natural deodorant a try? I’ll give you five great reasons below.

I know you’ve probably heard of all natural deodorants by now. You may have thought, “I’m not trying that. Mine works fine, there’s no way I’m going to take the chance of stinking…and, I bet it doesn’t work anyway.” I say this because I used to be one of those skeptical women who thought natural deodorant wouldn’t work. I’m also here to tell you that I’ve tried nearly ten brands and some didn’t work for me either. But before we get to the ones that DO (or at least for me) work, let’s talk about what’s in the drugstore brands that make them so bad for you.

Benefits of All Natural Deodorant & 5 Reasons to Give it a Try:

1. NO TOXIC CHEMICALS

Say bye bye to poisonous chemicals. Most all-natural deodorants don’t contain disease causing chemicals like aluminum, which have been linked to Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Autism, bone disorders and breast cancer. Other toxic deodorant ingredients that are found in over-the-counter varieties are:

Parabens – preservative known to mimic estrogen and found present in some breast tumors
Propylene Glycol- a chemical that acts as a penetration enhancer for other chemicals to enter your bloodstream
Triclosan- antibacterial & antifungal agent linked to promoting drug resistance & possible hormone disruption
TEA- a combo of the two toxic substances ethylene oxide and ammonia known to cause skin inflammation
DEA- chemical also found in break fluid, antifreeze & degreasers. Ranked very toxic by the Skin Deep database
Steareths- additives that help produce carcinogenic linked to organ toxicity

2. HEALTHIER LYMPH NODES

Lymph nodes and lymph fluid are designed to help filter harmful substances out of your body. When there are no toxic chemicals applied to your body, they are free to do what they are designed to do: keep you healthy

3. NO CLOGGED PORES

We are designed to sweat. It’s our body’s way of regulating our temperature and helping us detox. Antiperspirants block sweat because they contain aluminum compounds. As mentioned above, aluminum is toxic and is linked to many diseases. When you begin using all-natural deodorant, you will notice you sweat. Have no fear…you won’t stink! It’s the deodorant ingredients that prevent you from smelling. Antiperspirants stop you from sweating, which is unnatural

4. SMOOTHER PITS

Drugstore deodorants contain so many nasty chemicals that clog your pores and lead to skin irritation. Tired of the razorburns and bumpy armpits? Then, definitely give all-natural deodorant a try. They are packed with healthy ingredients, like oils, essential oils and ingredients you can actually pronounce, making your underarms smooth and less irritated

5. NO YELLOW PIT STAINS

I can say that since I’ve stopped using drugstore deodorant, I don’t have any shirts with nasty, yellow stains in the underarms anymore. Why? Because when using all-natural deodorant, there are no aluminum compounds which lead reactions that cause the nasty stains

Steps to Take When Transitioning to an All-Natural Deodorant

Give yourself a 2-3 day detox from all deodorant. I know this seems scary, but all the nasty chemicals actually stay in your system for at least this long until they are gone.
Do an armpit detox. During these no-deodorant days, simply make a paste using a natural bentonite clay (my favorite brand). To create the detox mixture, use 1 tablespoon of clay, 1.5 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and a couple teaspoons of water. Mix together until achieving a thick, creamy consistency and then gently rub on underarms. Leave on for 15-20 minutes and then wash with warm water and soap.
Helpful info from Primal Pit Paste on what it looks and feels like to do a pit detox
More helpful info from Primal Pit Paste on pit detox versus pit rash

What to Expect and the Natural Deodorant Rash

If you do the 3 day no-deodorant detox, you should notice a lot of sweating! When I say a lot, I mean, it may be excessive. Don’t worry! This is your body saying thank you. You’re actually sweating out all the nasty chemicals and your sweat glands are having a party because they are finally able to work properly again.

If you are unable to do the detox, no worries. However, chances are you’ll experience a day or two when you really sweat profusely. Again, don’t fret! Your body is adjusting and making a return to normalcy.

Give yourself a good 2-3 weeks to adjust to using all natural deodorant. During this time, be patient and know that your body will adjust.

If you do experience a rash, it may be due to baking soda in the all-natural deodorant. Not all deodorants contain this, but some people have issues with it. If you’re one, I have recommendations below that have worked well for me

Natural Deodorant that Works (even during workouts)

1.Primal Pit Paste Unscented Sensitive Skin– contains no baking soda

2. Primal Pit Paste Coconut Lime

3. Schmidt’s Charcoal + Magnesium deodorant

4. Schmidt’s Lavender Sensitive Skin deodorant– contains no baking soda

If you make the switch, let me know how it goes!

