natural deodorants | thebrightblush

This post is going to be about exactly what the title says: some things and some stuff.

I couldn’t think of some fancy, well-scripted intro where I blather on about the latest this and that without it simply sounding too contrived. And so, to quote some nonexistent animated persons that I respect and admire deeply, I’m going to write about some things … and some stuff.

1. I had Justin put some highlights back into my hair. They’re subtle, ombre’d bits of caramel that provide just enough color to make me feel like summer is just around the corner. I plan on going progressively lighter, but this was enough for now. With my single-process hair color, I felt very one-dimensional (duh.) and I just didn’t have as much fun with my hair as I did when it had some lightness to it. And so, it is with a heavy heart that I admit the possibility that a leeeeeeeeeeetle bit of blonde may help you have a leeeeeeeeetle bit more fun. But hold your hosses thar! I didn’t straight-up say that blondes unilaterally have more fun than brunettes. Why, that would be plumb silly! But I do believe that I am more satisfied with my hair when it’s provided with some colorful dimension, if only to use my hair as a metaphor for my life and provide the illustration that sometimes we need a little warmth and sunshine to shake us up out of the drab monotony of everyday existence. This all sounds much better when you say it in the voice of Kenneth Parcell from 30 Rock.

Here is my hair as it was this spring, as colored and cut by Justin Kamm and as styled and photographed by Laura Licata:

I have to say, it was raining that afternoon. How Laura managed to keep my hair from turning into this, I’ll never know.

And this is the best picture I have of my new highlights, as well as, ahem, my awesome nephew:

2. I graduated with my Master’s degree last Saturday, and received some gifts for doing so (and some may have been for my birthday as well, which was celebrated here). Some of those gifts included Sephora giftcards, which burn bigger holes in my pockets than lit matches. Seriously, I don’t know what it is but I will save gifts of cash and any other such cards for weeks or even months, but you designate a mere twenty bucks for me to spend at that magical house of facepaint and I just go cuhhhh-raaayyy-ZAY! There may not be a thing I need, but I will haul my butt down to the nearest Sephora and just stand in front of the NARS counter for a solid fifteen minutes, looking like a freak, without a single expression on my face, doing absolutely nothing. I just stare. And touch EVERYTHING. I’ll bring my own brushes and by the time I leave that place, it looks like Jackson Pollock came back from the dead and decided he just wanted to do a quick masterpiece on someone’s wrist. I’m convinced that dead artists would have a thing for me.

3. If I could look like this as a redhead, that would be an okay thing.

4. This is what I came back with from my most recent Sephora trip.

Well, the one on the left I’ve actually had for a couple months, but the one on the right is brand spankin’ new. I haven’t so much as smudged it with a finger. It’s called Stylish Move, and I look forward to using the bottom right and top left shades for bridal makeup. But really, this one was kind of more for me. Dior 5-Couleur palettes are the holy grail of eyeshadows, and while they are quite expensive (I’ll never purchase one without some kind of gift card), they blend so well, coordinate so perfectly, are almost always universally flattering, and I make long-lasting use of them. I’m breaking this sucker in tonight, so I’ll have to let you know how it goes (though hopefully not via an obnoxious Instagram selfie, but I have a bad feeling …). Honestly, if you’re not too sure about what eyeshadows are right for you but hate wasting time on a bunch of individual shades (that add up in cost anyhow and can be difficult to store and keep track of), I’d recommend looking into just one of these palettes and letting it be your one-step solution to your whole problem problem. Might I suggest Rosy Tan or Earth Reflection?

5. I smell bad and get sweaty. Sometimes. Maybe. If so, it’s because I don’t wear antiperspirant. And I haven’t done so in years. Why? Because what makes antiperspirant do its thing is something called aluminum zirconium trichlorohydrex, a substance linked to early-onset Alzheimer’s as well as breast cancer. Weird. And we shave our armpits and layer on the stuff every day. Weirder. And our armpits are suspiciously situated quite near our breasts. Weirdest. So here’s the thing: I use deodorant, but I don’t use antiperspirant (and no, there are no “natural” or “safe” kinds of antipersp; the aluminum ingredient is always the active one in antipersp).

For a couple years I used Tom’s of Maine’s Natural Unscented Deodorant Stick and my body adjusted well. However, a couple months ago, my armpits started experiencing a burning and itching sensation that left my armpits peeling in a big ring and looking as if they’d been out in the sun with no protection. At first I thought it was razor burn or something, but then I realized that the sensation was returning just minutes after applying the Tom’s. And to my surprise, I found that many users had experienced the exact same symptoms after years of using Tom’s (Bless you, Internet ~~only sometimes because mostly I hate you~~!). Why all this burning and itching only started occurring after years of use, I’ll never know.

Anyhow, I discovered that Tom’s, while being free of aluminum and not an antiperspirant, still contains a chemical called propylene glycol. PG, as we’ll call it, is meant to keep many body products from either melting or freezing, but it unfortunately also “alters the structure of the skin by allowing chemicals to penetrate deep beneath it while increasing their ability to reach the blood stream”. Additionally, PG has also been linked to cancer, endocrine disruption, reproductive issues, allergy developments, and other bodily issues (as is the case with many substances in our body products).

So what do I use?

Desert Essence strikes again! This brand is seriously so awesome. My face and now my pits owe so much to it. You can find Desert Essence’s deodorant at Sprout’s, Whole Foods, or any of your local hippie-dippie hotbeds, and it has no aluminum (and just realize if the product does not say it is an antiperspirant, it doesn’t have aluminum anyhow) nor any propylene glycol. Excellent.

And now the inevitable question: But don’t you have B.O.?

Yes. Not all the time, and not every day, but sometimes, yes. And do I care? No. Let me throw this out there: Your body, as it naturally functions, is supposed to sweat. It’s one of the processes that your body uses to eliminate toxins from your body. Your skin operates like a third kidney, sweating out urea, metals, and minerals. You get rid of about 30% of bodily wastes through sweating, with the other methods being pooping, peeing, and other glamorous things we talk about on beauty blogs where Kate Beckinsale and perfume are also talked about regularly. I just said “poop” and “Kate Beckinsale” in the same sentence.

So anyhow, I’m honestly okay with sweating a bit through the day. It’s literally meant to be. And I’ll be straight with you- If I’m planning on wearing a delicate fabric or know that I’m going to have an anxious morning (interviews, standing up to rebelling freshmen in their math class, etc.), I do wear the clinical strength antiperspirant. And I mean, like, the 25% aluminum kind (because if I’m going to wear the stuff, I’m going whole-sweaty-hog). But I try to severely limit these occurrences. And I’m trying to bulk up around the freshmen.

Anyhow, that’s my blabbering about some things and some stuff for now. Until next time, stay sweaty, shop Dior, get your highlights on, and stay poopy Kate Beckinsale!