green arm pits?

I've been using anti-perspirants my whole life, well since I hit puberty. And now I'm hearing that shouldn't be.

They might cause breast cancer and Alzheimer's because of the aluminum in them. It clogs the pores which isn't good. I can't imagine that it was always a bad thing to stink the way we do. Once perfume was invented, the human body's natural smells were toppled by the fragrances of flowers, and eventually the fragrances of chemicals.

If you think about it, animals are attracted to each other by their smells — those pheromones and such. Then there's the olfactory epithelium that Ashley Judd wants taken out in the movie Someone Like You.

I try to simplify life sometimes, which doesn't always work, but I imagine what life would be like 200 years ago, when sandals were always in style (at least in my head) and it was socially acceptable for men to wear dresses. It just seems that as far as taking care of my body goes, natural is always better, be it food, shampoo, soap or deo.

So the next question is who do I buy natural deodorant from. and whose will work the best?

Tom's natural deo I've had for about two weeks now, and it's seemed to work pretty well except for the other day (I'd say about day 12 of using it) when I smelled some serious funk. But that could be a mixture of my lazy bathing days this week and clothes that haven't been washed in a while. Yes, sometimes, I admit, it's not pleasant to the senses to be around me.

Burt's Bee's has some. Although I've never seen it in stores. They've been recently taken over by Clorox, and Tom's by Colgate.


There's real purity and pure and natural and FloralActive and a whole lot more.

I've read I could just sprinkle a little baking soda on a damp washcloth and apply to the arm pits.
pits pits. that's kind of fun to say.

I'll write again soon when I've experimented a little more with this new information that makes me stink.


A little FYI

From Wikipedia:
Research has shown that the aluminum salts used in antiperspirants have detrimental effects to a number of species such as non-human primates, mice, dogs and others. An increased amount of aluminum is also present in the brains of many Alzheimer's patients, although this link does not seem to be causal.

From care2.com:
Most people think that antiperspirants and deodorants are the same thing, but they aren't. Antiperspirants work by clogging, closing, or blocking the pores with powerful astringents such as aluminum salts so that they can't release sweat. (Note that aluminum can accumulate in the brain.) Deodorants work by neutralizing the smell of the sweat and by antiseptic action against bacteria. Deodorants are preferable because they don't interfere with sweating, a natural cooling process.
(http://www.care2.com/greenliving/deodorant-or-antiperspirants.html)

Say no to plastic bags

A recent New York Times article refers to the reduction of plastic bags in Ireland. The article, by Elisabeth Rosenthal, said:
"In 2002, Ireland passed a tax on plastic bags; customers who want them must now pay 33 cents per bag at the register. ... Within weeks, plastic bag use dropped 94 percent."

When I lived in Italy, it cost extra to buy a plastic bag at the grocery store. I always kicked myself when I forget to bring my tote bag, and patted myself on the back when I remembered. As inconvenient as it was at times, it made me very aware of the waste I created.

I still remain confused as to why certain states don't charge 5 cents more on aluminum cans and glass bottles and then give that change back when consumers bring in their waste.

National Geo just put out an article saying that the U.S. is one of the worst at recycling, and to no surprise, one of the biggest consumers and creaters of trash.

In San Carlos, California, a man is being sued by the city for canceling his trash contract b/c he has no need of it. He recycles and reuses and has a dog who eats the scraps. In the county I live in, officials and restaurant owners were annoyed at a new state law saying restaurants had to recycle glass.

I'm not sure why it's that difficult for the big picture to catch on to us little folks. Bringing a tote bag everytime takes no more effort than walking from the parking spot to the grocery store. Putting glass and alumninum in the recycle bins instead of in the trash cans is not a demanding task.

Whole Foods is doing away with plastic bags for good. I wonder if lazy America could fight environmental waste like the Irish do.