P.S…..Follow along on Instagram for future fun give-aways!

*Affiliate links included in post

Creating Yourself

January 29, 2019 · Leave a Comment

“Life is not about finding yourself, it is about creating yourself”
George Bernard Shaw

In the midst of motherhood, it is so easy to feel a sense of disconnect, as if we’re lost and unable to remember who we were before kids. This is a natural occurrence as each new phase of motherhood pushes us into uncharted territory.

In Part 1 of this series, I talked about feeling lost when my sons entered into their teenage years. When children are small, they need us all the time and for everything. As they get older, they begin to need us less and less. As they spread their independent wings, so much of our identity has been tied to taking of care of them, that we feel perplexed and a little lost.

Our New Role

What do we do with all this free time? What is our role now?

During this new phase, it’s not uncommon for moms to question their purpose. After all, we’ve been so concentrated on being caretakers for everyone else, that we forget what it means to take care of ourselves.

If you’re a mom and you’re wondering as I was, Now, who am I?, you are not alone. And the great news is….you are not lost either! The same young woman you were before children is still there. You just may have to do a little digging to find her.

Creating Yourself

Creating yourself and connecting to your essence should be the focus for this new time in your life. To help you “remember” who you were, here are some suggestions:

Put on some of your favorite music
Go out to lunch/dinner with a girlfriend
Go to your favorite bookstore and pick out a book that interests you
Treat yourself to an ice cream or yogurt
Take a relaxing walk and soak up the beauty around you
Try a yoga, Barre or exercise class
Buy yourself a journal and write down your dreams
Listen to a podcast that interests you
Schedule a mani/pedi
Get a massage

Use this time to re-discover the “not-so-lost” you. You are the painter with the paintbrush in your hand. What picture will you paint? What is your masterpiece going to look like when it’s complete? What do you want to accomplish and what are your biggest dreams?

Share with me what you plan on creating for your future below in the comments.

Let’s Talk Spirulina

January 22, 2019 · 2 Comments

Have you ever heard of spirulina? I know I hadn’t until a couple years back. I’m here to tell you how amazing it is, so let’s dive in and talk about what it is and what makes it so great.

History

Spirulina is a blue-green algae and it’s loaded with essential fatty acids, vitamins, phytonutrients, minerals, micronutrients and amino acids. It’s an ancient superfood. For the Aztecs it was a staple in their diets. Today, NASA and the United Nations endorse it as the most nutrient dense food in the world.

I began taking spirulina daily when I won an Instagram contest with ENERGYbits and Dr. Will Cole. As the winner, I received a full month supply of ENERGYbits and Dr. Will Cole’s book, Ketotarian.

Benefits

Once I received the package, I was reminded why I was so impressed with spirulina years ago. Here are some of the reasons spirulina is so healthy:

Spirulina is a whole food & is not a supplement
Spirulina is composed of 64% protein & 40 vitamins/minerals
Spirulina is a plant protein
Spirulina contains fatty acids and helps reduce inflammation
Spirulina helps improve focus and alertness
Spirulina is high in chlorophyll, which helps removes toxins
Spirulina increases fat burning during exercise
Spirulina can help prevent memory loss
Spirulina contains anticancer properties
Spirulina reduces muscle fatigue

ENERGYbits

Catharine Arnston is the founder of ENERGYbits and the story behind why she created it is from the heart and definitely impacted my perception of the brand. ENERGYbits began when her sister was diagnosed with cancer (now cancer-free) and was recommended by her oncologist to consume an alkaline diet for healing. Upon researching alkaline foods, Catharine discovered algae. Once she discovered all the benefits and scientific research behind both spirulina and chlorella, she sprung into action. Today, we can all benefit from ENERGYbits, which are organic, toxin free and non-GMO. You can read more about the brand here: ENERGYbits

Baked Stuffed Apples

January 2, 2019 · Leave a Comment

Last night I prepared the first dinner for my family in 2019. It was reminiscent of my mom’s Southern cooking and reminded me so much of her. Although she passed away when I was twenty one, it’s such a wonderful feeling to be in the kitchen cooking things that bring back memories of the food she used to cook for us. She was an amazing cook.

