The Best Natural Deodorant

When I decided to commit to switching to natural beauty, there was no question I was starting with deodorant. Let me tell you how big of a deal this is. My armpits are possibly the stinkiest, most sweaty as they come. Yeah, think teenage boy in the summer bad. I was the girl that clinged to her clinical strength deodorant for life. It was the only thing that worked. BUT this outweighed all the health risks associated to wearing conventional deodorants. Honestly, I'm not sure I would have made this change or journey without having breast cancer diagnosis hit close to home (you can read about that here). 

It's been over a year of testing, hating, loving and back to testing. It is frustrating and plain smelly. Boy do I wish I knew what I know now. Luckily, I am 100% positive I've found something that works. But let's dive into the gists of what you should know before switching to natural deodorant:

• Girl, you need patience and commitment for this switch. Unfortunately, it's not an overnight thing. Your armpits have built up all the product for years of your conventional deodorants and need a grace period to detox. Let me tell you it's not pretty. This could take weeks to a month. 
• Do yourself a favor and try not switching during the Summer months. Like I said, it's going to get smelly. 
• After doing all that detox period, your body could get used to your natural deodorant and stop working like it did. This happened months after for me. It's disheartening--I KNOW. Many times, people end up buying several brands and rotate. It's not ideal, but something to know.
• Most natural deodorants contain baking soda and your body could be sensitive to it or become sensitive to it. There are formulations without it, but not many.
• Natural deodorants will still make you sweat, but kill the smell (after the detox period).
• While natural deodorants do work, you might have to increase the amount of times you apply it. For me, I noticed I had to apply 2-3 times a day.  

The truth is I thought I found my deodorant and it stopped working. Then, I had to start using two brands of  the deodorant for my own little concoction. I was applying that multiple times a day and still self conscious of smelling half the time. Even worse, I started to develop a sensitivity to one of deodorants. Again, I just could not give up on this process for my health. Not to mention, I wanted to find something for the women in my life and ultimately you. While this two deodorants several times a day and the occasional rash was not ideal, I stuck with it.

Then one day, I received a sample of SWAY Deodorant and I haven't looked back. As you know, I've been burned before with natural deodorant, but guys this by far has been the best natural deodorant I've used. Trust me, I have been using this skeptically for about two months, but have only good things to say. It hasn't been on the market longer than a year, but is very different from other brands. First off, they understand that there is a detox period and make a Detox Starter Kit. It comes with a roll-on deodorant and a dusting powder. While I didn't have that weird detox period, I'm certain it's because I've been using natural deodorants for the past year. The other big difference is there isn't any baking soda. They actually use apple cider vinegar in their deodorant. The funny thing is another natural brand suggests doing a detox paste with apple cider vinegar. You'll also appreciate that over time your body might need less applications and will not stain your clothes. And the woman behind the business is one of nicest business owners, so there's that. Never did I think I would be able to forgot about whether or not I put on deodorant and I can't tell you how awesome that is.

Have you thought about switching to natural deodorant or have? 

The Best Green Beauty Products of 2017

Never in my life have I been into beauty products until last year. I was that one girl, who if she found something she stuck with it. Basically, I used all the same skincare and beauty products for a good decade. That all changed when cancer hit real close to home (you can read more here) and found myself head deep in trying to make some preventative changes for myself. While I kept replacing and discovering new-to-me brands/products, I came to find some I flat out hated and loved. Lucky for me, there were more loves than hates, but it's not fun wasting money. So after a year of discovering, these are my favorite green beauty products and hopefully helps you find a clean replacement!

Sway Deodorant
The first thing I tried hard to switch was deodorant and let's just say it was a very stinky year until November/December. This brand has only been on the market for less than a year, but it works like no other natural deodorant. It does come in a kit with the deodorant and dusting powder. There will be a full review coming this month, but had to mention it.

Lansinoh Salve (AKA Nipple Cream)
If there's one thing I learned from my former boss, it's nipple cream is the best chapstick of your life. I did work in the mom industry, in case your wondering how the heck this topic came up.Believe me when I say that you're looking at the girl, who had the worst chapped lips all year long. Nothing ever worked until I used this. They come in small tubes (practically lipgloss size) making it discrete and convenient to use on your face.

OSEA Vitamin C Polish
Not only is OSEA natural, but they are family owned and have been doing this for 20 years. While their Vitamin C Polish is one of their newer products, it's a splurge that is worth it. Powder based, it's a probiotic for your face and does the best exfoliating job. You always hear about glowing skin, while this is my glowing skin product rave. Again, it's an investment, but a little goes a long way for results you can see and feel.

Andalou Naturals 1000 Roses Daily Shade Facial Lotion
Obviously, I care about my skin and protecting it from the sun is equally as important as the ingredients I use. But finding an SPF moisturizer when your tan complected is no easy task! Just picture me walking around with a white film on my face--not cute! You don't get that from this affordable moisturizer. The rose scent is mild and no where near off putting.

100% Pure Lipsticks
We can all agree finding your favorite nude lipstick is a big task. After realizing that my conventional lipsticks were ending up in my stomach from eating and lip licking, I made it a priority to find replacements. Out of the one's I tried this year, 100% Pure's latest lipsticks in mojave and cassia are clean and the prettiest nude shades.

Skylar Perfume
One of the big giveaways that something is not clean and green is if it has fragrance. Finding a non-toxic perfume was one I thought would take me years to come by, but so glad Skylar landed in my hands. They were created by a mom, who wanted something clean and hypoallergenic. Besides having minimal packaging that I'm all about, the scents are fresh and unique. You can find my wearing Meadow everyday! While I feel (and smell) good wearing them, I do notice they fade quicker. My tip: spray your hair and clothes to make the scent last.

Defy & Inspire Nail Polish
While there is no such thing as a completely clean nail polish, there are better choices. Trust me, it was hard tossing my collection of beloved Essie bottles both for the money spent and plain vanity. But this brand is one you can find at Target making it easily accessible and affordable. They are 5-free (I've only seen 7 or 9-free), so they are middle of the green standard. They last just as long as your average nail polish and appreciate the range of colors.

Have you bought any green beauty items? I would love to hear your favorites!