REVIEW: Lavanila The Healthy Deodorant

I haven't worn anti-perspirant in YEARS. Even though "they" tell you that there's no direct link between anti-perspirants and breast cancer, I still think that "they" have a vested interest to tell us that. Our sweat glands are just far too close to our lymph nodes, to our breasts...and besides, we're MEANT to sweat. It's how our body regulates its internal temperature.

Oh, and a daily shower does WONDERS for preventing body odour. All that being said, that damp feeling when you start to sweat is a little bit unnerving. You can feel it, and then you start to wonder "Can you see it through my clothes?", "Do I smell?", "Will I smell?" and your imagination runs away with you.

Chances are, that you don't smell and you won't smell for at least a few hours. ;o) But I like to have a deodorant with a pretty smell handy in my purse in case I start to worry. One of the all-natural deodorants that I already own (and love) is the one from The Body Shop and this is the other one... LaVanila's The Healthy Deodorant. It comes in a few really lovely scents including Coconut Vanilla, Grapefruit Vanilla, and.... Pure Vanilla; my personal favorite!

It goes on with a creamy feeling, refreshing, and instantly drying. It's loaded with plant extracts and a really lovely all-natural scent. It's a bit pricey at $18USD, but well worth it! It takes quite some time to go through one, and it's free of Parabens, Propylene Glycol, Butylene Glycol, Mineral Oil, Aluminum Salts, Phthalates, Silicones, Petrochemicals, etc.

I've only ever been able to find it at Sephora, but if you know of a different place to find it, please do let me know!

http://www.MadeYouLookCosmetics.etsy.com

REVIEW: The Body Shop's new deodorants DeoDry

The other day I walked into The Body Shop to kill some time, so I started to pick up their product, one-by-one and reading their ingredients. Some of it was bad; Sodium Laureth Sulfate is the chief lathering agent in most of their cleansers, body washes, and shampoos (and SLS has been linked to Whale infertility), Dimethicone in their "anti-aging" skincare products (Dimethicone is an optical softener, blurring fine lines and making it look like the anti-aging skincare has an immediate effect...when, in fact, it does not), etc.

And then I happened upon their deodorants.

I stopped using Anti-Perspirant the year I got pregnant with my little one. It's been about 4 years now. I don't care what *they* say, but to me there's a link between anti-perspirant use and breast cancer.

Over the years I've used "The Rock", which is a crystal that prevents you from smelling... you wipe it on wet skin after you come out of the shower. It has anti-bacterial properties that prevent growth of the bacteria that can cause body odour. I've also used the lovely deodorants from LaVanila - they are amazing, but at $22 a bottle it's really really pricey.

And then I found this one from The Body Shop! They're liquids that roll-on (they also have stick versions), but the ingredient list on this one was SO NATURAL!!!! There's loads of essential oils, Organic Aloe Vera, Organic Alcohol, and an ingredient called Perlite which is a natural "stone" that's ground super fine and absorbs moisture.

I've been using this one for about a week now and I gotta say, it's AMAZING! I didn't smell AT ALL! I didn't feel a ton of moisture (I'm not a big sweat-er anyway, unless I'm excercising), and the essential oils had a wicked "cooling" sensation upon application!

And at only $8 per package, it's an amazing value considering how natural it is! Also, they sell REFILLS at $6, and you're minimizing what goes into the recycling.

If you've been thinking about giving up anti-perspirant and making the switch to a deodorant that lets you sweat but doesn't make you feel like a caveman...then this is it! I highly recommend it!

WIN IT!!! Leave a comment here before Friday October 1st at midnight (EST) and I will randomly pick a winner to receive their choice of DeoDry deodorant from The Body Shop!!!

Some of my favorite products

Asides from attempting to go as "au naturel" as possible, I do have some favorite products that are really natural. Sometimes, it's just not feasible for me to moisturize my body with Jojoba Oil (like when I'm in a rush...the oil needs a few minutes to absorb) and I NEED an actual moisturizing cream.

When you go natural, it's usually a bit more expensive. But its worth the extra tiny bit of money because the natural products last longer and you're minimizing your risk of disease and cancer, and you're protecting the environment by not using petro-chemical based products.

There is a company called Sigrid Natural Skin Care, it's a local company based out of Ontario (in Toronto when it's cold out). Their creams and butters are so amazingly natural. I even use their body creams on my son! They are a bit pricey, but worth the extra money! http://www.sigridnaturals.com/

Another local company is Green Beaver. Their price-point is surprisingly close to what you'd pay in a drug store for those easily recognizable brands. I had first discovered their face cream as it's completely chemical free. Then I fell in love with their Grapefruit Face Wash. I even tried their acne treatment when my pregnancy hormones left me playing connect-the-dots on my face! I am now addicted to their toothpaste. It tastes really good and is free of Sodium Laureth Sulfate, artificial sweeteners, flavours or colours, and there is no fluoride. (try rinsing with Hydrogen Peroxide afterwards - it's naturally anti-bacterial and naturally brightens your teeth without filling your mouth with artificial colours, flavours, alcohols, etc) http://www.greenbeaver.com/

Avalon Organics is another company I like. You can find their products at drugstores! They have a Vitamin C line of skincare which I really like. The facewash is so great, it removes make-up AND cleanses in one step. The Toner is perfectly light and alcohol free. The moisturizer is so nice and light, but not suitable for drier skin types. Vitamin C naturally brightens your complexion AND encourages collagen production. http://www.avalonorganics.com/?id=86

I am currently head-over-heels in love with my body butter by Alba - the Kukui Nut one. It smells so good, is intensly rich, and isn't expensive at all! Check it out here http://www.albabotanica.com/?id=66&pid=148

LaVanilla is a company that makes natural fragrances and skin care products. I LOVE LOVE LOVE their natural deodorant. It's quite pricey, it's like $22 at Sephora but it's worth it's weight in gold... It is free of Aluminum Chlorohydrate, Propylene Glycol, Petrochemicals, parabens, etc. And it REALLY WORKS! You still sweat (only anti-perspirants with Aluminum Chlorohydrate stop you from sweating, but that's dangerous for your body - it's been linked to breast cancer AND Alzheimers), however the corn starch in it helps to dry you up, the natural fragrances help to cover up any smell, etc. http://www.lavanila.com/Healthy-Deodorant_c_16.html

If you don't want to spend that kind of money on deodorant, then you need The Crystal. A variety of companies manufacture them... it's a crystal clear rock that you use on your underarms (apparantely people with smelly feet problems use them on their feet too). It ONLY works wet, so you have to wet the rock, and then persistenly rub it into your underarms. I use it on my wet skin immediately after I come out of the shower and rub it in each underarm for like 15 seconds. You really want to get this stuff onto your skin. It's literally like a rock, it takes forever to dissolve away...each rock will last A YEAR!!! Don't believe the people who tell you they used it and it didn't work... They didn't use it correctly. Remember, you have to wet the rock, and rub it for like 15 seconds or more. It has anti-bacterial properties, so even though you sweat, you wont get smelly! http://www.thecrystal.com/

I'm sure I'll think of more products to add, so this list will likely be changing in the very near future, but in the meantime these products should get you thinking about how easy it is to switch to more natural products that suit your hectic life-style