We had a big Southern New Year meal consisting of greens. And by greens, I mean the good ole’ fashion way my mom and grandmother used to do it. I sautéed bacon, onions and slowly wilted the mustard greens and kale, adding chicken bone broth, salt, apple cider vinegar and a pinch of brown sugar. Cooking greens in the InstaPot is super easy. After they are wilted down, simply pressure cook them for 5 minutes and wha-la! They’re done!

We also had a beef roast, black eyed peas, cabbage, cauliflower mashed potatoes (Trader Joes frozen), and corn bread.

Least I forget dessert, I cooked four baked stuffed apples using a recipe I found on the Yummly app from a blog called Adore Foods. Talk about good!! If you’ve never cooked baked apples, they are so easy and delicious.

After baking, serve them with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream and your family will be wide-eyed and waiting for the first bite to hit their mouths.

Follow the link here to get the recipe

Products I recommend when making this recipe include this organic muesli

Getting Lost in Motherhood

December 20, 2018 · Leave a Comment

“Not until we are lost do we begin to find ourselves” – Henry David Thoreau

Do you remember what your life was like before kids? What did you do on a daily basis, what took up your time and what kind of things did you enjoy doing? It’s hard to step back in those shoes and recall the day-to-day responsibilities of what seems so long ago. At least for me it does. As you examine your life now, my question for you is….did you lose yourself along the way? Did you get lost in motherhood? Are you lost in motherhood right now?

Our Role as Mothers

Motherhood is full of adapting and morphing into different roles. We are forced to learn that from the get-go. I remember bringing my oldest son home from the hospital and being alone with him for the first day. I woke up the next morning and thought, “What am I supposed to do? No one really trained me how to do this really important job.” Before bringing him home, I felt like a child, free to do as I liked. Parenthood is definitely a big role change! We all figure it out step-by-step and we do what works best for us. Each new day, each new year and each new age and stage of our children’s lives, reveals an uncharted path that we bravely walk.

From referee, cook, personal attendant, caregiver, snot-wiper, diaper changer and cuddler, we are adept at anything and everything thrown our way. We are the masters of multi-tasking and somehow always manage to keep all balls in the air. All the while, making sure our children are placed first. After all, they desperately need us when they are young and that’s a task we gladly take on and take responsibility for.

When I think of those early days, it’s as if I am pulling a big suitcase behind me full of everyone else’s possessions and needs. Some days that suitcase is really heavy, sometimes it feels light and it’s effortless to pull around, and some days, it would be nice if it got lost in baggage claim for a couple hours so I could sit down and take a nap. I know you understand. The one thing that never changes when you’re a parent is the suitcase is always there.

The Realization

Then, there comes the day when the dreaded teenage years arrive. I don’t think the suitcase gets any lighter, it just changes shape to something really hard to manage and navigate. God bless mothers of teenagers. I’m just starting down that path with two of my own and some days I wake up and I question if they are really mine. It’s as if one day a switch gets flipped and overnight they don’t want to hang out with you anymore, sweetness is replaced with sarcasm and their friends become the center of their world.

I remember the day I realized I had got lost in motherhood. Not so lost I couldn’t find my way out, but lost enough that I felt bewildered. We had just moved back from Singapore, the boys returned to school full-time after being home with me for the summer and I was alone in a house on 10 acres with no friends or family. I didn’t know what to do with myself. Have you ever been in a similar situation, place, or time when you realized your kids didn’t really need you so much anymore and you’re left standing there thinking, “Now what?”

I think this is a very common experience for many mothers. Slowly, along the way, we were getting lost in motherhood. It’s as if we erected houses and filled them with joy, laughter, to-do lists and routines and then one day, all the other occupants besides us leave. Not permanently, but for extended enough periods of time that we are left standing in a very quiet house wondering what we are supposed to be doing with ourselves. Who are we?

Managing the Transition

This feeling of being lost can be scary and it can also be a time of discovery. Life is about perspective. Instead of focusing on what could make us feel lonely and sad, we have a choice to put a different frame around the situation and totally shift our emotions in a positive way.

Are you in this season of life now? If so, what are you doing to manage the shift? I urge you to use this time re-discover what you’re passionate about. Let this period be a fun time and fill it with new experiences that push you out of your comfort zone and ultimately lead to health and happiness.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of this article where I’ll share self-care strategies to help you better cope with change and steps you can take along the way to help you find yourself again.

Much love to you on your journey,

Leslie